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  • General

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  • 天然气发电

    A flare burns natural gas from an oil drilling site near rocky terrain.

     

    Why would oil drillers burn off fuel?
    ::为什么钻油机会烧掉燃料?

    Natural gas  is often found with petroleum. It is sometimes burned off by companies that are only interested in the petroleum. Burning natural gas off like this is wasting  energy . These days, natural gas is becoming more popular as a  fuel .
    ::天然气往往与石油有关,有时被只对石油感兴趣的公司烧毁。 像这样燃烧天然气正在浪费能源。 如今,天然气作为燃料越来越受欢迎。

    Natural Gas
     ::天然气

    Natural gas  is mostly methane. Natural gas is usually found with petroleum. People prefer to burn natural gas when possible because it is relatively clean.
    ::天然气主要是甲烷,天然气通常与石油有关,人们倾向于尽可能燃烧天然气,因为天然气相对清洁。

    How Natural Gas Forms
     ::天然气

    Natural gas is often found along with  coal  or  oil  in underground deposits. This is because natural gas forms with these other  fossil fuels . One difference between natural gas and oil is that natural gas forms at higher temperatures.
    ::天然气往往与煤炭或石油一起在地下矿藏中发现,这是因为天然气与其他化石燃料形成。 天然气和石油之间的一个区别是,天然气在高温下形成。 天然气和石油之间的一个区别在于天然气在高温下形成。

    Natural Gas Use
    ::天然气使用

    The largest natural gas reserves in the United States are located in the Rocky  Mountain  states, Texas, and the Gulf of Mexico region. California also has natural gas, mostly in the northern Sacramento  Valley  and the Sacramento  Delta .
    ::美国最大的天然气储量位于洛基山州、得克萨斯州和墨西哥湾地区。 加利福尼亚州也有天然气,主要在萨克拉门托河谷北部和萨克拉门托三角洲。

    Natural gas must be processed before it can be used as a fuel. Poisonous chemicals and  water  must be removed.
    ::天然气必须经过加工才能用作燃料,有毒化学品和水必须去除。

    Natural gas is delivered to homes, where it is used for cooking and heating. Natural gas is also a major energy  source  for powering  turbines  to make electricity. Natural gas releases most of its energy as  heat  when it burns. The power plant is able to use this heat, either in the form of hot gases or steam, to spin turbines. The spinning turbines turn generators, and the generators create electricity.
    ::天然气是燃电涡轮机的主要能源; 天然气在燃烧时释放大部分能源作为热能; 发电厂能够使用热气或蒸汽等热能来旋转涡轮机; 旋转涡轮机转换发电机,发电机发电。

    Extracting Natural Gas
    ::天然气开采

    Most natural gas comes from the wells that produce petroleum. An increasing amount comes from a new method. Hydraulic fracturing, called  fracking , is very much in the news lately. Fracking makes it easier and quicker to get natural gas from the   ( Figure   ).
    ::大多数天然气来自生产石油的油井。 越来越多的天然气来自新方法。 水力碎裂(称为裂缝 ) , 近来的新闻相当多。 裂缝使得从(图 ) 中获取天然气更加容易和更快。

    Natural gas extraction via fracking, highlighting well placement and geological layers.

     

    Fracking delivers natural gas from rock that might not otherwise be obtainable.
    ::裂缝从岩石中输送出否则可能无法获得的天然气。

    With fracking, fluids are pumped through a borehole. The fluids create fractures in the rock that contains the natural gas. Chemicals in the fluid prevent the fractures from closing. The natural gas can then be pumped to the surface.
    ::随着裂缝,液体通过井眼抽取,液体在含有天然气的岩石上造成骨折。液体中的化学物质防止了断裂。然后,天然气可以被泵到表面。

    Consequences of Natural Gas Extraction and Use
    ::天然气开采和使用的后果

    Natural gas burns cleaner than other fossil fuels. As a result, it causes less air pollution. It also produces less carbon dioxide than the other fossil fuels. Because it burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, natural gas has a good reputation. Still, natural gas does emit pollutants.
    ::天然气燃烧比其他化石燃料更清洁,因此造成空气污染较少,产生的二氧化碳也比其他化石燃料少。 天然气燃烧比其他化石燃料更清洁,因此具有良好的声誉。 然而,天然气的确会释放污染物。

    Fracking is being found to be destructive in several ways. Some of the chemicals in the fracking fluids may be harmful. Some may cause cancer. Some may be endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors interrupt the natural hormones in the bodies of humans and animals. These fluids can get into the  . They may  runoff  into  streams  and other surface waters. There they can cause problems.
    ::裂缝在几个方面被发现具有破坏性。 裂缝液体中的某些化学物质可能是有害的, 有些可能引发癌症, 有些可能是内分泌干扰物。 有些可能是内分泌干扰物, 内分泌干扰物会干扰人体和动物体内的自然激素。 这些液体可能会进入 。 它们可能会流入溪流和其他地表水中。 它们可能会引起问题 。

    The liquid waste injected into the deep wells may cause  . Locations where seismic activity is unknown have begun to experience earthquakes. Is fracking related to earthquake activity? Many geologists think the link is undeniable.
    ::注入深井的液体废物可能会引起地震。 地震活动未知的地点已经开始发生地震。 裂缝是否与地震活动有关? 许多地质学家认为这种联系是不可否认的。

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Natural gas forms with crude oil but at higher temperatures.
      ::天然气形式有原油,但温度较高。
    • Natural gas burns more cleanly than petroleum and produces fewer greenhouse gases.
      ::天然气燃烧比石油更干净,产生温室气体较少。
    • Hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, is a relatively new method for extracting natural gas. Fracking may be linked to groundwater contamination and small earthquakes in non-seismic regions.
      ::液压碎裂(称为裂缝)是较新的天然气开采方法,可能与地下水污染和非地震地区的小地震有关。

    Review
     ::回顾

    1. What is fracking, and how does it work?
      ::什么是裂缝,它是如何运作的?
    1. How is natural gas different from crude oil?
      ::天然气与原油有何不同?
    1. Why is natural gas considered more environmentally sound than other fossil fuels?
      ::为什么天然气比其他化石燃料更有利于环境?
    1. What are some problems with fracking fluids?
      ::裂缝液有什么问题?

    Explore More
    ::探索更多

    Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow.
    ::利用以下资源回答以下问题。

    1. What is fracking?
      ::什么是裂缝?
    1. Explain how natural gas is extracted.
      ::解释天然气是如何开采的。
    1. What are the concerns with fracking?
      ::裂缝有什么问题?
    1. How might the fluids get into the creeks and groundwater aquifer?
      ::流体如何进入小溪和地下水蓄水层?
    1. What are the advantages of the closed loop system?
      ::闭环系统的优点是什么?
    1. Why do some of the local ranchers hope that the federal government gets involved in regulating fracking?
      ::为什么有些当地牧场主希望 联邦政府参与 监管裂缝?