- Number 315 |
- July 6, 2010
Evaluating natural gas hydrate occurrences around the world
These figures illustrate hydrate filled
fractures in clay; these cores were
collected during the Indian Natural
Gas Hydrate Program expedition in
2007.
Working on research ships around the world and Arctic drilling rigs, as well as in the laboratory, researchers in NETL’s Office of Research and Development perform integrated studies that may hold the secret to greatly increasing our Nation’s natural gas supply. Hydrate is an informal term commonly used to describe substances in which molecules of water form a cage that encloses, without chemically bonding with, appropriately-sized molecules of another material (in this case, methane). Methane hydrate looks like ordinary ice, which is understandable; the methane contained within the ice is invisible. It is found offshore, in marine sediments, and in the Arctic.
The world’s methane hydrate deposits likely contain more organic carbon than all the world's coal, oil, and non-hydrate natural gas combined. If we can figure out how to safely and economically extract the gas from these hydrates, the supply would far exceed the quantity of natural gas that we will use in this country for hundreds of years. More information on this topic is available at: http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/FutureSupply/MethaneHydrates/about-hydrates/about_hydrates.htm
[Linda Morton, 304.285.4543,
linda.morton@netl.doe.gov]
