Posted on 12/24/2013 5:59:30 AM PST by thackney
To quote the discoverer of methane hydrate:
“I sharted!”
Ding Ding Ding, Obozo BS Machine
I thought Japan was recently supposed to be investigating the energy potential for methane hydrate deposits somewhere around their islands.
It has been under study for a long time. It has to become economic in comparison to other energy sources now in use before it becomes commercial.
Alaska as well as Japan has done some actual production of methane hydrates.
Ummm... it’s in the water. So how does drilling cause “ground surface collapse”?
What a dip-wad! (the author)
Sometimes peoples leg-bone just ain’t connected to their brain-bone!
Does Methane Hydrate only exist as a solid, or can it become a gas dissolved in a liquid....like beer?
How much energy does it take to produce it? How much usable energy is produced by this?
Is the energy density higher than that of gasoline?
It is Natural Gas, methane. It is trapped in an ice latice, frozen water. It only has to be warmed to be released, but the capture can be more difficult depending on the location.
In Arctic, (and I assume the Anarctic) a very large amount lies near the permafrost layer.
It definitely produces more energy than it requires to release, but it cost more to produce than our existing natural gas resources already in production.
It is methane. Pure form of natural gas, trapped in frozen water molecules. Once released, it is just natural gas.
Much of it is in Arctic permafrost.
There is a very good reason to mine this stuff, in that there are huge, undersea deposits of it that are unstable, and will eventually explode, as is believed to have happened before. If you can imagine millions of tons of flammable methane gas released all at once into the atmosphere, then ignited. Boom.
What makes it worse is that you don’t need a whole lot of oxygen to make it burn.
So the best way to mine it is to use mining robots operating in a carbon dioxide atmosphere, that slowly and methodically pump the methane gas through pipelines to generation stations on land.
It sounds like the best place to use it is right where it is...The Great White North.
Extracting it may not be too bad, but transporting the ice and keeping it frozen could get costly.
Seems like you could stack it up like cordwood, right outside your igloo...or polar research facility. It would probably be a lot easier than hauling in propane.
It is methane. It must be diluted with air down to 15% concentration, and at least 5% concentration, for it to burn.
Burn it in a woodstove! LOL
Burn it in a woodstove! LOL
Hey!
A specially designed “stove” with a drain/grate and plumbing, could probably provide the user with heat as well as hot and cold running water.
It works far better to warm it in place, underground, and let the gas come up a well pipe. On the surface, it is just another gas well for production equipment. That is what has already been done in trials.
There is no reason to move the frozen water. It can be left in place. Pressure drop helps release it as well.
Also, methane hydrates exist in relatively shallow sediment (compared to offshore traditional gas production) where the high pressure helps keeps the water in ice form.
I just gave away a patent idea didn’t I.
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