What are gas hydrates?

Gas hydrate is an ice-like solid material composed of water and

methane molecules.
1 m3 of gas hydrate contains 160 m3 of methane (at 25 and
1 atm).
Gas hydrate is stable under low temperature and high pressure
condition.
Gas hydrates usually form one of two basic crystal structures
known as Structure-I, Structure-II and Structure-H.
What do gas hydrates look like?
 Who discovered Gas Hydrates?
Gas hydrates were discovered by Sir Humphry
Davy in 1810 in his laboratory. While other chemists
of the day experiment with hydrates of methane,
ethane and nitric oxide, hydrates didnt gain
importance until the 1930s when they were found to
be impeding the flow inside natural gas transmission
lines.
In the 1940s, Russian scientists theorized the
existence of gas hydrates in nature and their
potential as energy sources, and in the 1960s
discovered methane hydrates in permafrost. Since
that time, scientists have been devepoping the
technology required to commercially produce large
hydrate deposits around the world.
Where are Gas Hydrate found?
They are found abundantly worldwide in the top few
hundred meters of sediment beneath continental
margins at water depths between a few hundred and
few thousand feet. They are present to a lesser
extent in permafrost sediments in Arctic areas.
In te marine environment the gas hydrate stability
zone is determined by water depth, seafloor
temperature, pore pressure, thermal gradient and
the gas and fluid composition. The base of the zone in
which hydrate can exist is limited by the increase in
temperature with depth beneath the graund under
the sea.
 How are Gas Hydrates formed?
Unlike conventional natural gas, the methane in gas
hydrates is largely result of anaerobic bacteria acting
on organic matter in the sediments below the sea floor.
In areas of low sedimenttation rates, low organic
content and high oxigen content, aerobic bacteria
acting on the organic matter generate carbon dioxide.
However, where the sedimentation rate and organic
content are high, the environment becomes anoxic at
shallow sediments depths and anaerobic bacteria
acting on organic matter generate methane. In certain
of these environments, low temperature and high
pressure act in concert to create the frozen hydrates.
 Where are Methane Hydrates
located?
Four Earth environments have the temperature and
pressure conditions suitable for the formation and stability
of methane hydrate. These are:
1) sediment and
sedimentary rock units
below Arctic permafrost;
2) sedimentary deposits
along continental margins;
3) deep-water sediments of
inland lakes and seas; and
4) under Antarctic ice.
 PHASE DIAGRAM OF
METHANE HYDRATE
Metzhane hydrates require high pressures or
low temperatures and sufficient quantities of
methane to form and remain stable.
This figure depicts two graphs showing the
depth-temperature zone in which methane
hydrate is stable in;
(a) Onshore - a permafrost region and
(b) Offshore - an outer continental margin
marine setting.
The top and bottom of the methane hydrate
stability zone in these two graphs are defined
by the intersection of the geothermal gradient
(or hydrothermal gradient)with the methane
hydrate phase boundary curve.
 What is the potential of
CH4 Hydrates as an energy
resource

Distribution of organic carbon in Earth reservoirs (excluding

dispersed carbon in rocks and sediments, which equals
nearly 1,000 times this total amount). Numbers in gigatons
of carbon.
Global Occurence Of Gas Hydrates
Gas hydrates have been recovered or inferred in many parts of
the world.
 Methane Hydrate Resource
Pyramid
The methane hydrate resource pyramid
depicts hydrate resources according to
reservoir type, gas recoverability, and
estimated total in-place gas quantity
*trillion(s) of cubic feet of gas
 Gas Hydrate Production

Methods
Depressurization:
Hydrate dissociates with pressure
Process is endothermic, absorbing energy and reducing reservoir
temperature; process requires heat flow into reservoir from
surrounding rock.
Heat injection:
Hydrate dissociates with temperature
Net energy balance in a closed system and in a high quality
hydrate reservoir is positive
Inhibitor injection:
Inhibitors lower hydrate formation temperature and dissociate
hydrates on conducted surfaces.
 Energy Generation
Natural gas locked up in methane
hydrates could be the worlds next great
energy source
Since methane hydrate is pretty new
source of energy and extraction methods
are still being tested out at experimental
sites e.g. Canada Mackenzie Delta.
Methane hydrate is belieced to be larger
hydrocarbon resource than all of worlds
oil natural gas and coal resource
combined.
 Japan First to Produce Natural Gas
From Methane Hydrates

In March 2013, Japan was the first country

to succesfully flow gas from methane
hydrate deposits under Pacific Ocean.
They estimated that there is about 1.1
trillion cubic meters of methane held in
methane hydrate deposits in marine
sediments off the Pacific coast of central
Japan.
Japan aims to develope a low-cost
extraction technique for methane hydrates.
Turkeys Potential
 Gas Hydrate Hazards
Gas hydrates are a
significant hazard for
drilling and
production
operations.
Two general problems
identified;
uncontrolled gas
releases during drilling
damage to well casing
during and after
installation of a well.
 Climate Effects
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas.
Methane causes 15 to 20 times more
greenhouse gas warming than carbon
dioxide.