Hydrates as an Energy Resource

1965 Makogon and coworkers announce hydrates in Siberian permafrost 

1969 Ginsburg begins study of hydrates in geological environments 

1969 Russians begin a decade of producing gas in Messoyakha, possibly from hydrates 

1972 ARCO-Exxon recover hydrated core from Alaskan well 

1974 Bily and Dick report hydrates in Canada s MacKenzie Delta 

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Max et al. (2006) discuss the issue of gas hydrates as an energy resource extensively in a recent publication. 

It is of interest to avoid hydrate formation or modify its flow characteristics to circumvent the problem of plugging natural gas pipelines or process equipment. Interest in gas hydrate research also stems from the planned activities to exploit the huge natural deposits of gas hydrates as an energy resource. 

The key to establishing gas hydrates as a significant energy resource is whether the methane gas will ever be economically and safely producible. The current state of knowledge is still too limited to allow reliable estimates on the start of an economic gas hydrate production. The BGR (2003) estimates gas hydrate resources at 500 Tm3. 

Naturally occurring clathrate hydrates are found in marine sediments and in permafrost. Because they contain a large amount of methane, they are thought to have potential as an unconventional energy resource. At the same time, however, clathrate hydrates are a serious problem for the gas and oil industries, because they form easily under suitable conditions at the sites of natural gas production, transportation, and processing. The inhibition and control of hydrates in pipelines adds tremendously to gas production costs. ... 

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