Category: Methane Hydrates – A Detailed Overview

Download Presentation Methane hydrate, also known as methane clathrate or methane ice, is a solid form of water that contains a large amount of methane within its crystal structure. Originally thought to occur only in the outer regions of the Solar System where temperatures are low and water ice is common, significant deposits of methane…

First, a gas must be present.  Under geological conditions there are two major sources for gas production. Either the gas is produced thermocatalytically as a result of breakdown of organic carbon to oil and gas, or gas is produced bacteriologically by relatively shallow decomposition of organic matter. The type of organic carbon deposited also plays…

Methane hydrates are restricted to the shallow lithosphere (i.e. < 2000 m depth). Necessary conditions are found only either in polar continental sedimentary rocks where surface temperatures are less than 0 °C; or in oceanic sediment at water depths greater than 300 m where the bottom water temperature is around 2 °C.  In addition, deep lakes may host gas hydrates…

The size of methane hydrate reservoirs is poorly known and estimates of its size has decreased by roughly an order or magnitude per decade as more information is discovered. The highest estimates (e.g. 3×1018 m³) were based on the assumption that fully dense hydrates would be found on the entire floor of the deep ocean. Recent…

Horizontal drilling is primarily used because it extracts the methane gas present underneath the ice without disrupting the ice seal. An additional bonus here is that extraction of gas in this manner will reduce the buoyancy pressure exerted on the overlying hydrate, so the seal integrity is better preserved as more underlying gases are produced….

In order for raw methane hydrate slurry to be processed and harvested into energy, it must go through three steps: sweetening, dehydration, and a light oil absorber – this eventually yields a stripped natural gas, which is essentially entirely methane. The ‘sweetening’ process removes H2S, if any is present. The presence of acidic H2S in the…

Environmental Global methane hydrate reservoir dynamics may be sensitive to climate change. Methane hydrates are potential contributors to the greenhouse effect. In fact, it is 21-23 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. When the methane trapped in the hydrate is released, it expands. Methane is lighter than CO2, lighter than air. As…

Their net energy values are low because they are expensive to extract and process They have Low Energy Returned on Energy Invested (EROI) ratios: about 3:1 Due to high input required to obtain a negligible yield, there would be little profit earned.