This document provides an overview of methane hydrates and their potential as an energy source. Methane hydrates contain vast quantities of natural gas trapped in ice-like structures on the ocean floor and in Arctic permafrost. While challenging to extract economically, methane hydrates may hold more energy than all other fossil fuel reserves combined. Companies are working to develop technologies to locate and extract methane from hydrates. Sensors to detect dissolved methane are helping map hydrate deposits and advance extraction methods. Developing methane hydrates could reshape the global energy landscape.
Shipping in the Arctic My Arctic your ArcticM.K Afenyo, PhD.docxbjohn46
Shipping in the Arctic: My Arctic your Arctic
M.K Afenyo, PhD
Introduction
News about the Arctic
What is the Arctic?
Picture courtesy: https://nsidc.org/sites/nsidc.org/files/images//arctic_map.gif
Regions around the north pole
Second largest area by size (13,985,000 km²)
Area above the Arctic circle (66° 34’ N)
Any area in high latitudes where average daily temperature does not rise above 10 degree
Canada in the Arctic
Second largest Arctic country
200,000 Canadians live in the Arctic
New Arctic Framework under development
comprehensive Arctic infrastructure
strong Arctic people and communities
strong, sustainable and diversified Arctic economies
Arctic science and Indigenous knowledge
protecting the environment and preserving Arctic biodiversity
the Arctic in a global context
Canada in the Arctic
Applies to
Yukon
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Inuit Nunangat
the Nunatsiavut region in Labrador
the territory of Nunavik in Quebec
northern Manitoba, including Churchill
Arctic shipping
Taken place since 1978 in the ice-covered western regions of the Northern Sea Route (between the port of Dudinka on the Yenisei River and Murmansk).
“We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world, but because our very survival depends upon it” --Lewis Gordon Pugh
YearActivity4th Century B.CUse of Arctic shipping by the indigenous people for food supplies and settlement981Discovery of Greenland1490John Cabot makes a voyage through the NWP1610Hudson expedition by the Henry1903Roald Amundsen completes the NWP route1935NSR opens up for Russia traffic1994UN convention on the Law of the sea1996Formation of the Arctic council2010Russia Constructs its double hull ice-breaker2012Opening of the Arctic intensified2013China builds first ice breaker in house2017The polar code comes into force
The good
Resource deposits: oil, gas and other minerals
Increase shipping saving time and money
Opening up the northern communities
Graphics courtesy: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/energy-and-mineral-riches-of-the-arctic/
The good
Nordic Orion NWP voyage from Europe to Asia instead of Panama Canal
Saved 4 days(~4000km) and $200,000
From Shanghai to Rotterdam
Russia currently ahead
5 Arctic ice breakers & 3 nuclear powered ones
Canada now building 1 ice breaker a fleet of 8 patrol boats
RouteDistancePanama Canal25,588 kilometresSuez Canal19,550 kmNorthern Sea Route15,793 kmNorthwest Passage16,100 kmTranspolar Route13,630 km
Ship growth in NWP
2007
9 ships
………….
2012
30 ships
The bad
Shorter lengths of ice free months
Extremely harsh conditions
Risk of accident during oil and gas exploration and production
Accidental release during shipping
The Bad
Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/energy-and-mineral-riches-of-the-arctic/
The ugly
11Vessel/Spill Accident TypeSpillYearATLANTIC EMPRESS and AEGEAN CAPTAINCollision287,000 tonnes of oil1979 ABT SUMMERExp.
Shipping in the Arctic My Arctic your ArcticM.K Afenyo, PhD.docxedgar6wallace88877
Shipping in the Arctic: My Arctic your Arctic
M.K Afenyo, PhD
Introduction
News about the Arctic
What is the Arctic?
Picture courtesy: https://nsidc.org/sites/nsidc.org/files/images//arctic_map.gif
Regions around the north pole
Second largest area by size (13,985,000 km²)
Area above the Arctic circle (66° 34’ N)
Any area in high latitudes where average daily temperature does not rise above 10 degree
Canada in the Arctic
Second largest Arctic country
200,000 Canadians live in the Arctic
New Arctic Framework under development
comprehensive Arctic infrastructure
strong Arctic people and communities
strong, sustainable and diversified Arctic economies
Arctic science and Indigenous knowledge
protecting the environment and preserving Arctic biodiversity
the Arctic in a global context
Canada in the Arctic
Applies to
Yukon
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Inuit Nunangat
the Nunatsiavut region in Labrador
the territory of Nunavik in Quebec
northern Manitoba, including Churchill
Arctic shipping
Taken place since 1978 in the ice-covered western regions of the Northern Sea Route (between the port of Dudinka on the Yenisei River and Murmansk).
“We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world, but because our very survival depends upon it” --Lewis Gordon Pugh
YearActivity4th Century B.CUse of Arctic shipping by the indigenous people for food supplies and settlement981Discovery of Greenland1490John Cabot makes a voyage through the NWP1610Hudson expedition by the Henry1903Roald Amundsen completes the NWP route1935NSR opens up for Russia traffic1994UN convention on the Law of the sea1996Formation of the Arctic council2010Russia Constructs its double hull ice-breaker2012Opening of the Arctic intensified2013China builds first ice breaker in house2017The polar code comes into force
The good
Resource deposits: oil, gas and other minerals
Increase shipping saving time and money
Opening up the northern communities
Graphics courtesy: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/energy-and-mineral-riches-of-the-arctic/
The good
Nordic Orion NWP voyage from Europe to Asia instead of Panama Canal
Saved 4 days(~4000km) and $200,000
From Shanghai to Rotterdam
Russia currently ahead
5 Arctic ice breakers & 3 nuclear powered ones
Canada now building 1 ice breaker a fleet of 8 patrol boats
RouteDistancePanama Canal25,588 kilometresSuez Canal19,550 kmNorthern Sea Route15,793 kmNorthwest Passage16,100 kmTranspolar Route13,630 km
Ship growth in NWP
2007
9 ships
………….
2012
30 ships
The bad
Shorter lengths of ice free months
Extremely harsh conditions
Risk of accident during oil and gas exploration and production
Accidental release during shipping
The Bad
Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/energy-and-mineral-riches-of-the-arctic/
The ugly
11Vessel/Spill Accident TypeSpillYearATLANTIC EMPRESS and AEGEAN CAPTAINCollision287,000 tonnes of oil1979 ABT SUMMERExp.
Cal Marine Power & Water "straw" scam presentationFingerPointer
This document was created to entice investors into a snare - the words Nigerian Scam ring a bell - Investors Beware it screams....scam, fraud all come to mind....
Search for John Cutten Fraudster....
TDW Innovations™ Magazine July - September 2014
Cover Story: A Tale as Big as Texas
With increasing regulation, operators work to overcome the shared challenges of the Eagle Ford Shale play.
New Connections: Europe Reaches for Energy Security
To ensure against fluctuations in geopolitics, many European countries are driving toward more stable energy supplies and the infrastructure needed to support them.
We hold a neutral view on the Shipping industry.
。Dry bulk shipping will be profitable in 2018.
。Supply and demand in container shipping are not likely to balance in next 2 years.
。New environmental rules and consolidations could help balancing the over-supply in shipping industry.
Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network: Batteries for...MaritimeKTN
This webinar is part of a 1-hour webinar series hosted by the Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network. Each webinar focusses on Batteries for Defence.
Building on the successful launch of the Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network in late September 2020, this webinar series will look into the opportunities and trends for Batteries in Defence, Maritime and Rail. Each session will bring together experts looking at the supply and demand side for batteries, technical requirements and explore how these wide range of sectors can decarbonise through batteries.
The Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network will develop a self-sustaining and collaborative community of technology developers and end-users from multiple sectors. The CSBS Innovation Network community will share knowledge around the challenges and opportunities associated with batteries for a broad range of sectors such as aerospace, rail, maritime, stationary storage and other niche applications.
Propane precooling mixed component refrigerant process (C3/MR) represents 80% of the commercial used processes. The process has proven to be efficient, flexible, reliable, and cost competitive (M. J. Roberts, 2004).
For these reasons the a C3MR process, using synthetic natural gas (SNG) from the methanisation process, was selected to be simulated. Simulation of the process has been conducted using Aspen Hysys® version V.8. process simulation software. The PR equation of state is used for thermodynamic properties calculations both for the natural gas and the refrigerants.
Shipping in the Arctic My Arctic your ArcticM.K Afenyo, PhD.docxbjohn46
Shipping in the Arctic: My Arctic your Arctic
M.K Afenyo, PhD
Introduction
News about the Arctic
What is the Arctic?
Picture courtesy: https://nsidc.org/sites/nsidc.org/files/images//arctic_map.gif
Regions around the north pole
Second largest area by size (13,985,000 km²)
Area above the Arctic circle (66° 34’ N)
Any area in high latitudes where average daily temperature does not rise above 10 degree
Canada in the Arctic
Second largest Arctic country
200,000 Canadians live in the Arctic
New Arctic Framework under development
comprehensive Arctic infrastructure
strong Arctic people and communities
strong, sustainable and diversified Arctic economies
Arctic science and Indigenous knowledge
protecting the environment and preserving Arctic biodiversity
the Arctic in a global context
Canada in the Arctic
Applies to
Yukon
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Inuit Nunangat
the Nunatsiavut region in Labrador
the territory of Nunavik in Quebec
northern Manitoba, including Churchill
Arctic shipping
Taken place since 1978 in the ice-covered western regions of the Northern Sea Route (between the port of Dudinka on the Yenisei River and Murmansk).
“We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world, but because our very survival depends upon it” --Lewis Gordon Pugh
YearActivity4th Century B.CUse of Arctic shipping by the indigenous people for food supplies and settlement981Discovery of Greenland1490John Cabot makes a voyage through the NWP1610Hudson expedition by the Henry1903Roald Amundsen completes the NWP route1935NSR opens up for Russia traffic1994UN convention on the Law of the sea1996Formation of the Arctic council2010Russia Constructs its double hull ice-breaker2012Opening of the Arctic intensified2013China builds first ice breaker in house2017The polar code comes into force
The good
Resource deposits: oil, gas and other minerals
Increase shipping saving time and money
Opening up the northern communities
Graphics courtesy: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/energy-and-mineral-riches-of-the-arctic/
The good
Nordic Orion NWP voyage from Europe to Asia instead of Panama Canal
Saved 4 days(~4000km) and $200,000
From Shanghai to Rotterdam
Russia currently ahead
5 Arctic ice breakers & 3 nuclear powered ones
Canada now building 1 ice breaker a fleet of 8 patrol boats
RouteDistancePanama Canal25,588 kilometresSuez Canal19,550 kmNorthern Sea Route15,793 kmNorthwest Passage16,100 kmTranspolar Route13,630 km
Ship growth in NWP
2007
9 ships
………….
2012
30 ships
The bad
Shorter lengths of ice free months
Extremely harsh conditions
Risk of accident during oil and gas exploration and production
Accidental release during shipping
The Bad
Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/energy-and-mineral-riches-of-the-arctic/
The ugly
11Vessel/Spill Accident TypeSpillYearATLANTIC EMPRESS and AEGEAN CAPTAINCollision287,000 tonnes of oil1979 ABT SUMMERExp.
Shipping in the Arctic My Arctic your ArcticM.K Afenyo, PhD.docxedgar6wallace88877
Shipping in the Arctic: My Arctic your Arctic
M.K Afenyo, PhD
Introduction
News about the Arctic
What is the Arctic?
Picture courtesy: https://nsidc.org/sites/nsidc.org/files/images//arctic_map.gif
Regions around the north pole
Second largest area by size (13,985,000 km²)
Area above the Arctic circle (66° 34’ N)
Any area in high latitudes where average daily temperature does not rise above 10 degree
Canada in the Arctic
Second largest Arctic country
200,000 Canadians live in the Arctic
New Arctic Framework under development
comprehensive Arctic infrastructure
strong Arctic people and communities
strong, sustainable and diversified Arctic economies
Arctic science and Indigenous knowledge
protecting the environment and preserving Arctic biodiversity
the Arctic in a global context
Canada in the Arctic
Applies to
Yukon
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Inuit Nunangat
the Nunatsiavut region in Labrador
the territory of Nunavik in Quebec
northern Manitoba, including Churchill
Arctic shipping
Taken place since 1978 in the ice-covered western regions of the Northern Sea Route (between the port of Dudinka on the Yenisei River and Murmansk).
“We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world, but because our very survival depends upon it” --Lewis Gordon Pugh
YearActivity4th Century B.CUse of Arctic shipping by the indigenous people for food supplies and settlement981Discovery of Greenland1490John Cabot makes a voyage through the NWP1610Hudson expedition by the Henry1903Roald Amundsen completes the NWP route1935NSR opens up for Russia traffic1994UN convention on the Law of the sea1996Formation of the Arctic council2010Russia Constructs its double hull ice-breaker2012Opening of the Arctic intensified2013China builds first ice breaker in house2017The polar code comes into force
The good
Resource deposits: oil, gas and other minerals
Increase shipping saving time and money
Opening up the northern communities
Graphics courtesy: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/energy-and-mineral-riches-of-the-arctic/
The good
Nordic Orion NWP voyage from Europe to Asia instead of Panama Canal
Saved 4 days(~4000km) and $200,000
From Shanghai to Rotterdam
Russia currently ahead
5 Arctic ice breakers & 3 nuclear powered ones
Canada now building 1 ice breaker a fleet of 8 patrol boats
RouteDistancePanama Canal25,588 kilometresSuez Canal19,550 kmNorthern Sea Route15,793 kmNorthwest Passage16,100 kmTranspolar Route13,630 km
Ship growth in NWP
2007
9 ships
………….
2012
30 ships
The bad
Shorter lengths of ice free months
Extremely harsh conditions
Risk of accident during oil and gas exploration and production
Accidental release during shipping
The Bad
Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/energy-and-mineral-riches-of-the-arctic/
The ugly
11Vessel/Spill Accident TypeSpillYearATLANTIC EMPRESS and AEGEAN CAPTAINCollision287,000 tonnes of oil1979 ABT SUMMERExp.
Cal Marine Power & Water "straw" scam presentationFingerPointer
This document was created to entice investors into a snare - the words Nigerian Scam ring a bell - Investors Beware it screams....scam, fraud all come to mind....
Search for John Cutten Fraudster....
TDW Innovations™ Magazine July - September 2014
Cover Story: A Tale as Big as Texas
With increasing regulation, operators work to overcome the shared challenges of the Eagle Ford Shale play.
New Connections: Europe Reaches for Energy Security
To ensure against fluctuations in geopolitics, many European countries are driving toward more stable energy supplies and the infrastructure needed to support them.
We hold a neutral view on the Shipping industry.
。Dry bulk shipping will be profitable in 2018.
。Supply and demand in container shipping are not likely to balance in next 2 years.
。New environmental rules and consolidations could help balancing the over-supply in shipping industry.
Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network: Batteries for...MaritimeKTN
This webinar is part of a 1-hour webinar series hosted by the Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network. Each webinar focusses on Batteries for Defence.
Building on the successful launch of the Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network in late September 2020, this webinar series will look into the opportunities and trends for Batteries in Defence, Maritime and Rail. Each session will bring together experts looking at the supply and demand side for batteries, technical requirements and explore how these wide range of sectors can decarbonise through batteries.
The Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network will develop a self-sustaining and collaborative community of technology developers and end-users from multiple sectors. The CSBS Innovation Network community will share knowledge around the challenges and opportunities associated with batteries for a broad range of sectors such as aerospace, rail, maritime, stationary storage and other niche applications.
Propane precooling mixed component refrigerant process (C3/MR) represents 80% of the commercial used processes. The process has proven to be efficient, flexible, reliable, and cost competitive (M. J. Roberts, 2004).
For these reasons the a C3MR process, using synthetic natural gas (SNG) from the methanisation process, was selected to be simulated. Simulation of the process has been conducted using Aspen Hysys® version V.8. process simulation software. The PR equation of state is used for thermodynamic properties calculations both for the natural gas and the refrigerants.
Similar to April 2015 Sea Technology Magazine (20)
3. www.sea-technology.com April 2015 / st 19
Fart jokes aside, methane isn’t all that exciting. But for
energy-hungry nations such as Japan and India, methane
could be the key element to developing national energy in-
dependence. Methane in the form of methane hydrate, a
crystalline form of natural gas found at the bottom of oceans
and in the Arctic permafrost, will
within the next 20 years reshape
the global geopolitical landscape
of energy.
At room temperature, a solid
chunk of methane hydrate can be
lit with a single match, producing
intense heat. Colloquially known
as “fre ice,” there is an estimated 20 quadrillion (20 x 1015
)
cubic meters of the substance lying several hundred meters
below sea level, scattered along continental slopes and in
the Arctic permafrost. According to the U.S. Geological Sur-
vey, the enormous worldwide reservoirs of methane hydrate
potentially contain more energy than all previously discov-
ered conventional oil and gas reserves combined.
As mind-blowing as the numbers seem, until recently
methane hydrate had never been seriously considered as a
viable source of energy. According to oil and gas industry
professionals, methane hydrates are considered a nuisance
as the substance clogs up natural gas pipelines, disrupting
fow. Since the 1940s, natural gas pipeline operators have
spent considerable portions of their operating budgets de-
vising ways to get rid of chunks of methane hydrate that
form in areas where the pipeline has been exposed to cold
temperatures.
Methane may be the butt of any number of jokes, but
as the smallest and simplest molecule in the Alkane family,
this saturated hydrocarbon is found in nearly every crude
oil and natural gas. In fact, according to Canada’s largest
natural gas distributor, Enbridge (Calgary, Canada), natural
gas is 95 percent methane.
Why Does Methane Get a Bad Rap?
At standard pressure and temperature, methane is an
odorless and colorless gas that contains only two elements—
carbon and hydrogen—and is essentially insoluble in water.
Yet as scientists investigating pipeline blockages discovered,
when CH4
and water combine at cold temperatures (around
25°C) and pressures (30 to 50 bar) found at 300 to 500
meters ocean depth, methane gas can be trapped in ice-
like structures called methane clathrates. At the molecular
level, these methane clathrates,
or gas hydrates, consist of meth-
ane molecules surrounded by
tight cages of interlocking water
molecules. The hydrates contain
large amounts of gas in a rela-
tively small area; for example, 1
cubic meter of hydrate can hold
around 164 cubic meters of methane and 0.8 cubic meters
of water.
As a Fuel Source, Methane Is
No Longer a Laughing Matter
This is not to say that extracting methane gas from meth-
ane hydrates is a walk in the park. There are a multitude of
technical challenges, and until recently it has generally been
considered that other sources of fossil fuels—conventional
oil and gas and more recently shale oil and gas—have been
easier and cheaper to access. But that may be changing.
In 1998, the Mallik Gas Hydrate Production Research
Well became the frst site dedicated to drilling gas hydrates
bearing deposits. Located in the pristine beauty of the Ca-
nadian Beaufort Sea, the Mallik Gas Hydrate site has been
the site of extensive gas hydrate research and development
studies, including a 2008 proof of concept that showed that,
with some modifcations for the unique properties of gas
hydrates, production from a gas hydrate reservoir can be
achieved using the same completion and production meth-
ods used in conventional oil and gas industries. Since the
proof of concept, Japan and India have taken the lead in
methane hydrate research, with the goal of fnding extract-
able deposits and developing ways to extract methane eco-
nomically.
A big breakthrough came in March 2013, when Tokyo-
based Japan Oil, Gas, and National Metals Corp. (JOGMEC)
announced that they had successfully extracted fuel from a
The Arctic as the Next
Global Energy Powerhouse
Methane Hydrates May Hold the Key to Energy Independence
By Kell Sloan
The Mini-Pro CH4
sensor.
4. 20 st / April 2015 www.sea-technology.com
sive to exploit. The feld and product development experi-
ence that the Pro-Oceanus team has with Arctic research is
proving to be valuable to researchers who are searching for
reliable methods of locating gas hydrates in the sediments of
permafrost regions and other marine sediments.
While a number of methods, including direct sampling
via drilling, have been used to detect and quantify resource
potentials, in-situ dissolved gas sensors offer both an ex-
tremely accurate and comparatively inexpensive option. Re-
cently, Pro-Oceanus Mini-Pro CH4
sensors have been used
to detect the existence and saturation of gas hydrates at far
less cost or potential environmental impact than moving a
drilling rig into place.
Working with researchers from CSnet International and
the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
(JAMSTEC), Pro-Oceanus supplied two prototype Mini-Pro
CH4
sensors that were used to map methane clouds in the
Nankal Trough. To measure dissolved methane concen-
tration during ROV dives, the Mini-Pro CH4
sensors were
subsea bed of methane hydrate in the Pacifc Ocean. With
that single announcement, the geopolitical landscape of en-
ergy production and distribution started to change.
Discovering useable methane hydrate deposits is still
a work in progress, but Pro-Oceanus Systems, based in
Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada, realizes the potential that
methane hydrates have as a new energy source for countries
lacking access to conventional oil and gas resources. Led by
Dr. Bruce Johnson, the inventor of a patented method to ac-
curately measure in-situ dissolved gas, Pro-Oceanus’s team
of highly skilled research scientists and engineers work with
leading environmental researchers and offshore energy op-
erators to address the challenges of researching the effects
of climate change on the ocean environment and develop
products to detect in-situ dissolved gases for use in indus-
trial applications.
Developing Solutions for Arctic
In-Situ Dissolved Gas Research
Through strategic partnerships with organizations such as
the National Oceanography Centre, Woods Hole Oceano-
graphic Institute, the U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA,
Pro-Oceanus has been in the forefront of Arctic and Ant-
arctic research and pioneered the development of sensors
especially designed to measure—with an extremely high
degree of accuracy, stability, and reliability—dissolved car-
bon dioxide in Arctic and Antarctic waters.
Many known deepwater methane hydrate deposits, such
as the Blake-Bahamas Plateau off the Carolinas, are very di-
lute or spread across relatively thin layers over wide areas,
making them both diffcult to accurately assess and expen-
-Jack Fisher,
President
Call for a free catalog or visit our web site: jwfishers.com
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“The Arctic is thought by many
to be undergoing
some of the most dramatic
effects of climate change
anywhere in the world.”
5. www.sea-technology.com April 2015 / st 21
mounted parallel behind the upper
bumper bar of the ROV, allowing for
measurements of highly variable meth-
ane concentrations. Research within
the Nankal Trough is expected to give
helpful insights into the formation and
occurrence of natural gas hydrates
in one of the most active earthquake
zones on the planet.
Field Experience Makes a Difference
Field experience has shown that hy-
drates dissolve quickly when removed
from the unique conditions on the
ocean bottom, so if changes in ocean
bottom pressure or a rise in water tem-
perature passes a certain threshold, a
sizeable methane deposit could rap-
idly decompose and release a large
quantity of methane into the water
column. While high concentrations of
dissolved methane are easy to detect,
background CH4
in the ocean is on the
order of 2 parts per million. Detecting
low concentrations of dissolved CH4
against the backdrop of naturally oc-
curring hydrocarbon seeps and vents,
melting methane hydrate formations,
or in waters that are in near equilib-
rium with the surrounding air is no
easy task, yet it is vital to understand-
ing how a methane release can affect
the marine environment.
To detect concentrations of meth-
ane, the Pro-Oceanus Mini-Pro CH4
sensor utilizes a fat, hydrophobic
membrane that forms a semi-perme-
able phase boundary between liquids
and the interior of the instrument. Dis-
solved CH4
gases in the water pass into
an equilibrated internal headspace in
the form of a gas stream. The concen-
tration of CH4
is quantifed using an in-
dustry standard nondispersive infrared
detector that provides excellent detec-
tion limits at good signal-to-noise ra-
tios. While CH4
is a strong absorber of
infrared light, the absorption spectrum
of CH4
makes it diffcult to measure ac-
curately at low concentrations.
Field reports about the performance
of the Mini-Pro CH4
sensors have been
encouraging and have helped open up
new lines for research and product de-
velopment.
However, scouting for useable
methane hydrates is only one of any
number of issues that need to be re-
solved before widespread commer-
cial development of methane hydrates
can be undertaken. Another stumbling
block is fguring out how to acquire the
gas from the solid.
Gold mining is a useful analogy
for extracting methane hydrates from
their locations. While gas hydrates
have been recovered in chunks or
veins with sediment, gas hydrates
don’t just form in thick seams like
gold ore. Instead, just like panning
for gold, methane hydrate solids
can be found in many forms in sedi-
ments, and vast reservoirs exist in
fne-grained sediments. The methane
hydrate can form small pores and ce-
ment the grains, but may not be vis-
ible to the naked eye.
Because the methane hydrate solid
is only stable within a set range of tem-
perature and pressures, altering those
conditions will liberate the gas from
its water cage, allowing for much eas-
ier extraction. The Mallik Gas Hydrate
Well and JOGMEC researchers have
been experimenting with a depressur-
ization method, which works by drill-
ing a wellbore into a vein of methane
hydrate and pumping out the excess
fuid. With less surrounding fuid, the
pressure drops, prompting the ice-like
solid to dissociate.
6. 22 st / April 2015 www.sea-technology.com
What Happens to the Environment
If the Extracted Methane Escapes?
The Arctic is thought by many to be undergoing some of
the most dramatic effects of climate change anywhere in the
world. The Mallik Gas Hydrate Well may be modest in size,
but at 290 meters depth it is also the shallowest known de-
posit of methane hydrate and as such is vulnerable to decom-
position if there is a subtle warming of the overlying water.
As a greenhouse gas, methane is widely considered to be
20 to 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping
solar radiation in the atmosphere. Several scientifc studies
have revealed that methane gas has already started to slowly
leak from ocean water and soils in the Arctic. Given the en-
vironmental conditions in which the hydrates are found and
where future hydrate production facilities must be located—
the deep sea and the frozen expanses of the Arctic—there is
concern that as sediment-containing methane hydrates are
inherently unstable, a drilling accident could potentially set
off a landslide on the continental slope, sending massive
amounts of methane bubbling through the ocean and into
the atmosphere.
Recognizing that there exists a large knowledge gap in
this feld, Pro-Oceanus’s team is working with researchers to
develop a new prototype dual-gas CO2
/CH4
sensor that may
not only help detect the changes in dissolved gas concentra-
tions prior to a massive release of methane but help combat
climate change as well.
Recently, ConocoPhillips (Houston, Texas) researchers
spent 13 days in Alaska’s North Shore injecting carbon di-
oxide and nitrogen into methane hydrate clusters and have
shown that carbon dioxide can replace methane within the
ice cage. Once the carbon dioxide is locked in, the water
cage binds even tighter, leaving no room for methane to en-
ter. The prototype Pro-Oceanus Dual-Gas CO2
/CH4
sensor
could be used to show that this method of methane extrac-
tion for fuel could one day double as a way to sequester and
continuously monitor CO2
.
Conclusion
Recent advances show that commercial production of
methane hydrates is likely to happen in the next 10 to 15
years. While many challenges remain ahead for research-
ers, methane hydrates represent the world’s largest source
of extractable fossil energy. As with every other energy re-
source, not all of this resource will prove to be recoverable.
Yet, as the Pro-Oceanus in-situ dissolved gas technology
continues to evolve and sensors to commercially detect and
extract gas from hydrates are developed, the abundance of
technically challenging to recover but accessible methane
hydrates in permafrost will position the Arctic as the next
global energy powerhouse.
References
For a list of references, contact Pro-Oceanus at sales@
pro-oceanus.com. n
Kell Sloan was recently the sales and marketing di-
rector at Pro-Oceanus Systems, a Bridgewater, Nova
Scotia-based manufacturer of in-situ dissolved gas
sensors.