NATURAL GAS SUPPLIES

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24905, 19 June 1946, Page 5

NATURAL GAS SUPPLIES

POSSIBILITIES ON WEST COAST The possibility of natural gases in the Grey district being tapped for commercial purposes has been advanced by several organisations in the

past, and the engineer to the Greymouth Borough Council is to submit a report to the council on the subject. For more than two years Mr Fairmaid has had the matter under consideration and has been in touch with the Mines Department on the possibilities of using such gases. Lack of evidence about the life of the various sources of possible supply is, of course, likely to deter action in such ventures. It is believed, however, that large areas of methane gas have been imprisoned in the vast coal deposits of the province, and that it is released as “fire damp” when mining operations ease the pressure that has held it underground for centuries.

There is no indication that the pressure would be maintained from the suggested Rewanui supply source, and it is considered that the pocket of gas tapped by the Superior Oil Company at Cape Terrace, Kumara, in 1942, at a depth of 900 feet, might prove the more reliable supply. The reservoir there gave off a pressure of 1251 b to the square inch, and the flow was measured at 5,500,000 cubic feet for 24 hours There was no evidence of the capacity of the reservoir, and it was not considered likely that the bore would continue to yield the flow stated, or maintained its pressure, and the bore was efficiently sealed. The consumption of coal gas at Greymouth ranges from 120,000 cubic feet to 200,000 cubic feet daily, depending on the season. The annual “make” at the gasworks is about 50,000,000 cubic feet. A test taken at the Kumara bore proved the gas to be 97 per cent, pure methane. Should a natural gas scheme be instituted, it is generally recognised by authorities that the Kumara accumulation would be the only logical source of supply. A pipe line, approximately 10 miles in length, would be needed to convey the gas to the gasworks, where it would require very little processing. Methane gas has vast industrial possibilities in addition to its domestic supply. The main interest is centred on its uses as a fuel alternative for petrol, and a comparison shows methane to have’an advantage, weight for weight. Its use in liquid form for aero engines has attracted considerable attention because of its high antiknock value, and the fact that its calorific value is about 17 per cent greater than that of ordinary aviation petrol, indicating a reduction in fuel consumption, which would increase flying range. It has been used as an alternative to petrol in many countries, particularly in Germany, where 22.000 vehicles were converted to run on this product between 1938-40. Italy also uses the gas for motor transport, and it is used widely in France, where it is a law that 10 per cent, of commercial vehicles must run on homeproduced fuel. The introduction of natural gas to Greymouth would undoubtedly give a stimulus to industry. There are large deposits of limestone and marl in the Grey district, which could be effectively used for cement production if a cheap and constant source of heat were