The impact of natural gas exploration technologies on the environment

Published on : 29 April 20203 min reading time

Natural gas, although used by many households, is not without risks. From its exploitation to its use, this product has certain disadvantages for the environment and for users. Noting that natural gas is made up of several components. These can be harmful to human health.

The harms of natural gas exploration

During natural gas exploration, several elements are emitted into the atmosphere. In fact, gas is composed of several elements, including methane. Methane is a real cause of the greenhouse effect. It is even more dangerous than carbon dioxide. Moreover, the exploration of natural gas by the technique of hydraulic fracturing has many harmful effects on the environment. It invades, for example, water resources. Indeed, this exploitation requires a certain amount of water, of which only a small volume will be recoverable. Thus, natural gas exploration must be subject to regular controls in order to limit the impact on the environment.

Disadvantages during transportation and storage

The extraction of natural gas also involves the mobilization of complex foundations. When gas is transported through pipelines, internal or external corrosion can occur. There may be a release of gas under pressure. This is a real danger. Before distribution to end consumers, gas requires special storage. Storage sites may be located close to fields or consumption sites. If the gas is stored in underground areas, there is the risk of ignition of the gas jet. In the case of aerial storage, there is especially the risk of leakage of liquefied gas, which is more dangerous. At the distribution level, the underground method often leads to serious accidents, most of which are fatal. In general, this leads to the drilling of pipelines and thus to the leakage of natural gas.

Preventing the risk of accidents when using natural gas

In terms of natural gas storage and natural gas exploration techniques, the implementation of regular monitoring would reduce the risks caused by a natural gas leak. In some countries, the use of a channel by a ship is prohibited when an LNG carrier has committed to this in the opposite direction. This would help to limit the consequences of a possible explosion. A ship and an LNG tanker must not pass each other. In addition, the choice of coatings and the analysis of the efficiency of the equipment must be carried out more carefully in order to avoid gas losses and their emission into the atmosphere.

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