Modern Alchemy: Magnetization of Natural Gas

Imagine: they offer you a fairly simple equipment that quickly mounts and treats a gas pipe with a magnetic field. As a result, when burning, you get savings from 25 to 40% of gas. After reading such information, the leaders and energy companies of natural gas-consuming enterprises will lay their hearts for such equipment. The cost of this energy is now not small and continues to grow.

As always in such cases, information on the physicochemical processes is scarce and contradictory. There is a reference to the patent, an illiterate description of the processes occurring in the gas, and a standard clause on the know-how of the manufacturer. The price of patents is known nowadays: you can patent anything, just pay for registration and patent support.

The gag in the description of gas processing technological processes can also be blamed on zealous marketers who do not own the subject of sale. But photos of equipment sold in hardware, does it mean something? It is one thing to put forward a fantastic idea that will never be realized, and another is an invention that exists in the form of real equipment that you can touch and buy.

Let's not rush shopping. We will think a little and try to deal with the know-how of the manufacturer of such attractive equipment. Let's take a little theory.

First, let's talk about the composition of natural gas. Methane makes up more than 90% of the composition of natural gas, the remaining percentages fall on heavier hydrocarbons and moisture. When gas is burned, the process of splitting of methane molecules occurs, followed by oxidation with oxygen.

The result is carbon dioxide and water. Energy is spent on the splitting of molecules (breaking molecular bonds) of methane, therefore, the real heat of combustion of natural gas is less by 9.8% of the theoretical value, which does not take into account loss on breaking of bonds.

Information for thought number two: natural gas is a poor conductor of electricity, and in a magnetic field behaves like a diamagnetic material. Therefore, it is impossible to “pump” into it any energy from the outside.

Neither a constant magnetic field nor an alternating electromagnetic field can transmit noticeable additional energy to a gas. The only reaction to a powerful magnetic field can only be the polarization of hydrocarbon molecules, specifically methane. But when leaving the zone of influence, the molecules will quickly return to their original state.

Now, armed with theoretical knowledge, back to practice. In the description from the manufacturer: in a gas, the magnetic field "... increases the level of excitation of gas molecules that cause them to unite into clusters." This is a phrase from the original advertising text.

Suppose that in some fantastic way we were able to preliminarily split all 100% of the bonds in methane before burning gas, i.e. reduce combustion losses by 9.8%. But just so much we must spend energy from external sources! If we take into account that the process of “pumping” energy into the gas will proceed with an efficiency that is obviously less than 1, then there is no sense in such a preliminary treatment of gas.

But what about saving 25-40% of gas? This is on the conscience of the manufacturer. There is no such efficiency in practice, and even theoretically there can be no such economy. In a similar patent, the gas was treated with strong permanent magnets mounted directly on the burners of steam boilers. As a result of industrial operation, about 8% of gas was saved.

But here you need to be careful. Thermophysical measurements, especially performed under industrial conditions, have an error of 20-30% at best. Therefore, 8% savings, with a great desire to implement equipment people can always be found.Here, the subjective factor is already playing a role.

The general conclusion is that: the rise in price of energy carriers requires constant work to increase the efficiency of equipment. Energy conservation is now a priority area of ​​activity that requires considerable effort and investment. But, unfortunately, unscrupulous people and firms are acting in this area, offering wonderful solutions to problems for "symbolic" amounts.

P.S. Recently, “magnetization technology” has begun to be actively introduced in other areas, for example, the so-called household "gas savers" and "fuel savers" for cars. An example of such a device. Advertising promises a 20% reduction in fuel. In our opinion, this is another scam that brings money only to those who produce and sell these magnetic fuel economizers.