Gas hydrates: A multidisciplinary research opportunity

Author: William F. Waite, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Venue: Department of Physics & Astronomy, Oberlin College, Oberlin OH (Invited presentation for the Physics Department seminar series), September 13, 2007 (http://www.oberlin.edu/physics/ [external site]).

Abstract: At the high pressures and relatively low temperatures found in the sediments of continental margins and below permafrost, hydrocarbon gases and water can combine to form gas hydrate, a crystalline solid. Methane is the most common hydrate-forming gas, and the potential for upwards of 9x1015 m3 of hydrate-bound methane in the United States alone has sparked interest in gas hydrate as a potential energy resource, geohazard, and climate change agent. Examples from laboratory and field studies highlight the growth of gas hydrate studies into a multidisciplinary investigation offering research opportunities for physical scientists and engineers.

Related NETL Project: The proposed research of the related NETL project DE-AI26-05NT42496, “Conducting Scientific Studies of Natural Gas Hydrates to Support the DOE Efforts to Evaluate and Understand Methane Hydrates,” is to conduct scientific studies of natural gas hydrates to support DOE efforts to evaluate and understand methane hydrates, their potential as an energy resource, and the hazard they may pose to ongoing drilling efforts. This project extends USGS support to the DOE Methane Hydrate Research Program previously supported under DE-AT26-97FT34342 and DE-AT26-97FT34343.

NETL Project Contacts
NETL – Robert Vagnetti (robert.vagnetti@netl.doe.gov or 304-285-1334)
USGS – Deborah R. Hutchinson (dhutchinson@usgs.gov or 508-457-2263)