Gas Hydrate Presentation

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Oceanic Gas Hydrate Research and Activities
Review
Presented By
Dr. Mary C. Boatman
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Gas Hydrates

• What are they?

• Why are they important?

• What matters to MMS?

• Short term
• Long term

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Gas Hydrate Ice-like structure that traps gases
Methane, Carbon Dioxide, Ethane, Butane,
Propane, Hydrogen Sulfide
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Hydrate Structures
Type I
Type II
Type H
Concentrates gas with a ratio of 1160
One cubic foot of gas hydrate contains 160 cubic
feet of gas at standard temperature and pressure
Sources U.S. Geological Survey and Texas AM
University
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Hydrate Formation Requires Five Ingredients

• Water

• Gas - CH4, CO2, C2H6, H2S, etc.

• Pressure

• Temperature

• Nucleation Site

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Why the interest in Gas Hydrates?

• Safety
• Hydrates plug flowlines
• Hydrates can be geohazards

• Resource
• Methane Hydrates are a source of natural gas

• Environmental
• Sensitive Communities use hydrates as food
• Methane Hydrates can contribute to global warming

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Safety

• Hydrates can form in flowlines and on equipment

• Hydrates occur naturally in the sediment

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Gulf
of
Mexico
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Seafloor gas hydrates exist near upward migration
paths
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Resource
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USGS Estimates of the United States In-Place Gas
Resources Within Gas Hydrates
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Methods of Extraction

• Heat

• Inject CO2 to Displace Methane

• Depressurization

• Direct Removal

• Inject Inhibitors

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Environmental
Chemosynthetic Communities

• Sensitive Biological Communities

• Associated with Methane Hydrates

• Found in Deepwater throughout Gulf of Mexico

Global Warming
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Environmental
Chemosynthetic Communities

• Sensitive Biological Communities

• Associated with Methane Hydrates

• Found in Deepwater throughout Gulf of Mexico

Global Warming
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S. 330 and H.R. 1753
Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of
1999
To promote the research, identification,
assessment, exploration, and development of
methane hydrate resources, and for other purposes.
Funding 42.5 million over 5 years
Lead Agency Department of Energy
Consultation Department of the Interior
Department of Defense
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International Interest in Methane Hydrate Recovery

• Russia Messoyakha gas field - 1970

• India 56 million program

• Japan 50 million program

• Canada MacKenzie Delta Permafrost with Japan

United Kingdom, Brazil, and Norway
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Hydrate Research at other Agencies
Department of Energy Methane Hydrates as a
Resource
United States Geological Survey Gas Hydrates
as a Geohazard Methane Hydrates as a Resource
Naval Research Laboratory Acoustic Properties
of Sediments
National Science Foundation Basic Research into
Hydrate Properties
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MMS Involvement in Hydrate Research
Technology Assessment Research Program
Chemosynthetic Communities
Center for Marine Resources and Environmental
Technology (CMRET)
Resource Evaluation - mapping of surface anomalies
Participation on Committees and in Consortiums
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3-D Seismic view of Gulf of Mexico Sea Floor
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3-D Seismic Surface Anomaly Map of Cooper Field
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Close-up view of Surface Anomaly with Hydrate
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Vertical view of one of the seismic lines
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Whats important to MMS?

• Short Term

Safety Technology and Geohazards
Environmental Protecting Sensitive Biological
Communities

• Long Term

Methane Hydrate Extraction
New Technology
Identification and Valuation of Resource
Environmental Impacts