Gas Hydrates: Our Energy (and Climate) Future? Lecture Outline: 1)What are gas hydrates anyway?

2)Gas hydrates as an energy s urce ! "r s and c ns #)Gas hydrates and climate change: adding $uel t the $lames?

Hydrates % What are they?

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Gas Hydrates are s lids $ rmed $r m hydr car& n gas and li'uid water (hey resem&le wet sn w and can e)ist at tem"eratures a& *e the $ree+ing " int $ water (hey &el ng t a $ rm $ c m"le)es ,n wn as clathrates

Clathrates % What are they?

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Clathrates are su&stances ha*ing a lattice% li,e structure r a""earance in which m lecules $ ne su&stance are c m"letely encl sed within the crystal structure $ an ther Hydrates c nsist $ h st m lecules (water) $ rming a lattice structure acting li,e a cage- t entra" guest m lecules (gas) CH. (m st c mm n)- CO2- H2/ $ rm

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456 in cean 26 n land

white d t 3 gas sam"les rec *ered &lac, d t 3 hydrate in$erred $r m seismic imaging d tted lines 3 hydrate%c ntaining "erma$r st htt":00walrus1wr1usgs1g *0gl &alhydrate0images0&r wse12"g

using seismic%re$lecti n "r $iles

7 tt m /imulating 8e$lecti n (7/8s)

dsh le1er1usgs1g *0"r 2ect%"ages0hydrates0hydrate1htm

9ethane Hydrate sta&ility diagram %methane hydrates can ccur at water tem"eratures u" t #:;Ci$ the "ressure is high en ugh %sta&le *er m st $ cean $l r<

a methane hydrate lattice

redrawn after Kvenvolden (1993)

>(he 7urning /n w&all? 9ethane hydrate su"" rting its wn c m&usti n

9ethane Hydrates as an energy s urce

7E@EFA(/: % 1 cu&ic meter $ gas hydrate (4:6 site ccu"ied) 3 1B# m # $ gas %there is C LO( $ itand itDs e*erywhere %clean%&urning natural gas

 E/C has gas hydrate reser*es $ 112-:::%B=B-::: trilli n cu&ic $eet (tc$) E/C has 2-2:: tc$ $ natural gas reser*es (EAC) E/C uses 2F%#: tc$0yr $ natural gas Andia and Ga"an are leading the charge t hydrate rec *ery

An Energy Coup for Japan: Flammable Ice

Water depth: 1000m ubfloor depth: !00m

NYTimes, 3/12/13

9ethane Hydrates as an energy s urce

H8O7LE9/: %hydrate diss ciati n u" n rec *eryI engineering challenge %e)"ense $ l ng "i"elines acr ss c ntinental sl "e- su&2ect t &l c,age with s lid hydrate %methane release int atm s"here "r &lem $ r climate change (2:) m re " tent than CO2) %$ragile ec systems surr und sediment sur$ace hydrates J see"s
ice worm that lives in hydrate photo by Ian Mc Donald

1 cu&ic meter $ gas hydrate (4:6 site ccu"ied) 3 1B# m# $ gas K 15= m#

Endersea slides (sl "e $ailures) may &e caused &y methane hydrate diss ciati nI im"licati ns $ r "i"eline?

Large- e)"ensi*e "il t "r grams $ cus n drilling in $r +en "erma$r st areas E): 9alli,- Canada

htt":00energy1usgs1g *0 ther0gashydrates0malli,1html

@ew cean sediment drilling techn l gies in*ented $ r hydrate rec *ery and st rage
an Ocean Lrilling Hr gram c re l c,er with l ne hydrate c re in "ressuri+ed cham&er

diss ciating methane hydrate at sediment0water inter$ace

West&r

, et al1- 2::4

%l ts $ CH. esca"ing $r m melting gas hydrates %" wer$ul positive feedback n gl &al warming %CH. is a " wer$ul greenh use gas %m st li,ely )idi+es t CO2 &e$ re it enters the atm s"hereM &ut still< %see Crcher et al1- 2::= $ r detailed in*estigati n $ methane hydrate diss ciati n during gl &al warming

West&r

, et al1- 2::4

Cn interesting twist: % re"lace CH. with CO2 in the hydrate lattice % ha*e y ur energy ca,e and eat it t ?

Har, et al1- H@C/- 2::B

(a,e%h me " int

9ethane hydrates re"resent the largest $ ssil $uel reser* ir&ut "r &lems ranging $r m yet%t %&e%de*el "ed techn l gies and climate change $eed&ac,s remain t &e res l*ed1