Oceanic Methane Hydrates

Methane hydrates are still a complicated target for today's oil and gas offshore engineers, particularly the lack of reliable real field test data or obtaining the most recent technology available on the feasibility and challenges surrounding the extraction of methane hydrates. Oceanic Methane Hydrates delivers the solid foundation as well as today's advances and challenges that remain. Starting with the fundamental knowledge on gas hydrates, the authors define the origin, estimations, and known exploration and production methods. Historical and current oil and gas fields and roadmaps containing methane hydrates around the world are also covered to help lay the foundation for the early career engineer. Lab experiments and advancements in numerical reservoir simulations transition the engineer from research to practice with real field-core sampling techniques covered, points on how to choose producible methane hydrate reservoirs, and the importance of emerging technologies. Actual comparable onshore tests from around the world are included to help the engineer gain clarity on field expectations. Rounding out the reference are emerging technologies in all facets of the business including well completion and monitoring, economics aspects to consider, and environmental challenges, particularly methods to reduce the costs of methane hydrate exploration and production techniques. Rounding out a look at future trends, Oceanic Methane Hydrates covers both the basics and advances needed for today's engineers to gain the required knowledge needed to tackle this challenging and exciting future energy source. Understand real data and practice examples covering the newest developments of methane hydrate, from chemical, reservoir modelling and production testing Gain worldwide coverage and analysis of the most recent extraction production tests Cover the full range of emerging technologies and environmental sustainability including current regulations and policy outlook

Methane hydrates are still a complicated target for today’s oil and gas offshore engineers, particularly the lack of reliable real field test data or obtaining the most recent technology available on the feasibility and challenges surrounding the extraction of methane hydrates. Oceanic Methane Hydrates delivers the solid foundation as well as today’s advances and challenges that remain. Starting with the fundamental knowledge on gas hydrates, the authors define the origin, estimations, and known exploration and production methods. Historical and current oil and gas fields and roadmaps containing methane hydrates around the world are also covered to help lay the foundation for the early career engineer. Lab experiments and advancements in numerical reservoir simulations transition the engineer from research to practice with real field-core sampling techniques covered, points on how to choose producible methane hydrate reservoirs, and the importance of emerging technologies. Actual comparable onshore tests from around the world are included to help the engineer gain clarity on field expectations.Rounding out the reference are emerging technologies in all facets of the business including well completion and monitoring, economics aspects to consider, and environmental challenges, particularly methods to reduce the costs of methane hydrate exploration and production techniques. Rounding out a look at future trends, Oceanic Methane Hydrates covers both the basics and advances needed for today’s engineers to gain the required knowledge needed to tackle this challenging and exciting future energy source. Understand real data and practice examples covering the newest developments of methane hydrate, from chemical, reservoir modelling and production testing Gain worldwide coverage and analysis of the most recent extraction production tests Cover the full range of emerging technologies and environmental sustainability including current regulations and policy outlook

1. THE BEGINNINGS OF HYDRATE RESEARCH Until very recently, our understanding of hydrate in the natural environment and its impact on seafloor stability, its importance as a sequester of methane, and its potential as an important mechanism in the Earth's climate change system, was masked by our lack of appreciation of the vastness of the hydrate resource. Only a few publications on naturally occurring hydrate existed prior to 1975. The first published reference to oceanic gas hydrate (Bryan and Markl, 1966) and the first publication in the scientific literature (Stoll, et a1., 1971) show how recently it has been since the topic of naturally occurring hydrate has been raised. Recently, however, the number of hydrate publications has increased substantially, reflecting increased research into hydrate topics and the initiation of funding to support the researchers. Awareness of the existence of naturally occurring gas hydrate now has spread beyond the few scientific enthusiasts who pursued knowledge about the elusive hydrate because of simple interest and lurking suspicions that hydrate would prove to be an important topic. The first national conference on gas hydrate in the U.S. was held as recently as April, 1991 at the U.S. National Center of the U.s. Geological Survey in Reston Virginia (Max et al., 1991). The meeting was co-hosted by the U.s. Geological Survey, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the U.S.

Gas hydrates represent one of the world’s largest untapped reservoirs of energy and, according to some estimates, have the potential to meet global energy needs for the next thousand years. "Methane Gas Hydrate" examines this potential by focusing on methane gas hydrate, which is increasingly considered a significant source of energy. "Methane Gas Hydrate" gives a general overview of natural gas, before delving into the subject of gas hydrates in more detail and methane gas hydrate in particular. As well as discussing methods of gas production, it also discusses the safety and environmental concerns associated with the presence of natural gas hydrates, ranging from their possible impact on the safety of conventional drilling operations to their influence on Earth’s climate. "Methane Gas Hydrate" is a useful reference on an increasingly popular energy source. It contains valuable information for chemical engineers and researchers, as well as for postgraduate students.

Methane hydrate is a natural form of clathrate - a chemical substance in which one molecule forms a lattice around a "guest" molecule with chemical bonding. In this clathrate, the guest molecule is methane and the lattice is formed by water to form an ice-like solid. Methane hydrate has become the focus of international attention because of the vast potential for human use worldwide. If methane can be produced from hydrate, a reasonable assumption given that there are no obvious technical or engineering roadblocks to commercial production, the nation's natural gas energy supply could be extended for many years to come. This report reviews the Department of Energy's (DOE) Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program, the project selection process, and projects funded to date. It makes recommendations on how the DOE program could be improved. Key recommendations include focusing DOE program emphasis and research in 7 priority areas; incorporating greater scientific oversight in the selection, initiation, monitoring, and assessment of major projects funded by the DOE; strengthening DOE's contribution to education and training through funding of fellowships, and providing project applicants with a set of instructions and guidelines outlining requirements for timely and full disclosure of project results and consequences of noncompliance.

Natural gas, composed mostly of methane, is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels, emitting 25-50% less carbon dioxide than either oil or coal for each unit of energy produced. In recent years, natural gas supplied approximately 20-25% of all energy consumed in the United States. Methane hydrate is a potentially enormous and as yet untapped source of methane. The Department of Energy's Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program has been tasked since 2000 to implement and coordinate a national methane hydrate research effort to stimulate the development of knowledge and technology necessary for commercial production of methane from methane hydrate in a safe and environmentally responsible way. Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States evaluates the program's research projects and management processes since its congressional re-authorization in 2005, and presents recommendations for its future research and development initiatives.

This book describes aspects of the natural gas hydrate (NGH) system that offer opportunities for the innovative application of existing technology and development of new technology that could dramatically lower the cost of NGH exploration and production. It is written for energy industry professsionals and those concerned with energy choices and efficiencies at a university graduate level. The NGH resource is compared with physical, environmental, and commercial aspects of other gas resources. The authors' theme is that natural gas can provide for base and peak load energy demands during the transition to and possibly within a renewable energy future. This is possibly the most useful book discussing fossil fuels that will be a reference for environmentalists and energy policy institutions, and for the environmental and energy community.