Gas hydrates as potential resource of energy and pathfinders for conventional type hydrocarbon deposits
- Geoexplorers International, Inc., Denver, CO (United States)
Solid compounds of water and gaseous hydrocarbons are known as gas hydrates, clathrates, or cryohydrates. They occur naturally in offshore and terrestrial environments, in the areas where temperature is at least seasonally low (i.e. close to or below freezing), bathymetric, geostatic, ice, or permafrost pressure is sufficiently high, and the source of hydrocarbons is available. These factors (regional and local geological conditions of 21 locations grouped into 13 study regions worldwide offshore and one in permafrost environments with proven, reported, and inferred presence of gas hydrates) have been recently researched by Geoexplorers International, Inc. Conservative estimations from Geoexplorers International suggest that the world's total gas hydrates may contain 7,000 to 50,000 tcf of natural gas. Although at this time exploitation of gas trapped in the hydrate zone and below is not economically viable, because estimated reserves are enormous, they should be seriously considered as potential energy resource. Smaller, but less dispersed massive gas hydrate deposits associated with fault zones may be the first offshore gas resource to become economic. This research, particularly of the Messoyakh gas field, has proved that the presence of gas hydrates provides very useful information in exploration for conventional oil and gas deposits. Gas hydrates indicate ongoing hydrocarbon generation in the sediments. Hydrates are valuable to assess the present heat flow and thermal history of a region. Since gas hydrates exist only under a very limited range of pressure and temperature, deviation in patterns of their occurrence can be related to changes in pore water chemistry, hydrocarbon composition, or pressure and temperature gradient anomalies.
- OSTI ID:
- 5569654
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-910403-; CODEN: AABUD
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 75:3; Conference: Annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Dallas, TX (United States), 7-10 Apr 1991; ISSN 0149-1423
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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02 PETROLEUM
GAS HYDRATES
RESERVES
NATURAL GAS HYDRATE DEPOSITS
EXPLOITATION
ORIGIN
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
EXPLORATION
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PRESSURE EFFECTS
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HYDRATES
MINERAL RESOURCES
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030200* - Natural Gas- Reserves
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020200 - Petroleum- Reserves
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