Natural gas hydrate occurrence and issues: Large amounts of methane in gas hydrates are potential energy sources; role in climate change?
- Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Naturally occurring gas hydrate is a solid, icelike substance composed of rigid cages of water molecules that enclose molecules of gas, mainly methane. Chemically, this substance is a water clathrate of methane, often called methane clathrate, in addition to methane hydrate or gas hydrate. In an ideally saturated methane hydrate, the molar ratio of methane to water is 1:5.75, that is, equal to a volumetric ratio at standard conditions of about 164:1. Gas hydrate deposits aaoccur under specific conditions of pressure and temperature, where the supply of methane is sufficient to initiate and stabilize the hydrate structure. These conditions are met on Earth in shallow sediment, less than 2,000 meters deep in two regions: (1) continental, including continental shelves at high latitudes where surface temperatures are very cold, and (2) submarine continental slopes and rises where not only is the bottom water cold but also pressures are very high. Thus in polar regions, gas hydrate is found where temperatures are cold enough for onshore and offshore permafrost to be present. During global warming, deep sea gas hydrates become more stable, but gas hydrate of polar continents and continental shelves is destabilized, leading to methane release over long time scales. Methane reaching the atmosphere from these sources contributes to the global warming trend. During a global cooling cycle, the whole system reverses. Methodologies are being developed to recover methane from this substance. Three principal methods are being considered: thermal stimulation, depressurization, and inhibitor injection.
- OSTI ID:
- 121743
- Journal Information:
- Sea Technology, Vol. 36, Issue 9; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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