Fossil Fuels

Group 2
What are Fossil Fuels?
There are three major forms of fossil fuels: coal,
oil and natural gas. All three were formed many
hundreds of millions of years ago before the
time of the dinosaurs hence the name fossil
fuels. The age they were formed is called the
Carboniferous Period. It was part of the
Paleozoic Era. "Carboniferous" gets its name
from carbon, the basic element in coal and other
fossil fuels.
What are Fossil Fuels?
As the trees and plants died, they sank to the
bottom of the swamps of oceans. They formed
layers of a spongy material called peat. Over
many hundreds of years, the peat was covered
by sand and clay and other minerals, which
turned into a type of rock called sedimentary.
What are Fossil Fuels?
More and more rock piled on top of more rock,
and it weighed more and more. It began to press
down on the peat. The peat was squeezed and
squeezed until the water came out of it and it
eventually, over millions of years; it turned into
coal, oil or petroleum, and natural gas.
Kinds of Fossil Fuels
Three major kinds of fossil fuels:
Coal
Oil
Natural gas
A. COAL
a hard, black colored rock-like substance
made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen
and varying amounts of sulphur.
Three main types of coal:
Anthracite
Bituminous
Lignite
A. COAL
Peat: precursor to coal; still found in many
countries; also used as an energy source
Anthracite coal: hardest, has more carbon
(which gives it higher energy content)
Lignite: softest; low in carbon but high in
hydrogen and oxygen content
Bituminous: in between (anthracite and
lignite)
A. COAL
mined out of the ground using various methods.
dug by sinking vertical or horizontal shafts deep
underground, and coal miners travel by
elevators or trains deep underground to dig the
coal
mined in strip mines where huge steam shovels
strip away the top layers above the coal. The
layers are then restored after the coal is taken
away.
A. COAL
The coal is then shipped by train and boats and
even in pipelines.
In pipelines, the coal is ground up and mixed
with water to make what's called slurry. This is
then pumped many miles through pipelines.
At the other end, the coal is used to fuel power
plants and other factories.
A. COAL
B. OIL/PETROLEUM
It was also formed more than 300 million
years ago.
Some scientists say that tiny diatoms are the
source of oil.
Diatoms are sea creatures the size of a pin
head.
They do one thing just like plants; they can
convert sunlight directly into stored energy.
B. OIL/PETROLEUM
Oil has been used for more than 5,000-6,000
years.
Oil and natural gas are found under ground
between folds of rock and in areas of rock
that are porous and contain the oils within the
rock itself. The folds of rock were formed as
the earth shifts and moves.
B. OIL/PETROLEUM
To find oil and natural gas, companies drill
through the earth to the deposits deep below
the surface. The oil and natural gas are then
pumped from below the ground by oil rigs
(like in the picture). They then usually travel
through pipelines or by ship.
C. NATURAL GAS
Sometime between 6,000 to 2,000 years BCE
(Before the Common Era), the first
discoveries of natural gas seeps were made in
Iran.
The gas seeps, probably first ignited by
lightning, provided the fuel for the "eternal
fires" of the fire-worshiping religion of the
ancient Persians.
C. NATURAL GAS
Natural gas is lighter than air.
Natural gas is mostly made up of a gas called
methane.
Methane is a simple chemical compound that
is made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
Its chemical formula is CH4 one atom of
carbon along with four atoms hydrogen.
This gas is highly flammable.
C. NATURAL GAS
Natural gas is usually found near petroleum
underground.
It is pumped from below ground and travels in
pipelines to storage areas.
Natural gas usually has no odor and you can't
see it.
C. NATURAL GAS
Before it is sent to the pipelines and storage
tanks, it is mixed with a chemical that gives a
strong odor.
The odor smells almost like rotten eggs.
The odor makes it easy to smell if there is a
leak.

FIVE MAIN FOSSIL FUELS
FIVE MAIN FOSSIL FUELS
Coal
- a combustible black or brown organic
sedimentary rock. It is mostly carbon and
is typically found as layers (coal beds) or
veins (coal seams).
FIVE MAIN FOSSIL FUELS
Natural Gas
- a combustible mix of hydrocarbon
gases. It is colourless and consists mainly
of methane (CH4). Conventional gas is
easily extracted; unconventional gas
requires more sophisticated extraction
technologies.
FIVE MAIN FOSSIL FUELS
Oil
- mostly known as crude oil or
condensate, but includes all liquid
hydrocarbon fossil fuels. Petroleum and
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are the
most common types of fuel obtained
from oil extraction and refining.
FIVE MAIN FOSSIL FUELS
Petroleum
- a liquid fuel made of hydrocarbons and
other liquid organic compounds. It refers
to both naturally occurring unprocessed
crude oils and petroleum products made
of refined crude oil.
FIVE MAIN FOSSIL FUELS
Liquefied Petroleum Pas (LPG)
- heavier than natural gas. Although
gaseous under normal atmospheric
conditions, LPG is stored under modest
pressures in its liquid form and so can be
more easily transported and stored.
REFERENCES:
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter
08.html
http://www.originenergy.com.au/4225/Fossil-
fuels
Fossil Fuels
Group 2