Sphere No.45 (Sep 2018)

Godly fire springs from Earth Lit by heaven’s spark Heat, light and industry Freeing man from dark. atural gas, unharnessed by man, was seen as evidence of the divine on Earth. Gas escaping from the ground was lit by errant lightning, creating mysterious fires that inspired holy places like the Oracle at Delphi in Ancient Greece. The 21st century version being pioneered by CK Infrastructure Holdings Limited (CKI) seems equally miraculous as it meets modern needs for a global population and a healthy planet. From the north and south of Britain to blazing hot Australia, CKI member companies are leading the way in transforming how gas is sourced, used and moved. The ancient Chinese, in approximately 500 BC, were the first known people to channel and use gas, employing bamboo pipes to bring it to where they could heat seawater and isolate salt. In the last two centuries, gas has gone from lighting a single home to becoming a vital part of daily life, industrial advancement and economic vitality. Easy gas, found bubbling up out of rivers and escaping into the atmosphere, has largely been tapped, and scientists and engineers now extract it from coal, the bottom of the ocean and from its prison inside shale rock. It was in the world-leading industrial Britain of the late 1700s and early 1800s when gas took off. Innovators were beginning to explore its uses and WilliamMurdoch (inset) lit his house in Redruth, Cornwall, with gas lighting and the French engineer Philippe LeBon later patented a thermo- lamp in 1799. Frederick Albert Winsor (née Friedrich Albrecht Winzer) from Germany, was intrigued and went to work. He lit up London’s Pall Mall in 1807 and was granted a Royal Charter for the Gas Light and Coke Company in 1812 – the world’s first public gas utility. Gas use grew rapidly across the modern world. Britain was in particular blessed with abundant coal, a synthetic source of gas, and took to gas as a popular choice to light homes until the advent of electricity. Just in time, German scientist Robert Bunsen, of high school science Bunsen burner fame, perfected the right mix of gas and air in 1885 to make gas a viable option for a wider range of uses, including heating and cooking. Industrialists found uses for gas to drive manufacturing and processing plants. But the use of gas has not come without a cost. The relatively inefficient burning of the original 19th and 20th century N Industrial-era pollution is a thing of the past. Modern standards ensure a much higher quality of air – and life. Image courtesy of Leonard Bentley on Flickr Let there be (gas) light! London is first illuminated by gas on Pall Mall in 1807. gas systems resulted in severe local pollution, aggravated by coal burning for heat and the rise of the automobile. As governments around the world have struggled with bringing local pollution under control through a variety of measures, they have also taken on saving the planet. Carbon emission control demands that all contribute to reducing national carbon footprints, and public utilities – gas included – are doing their part. Delivering an affordable, efficient and reliable energy source, while minimising global impact, is the new imperative. SPHERE #45 2018 11 >>