American Gas - February 2013 - (Page 8)

Issues Phasers Set … on Natural Gas d ig e s t Hydraulic fracturing has helped Pittsburgh become one of only three U.S. cities to fully recover from the 2007-09 recession. A new Brookings Institution report, Global Metro Monitor 2012, said that Pittsburgh has seen both its GDP per capita and employment levels rise to levels higher than in 2007, before the recession hit. (The other two U.S cities singled out were Dallas and Knoxville.) An expert on Pittsburgh’s economy told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Marcellus Shale drilling has contributed to the city’s economic strength. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s new Natural Gas Vehicle Grant program will provide up to $20 million over the next three years to help pay for the purchase and conversion costs of heavy-duty natural gas fleet vehicles. Eligible vehicles must weigh 14,000 pounds or more and be fueled with CNG or LNG. Bi-fuel vehicles also are eligible. A maximum of $25,000 per vehicle will be awarded. New laser technology softens rock L asers are used to print documents, cut metals, perform surgery, scan barcodes, and guide missiles. In the near future, they may also help drill for natural gas. Foro Energy, based in Littleton, Colo., recently demonstrated that a high-power laser aimed through optical fiber can soften hard rock. Combined with a mechanical drill, the approach can be used for natural gas production. In traditional mechanical drilling, rock such as granite can slow drilling and quickly wear out drill bits. As a consequence, production of gas fields capped by hard rock often isn’t economical. The Foro process uses proprietary fiber-optic technology to deliver a laser beam to the rock surface. By rapidly heating a thin layer of the rock surface to several hundred degrees Celsius, the laser can soften the rock enough that it yields to a low-power drill. The laser-mechanical drilling process requires lower weight pressure and torque and should enable lower per-foot drilling costs. Key to the technology’s success is a 20-kilowatt laser and Foro’s innovative fiber-optic solution, which can target the beam 5,000 feet below ground. “The trick is getting a high-power laser beam The Drive Natural Gas Initiative has created a Natural Gas Fleet Savings Calculator to help fleet owners analyze the costs associated with converting a fleet, or part of a fleet, to natural gas. Developed by engineering consultancy Ricardo, the spreadsheet-based calculator comes pre-loaded with the current Continued on page 11 8 American Gas february 2013 Built Tough: Ford’s new CNG-powered truck all the way down a bore hole,” Chip Durfee, Ph.D., associate professor of physics at the Colorado School of Mines, told American Gas. “The laser diodes used in this type of application are difficult to focus. What’s needed is fiber-optic cable that can absorb a wave of light from the laser and then re-emit it in a longer wavelength to deliver a concentrated beam over a long distance.” The Foro Energy technology is based on research originally conducted at the Colorado School of Mines. Foro is now working on a field-deployable solution. The company is developing laser hardware components that can withstand the high-vibration, high-pressure, high-temperature conditions typical of natural gas well drilling. Development of the technology was funded in part by a $9.14 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency ARPA-E program. The technique also has applications in geothermal energy and oil production. —Eric Schoeniger Truckin’ Ford to offer new CNG-powered haulers F ord Motor Co. is expanding the assortment of compressed natural gas-powered trucks available through its dealer network with the addition of two new CNG-powered trucks converted by Westport Innovations.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - February 2013

American Gas - February 2013
Table of Contents
President’s Message
Subject Index
Supplanting Coal, Creating Jobs
Digest
Issues
Updates
Need to Know
By the Numbers
People and Places
Fill ‘er Up—in the Driveway
Europe
State House
City Hall
Wall Street
Elm Street
On the Docket
Profile: Philip B. Jones
Law
Jobs
Buyer’s Guide: Meters
Marketplace
Headway

American Gas - February 2013