NATURAL GAS

by Candace Zwick

What is natural gas?

Natural gas is a fossil fuel in the gaseous state which consists mainly of methane. Natural gas must go through a process to remove almost all its materials before it can be used as fuel.

Why I chose my topic?

used everyday lots of accurate data raises awareness

about the amount of natural gas being used

how it affects global warming

Surprising Statistics on Gas Consumption

the world's largest proven gas reserves are located in Russia, with 4.757×1013 m³

Russia is the world’s largest natural gas producer (Gazprom company)

the world's largest gas field is Qatar’s offshore North Field estimated to have 25 trillion cubic meters of gas in place

this is enough to last more than 200 years at optimum production levels

Question: How does the consumption of natural

gas in Canada vary throughout the months within 2007-2008?

independent variable: temperature (per month) dependent variable: natural gas consumption

(m3)

Leading up to my hypothesis:

Everyday uses of natural gases: fuel for cars

home heating cooking

clothes dryers power generators

pool heaters domestic hot water heaters

My Hypothesis is:

More natural gas will be used during the winter months than the summer months. This is because in the winter, people try to keep themselves warm by using furnaces fueled by natural gas. In the summer, the weather is warm and homes do not need to be heated.

Month (2007-2008)

Temperature (*C) Natural Gas (m3)

January -11.5 2,010,080

February -10 1,950,618

March -4 1,976,414

April 6 1,676,833

May 13 1,551,382

June 18 1,403,677

July 21 1,495,381

August 20 1,384,638

September 15 1,445,269

October 9 1,731,596

November 2 1,872,842

December -8 2,139,248

January -11.5 2,147,015

February -10 2,008,400

March -4 1,983,676

April 6 1,786,105

May 13 1,687,619

June 18 1,445,204

July 21 1,533,601

August 20 1,610,020

September 15 1,551,150

October 9 1,718,012

November 2 1,662,066

December -8 1,788,292

linear regressiony= -18405x+2.0x1006

Mean 1,731,630.75m3

Median 1,702,815.5m3

-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 250

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

Gas Consumption vs Temperature

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Temperature *C

Gas C

onsum

pti

on (

m^

3)

r= -0.8437

-1 (strong) -0.67 (moderate) -0.33 (weak) 0 (weak) 0.33 (moderate) 0.67 (strong) 1Standard Deviation

σ= 234,724.45

Year Month Natural Gas (m3)

2007

January 2,010,080

February 1,950,618

March 1,976,414

April 1,676,833

May 1,551,382

June 1,403,677

July 1,495,381

August 1,384,638

September 1,445,269

October 1,731,596

November 1,872,842

December 2,139,248

2008

January 2,147,015

February 2,008,400

March 1,983,676

April 1,786,105

May 1,687,619

June 1,445,204

July 1,533,601

August 1,610,020

September 1,551,150

October 1,718,012

November 1,662,066

December 1,788,292

Non-Linear Regression

Quadratic

y=ax2+bx+c Mean

1,484,251.08m3

Median

1,702,816m3

Sampling Techniques Simple Random Sampling

Sampling Bias could not be identified

Why I chose Canada as opposed to other

countries around the world. Data may vary in different parts of the

world because of: climate

could be warm all year- Equatorial Areas could be cold all year- Antarctica

culture against religion- Mennonites

poverty not being able to afford natural gas- Haiti

Hidden Variables

climate change throughout Canada

income and financial state of consumers

in the future, global warming could affect the data collected

How to reduce the amount of natural gas being used? energy conservation

set thermostat to lower temperature and wear warmer clothing

close doors to unused rooms more efficient windows- use plastic film use solar energy

laundry wash laundry in cold water use clothes lines to dry clothing use electric clothes dryers

fuel use biofuels electric cars use ethanol blended fuels

Conclusion

therefore my hypothesis was correct as temperature decreases the gas

consumption increases and as temperature increases, gas consumption decreases

this results in a negative correlation

the following video further supports my hypothesis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXaVBlBrDnk&feature=related

Bibliography Energy Sources (2009). In Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved November 16,

2010, from http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/eneene/sources/natnat/2010/janjan-eng.php

Harper, D. (Actor). (2008). Natural Gas Futures [Online video]. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXaVBlBrDnk&feature=related

Natural Gas (2010, ). In Harvest Topworth International. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from http://www.harvest-pakistan.com/naturalgas.html

Pfeiffer, D. A. (2009, March 26). Econogics. In Reducing Natural Gas Consumption. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from http://www.econogics.com/en/natgas.htm

Source: Statistics Canada. Table 129-0003 - Sales of natural gas, monthly, CANSIM (database), Using E-STAT (distributor).http://estat.statcan.gc.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.exe?Lang=E&EST-Fi=EStat/English/CII_1-eng.htm

(accessed: December 6, 2010)

The British Antarctic Study. (n.d.). Natural Gas. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from http://www.solcomhouse.com/naturalgas.htm