Gas is a phase of matter that has the ability to flow and can change shape like a liquid. However, it is different with liquid. Unretained gas does not fill a predetermined volume. Instead, the gas expands and fills any space wherever it is. This is very different from the law of liquids whose form can follow the place where the liquid is located.
The word gas was coined by a chemist from Flemish as a re-spelling of the pronunciation of the Greek word, chaos, meaning chaos. The potential of fuel in Indonesia is very large. It is proven by the abundance of natural gas that can be found in Indonesia. In fact, Indonesia is recognized as one of the countries as a productive natural gas producer.
Many areas in Indonesia have potential wells for natural gas. These natural gas exploration wells are in the Arun Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam block, natural gas wells in Bontang, East Kalimantan, Tangguh Papua, natural gas wells in Natuna, Riau Islands and many other areas of Indonesia where natural gas wells can be explored.
Many mines in Indonesia produce natural gas. The government has carried out the manufacture and processing of natural gas to optimize the natural gas that is created and used for raw materials or for fuel.
Natural gas is indeed the most important fuel and also the main raw material for various chemical synthetics. Its presence in Indonesia must be optimized because the potential for fuel is very large and can be used as an export tool that will generate foreign exchange for the country.
Natural Gas at a Glance Natural
gas is also known as natural gas or swamp gas. Natural gas is a fossil fuel in the form of a gas consisting mainly of methane. Natural gas can be found in oil fields, natural gas fields and in coal mines.
Gas that is rich in methane is produced through the decomposition of organic matter by anaerobic bacteria. Sources of biogas can be found in swamps, landfill sites, and human and animal waste collection sites.
Gaseous fuels are all types of fuels formed from gas. Generally, this gaseous fuel belongs to the fossil fuel group. It is said that historically, the first use of combustible gas began in China 900 BC. This natural gas is piped through bamboo pipes and used as lighting. Meanwhile, the first modern use of gas in England was using coal gas production in 1965, while for lighting it was started in 1972.
Furthermore, the development of gas was very rapid, as evidenced by the formation of gas companies that manufacture and trade gas. In 1780, blue gas and producer gas were discovered. These two gases are crucial steps in the development of the gas industry.
Types of Gas Fuel
Several types of gas fuels include natural gas or natural gas, coke furnace gas, producer gas, and water gas or blue gas.
Natural gas or natural gas is the most important natural gas and is the number one raw material for various chemical synthetics. Many factories are in dire need of gas fuel. Many households also need gas for cooking and other things. Various hydrocarbons and LPG are the main natural gas products.
Coke kiln gas is produced as a by-product of the coal distillation process. Distillation is a method of separating solutions using heat as a separator or distillation. Coke kiln gas is widely used in the steel industry.
Producer gas is produced by passing air into carbonaceous materials, such as coal, and carbon monoxide is produced. Producer gas is usually used to power gas turbines which require high-calorie energy. However, the use of this gas must be considered carefully because the carbon monoxide content can cause poisoning.
Water gas or blue gas. Water gas is often referred to as blue gas because when water gas is burned it will cause and produce a blue flame. Water gas is produced from the reaction between water vapor with coal or incandescent coke at temperatures above a thousand degrees Celsius.
Indonesia is the largest producer of liquefied natural gas or LNG in the world. This makes Indonesia has extraordinary natural wealth. In fact, Indonesia is recognized as the largest and most productive natural gas producer. This is certainly very proud of Indonesia, which is indeed able to produce gas fuel optimally.
Utilization of Natural Gas
Utilization of natural gas can be divided into 3 groups, which can be used as fuel, natural gas as raw material, and natural gas as a commodity for export.
Natural gas as fuel can be used to fuel gas/steam power plants. Natural gas can be used as industrial fuel (for light industry, medium industry, and heavy industry), natural gas for vehicle fuel or CNG, and natural gas which is useful as city gas for household purposes, hotels, restaurants, and others. .
Liquified Petroleum Gas or LPG is a mixture of various types of hydrocarbons derived from natural gas. The nature of this gaseous fuel is liquid and flammable. LPG or LPG is needed by all Indonesian people as fuel for gas stoves.
Almost all people in Indonesia now use gas stoves for cooking. Moreover, government grants in the form of gas stoves and gas cylinders have made all heads of households have these cooking utensils so that the need for LPG gas every day is very high.
The use of LPG as fuel for gas stoves is sometimes risky. There have been many incidents of gas cylinders exploding due to gas leaks and causing material and non-material losses. The leaked gas if exposed to fire can cause a fire and a fairly loud explosion.
In the beginning, LPG gas is odorless so it is not easy for us to detect it if a gas leak appears. However, currently, Pertamina has added mercaptan gas which has a distinctive and very nose-piercing odor to LPG. This is of course very useful to know if there is a leaking gas cylinder. If you smell a gas cylinder like a pungent durian smell, you have to be careful because there could be a leak in the gas cylinder.
The use of other natural gas is also important. Natural gas is also used as a raw material for fertilizer products, plastic products and others. Natural gas is also used for soft drinks, dry ice, food preservatives, for welding and as a light fire extinguisher.
Meanwhile, natural gas as an energy commodity for export is Liquified Natural Gas or LNG (liquid natural gas). In addition, the use of natural gas is also useful for air conditioners or air conditioners. The use of natural gas for air conditioning facilities has been used at the airport in Bangkok, Thailand, and a number of university buildings in Australia.