Gas Hydrate An Emerging Resource for Americas Energy Future Art Johnson Hydrate Energy International.

Gas HydrateAn Emerging Resource for America’s Energy Future

Art Johnson Hydrate Energy International

Natural Gas is a Critical Component of U.S. Energy Supply

Total 2008 U.S. Gas Demand: 23.9 TCF

From: Dept. of Energy Statistics

US Natural Gas Consumption Forecast to 2030

What is Gas Hydrate?• Gas Hydrate is a crystalline solid

composed of water and gas. Methane is the most common hydrate-forming gas, but gas hydrates can form from ethane, CO2, propane, and other gases.

• One volume hydrate typically contains about 160 volumes methane gas.

• Stable at low Temperature and high Pressure

• Occurs abundantly in nature

– In continental margin sediments and Arctic permafrost

Global Carbon Distribution

?

??

?

Total amount is not known with certainty, but is enormous

Arctic sandstones with infrastructure (~10’s of Tcf)

Arctic sandstones away from infrastructure (100’s of Tcf)

Deepwater sandstones (1000’s of Tcf)

Deepwater permeable, non-sandstone (unknown)

Seafloor mounds, etc. (unknown)

Deepwater, low permeability (100,000’s of Tcf) Reserves (200

Tcf)Res. growth & undiscovered (1,500 Tcf)

Remaining unrecoverable (unknown)

U.S. Gas Resource BaseOnly a fraction of gas hydrate deposits have commercial potential – but the resource base is still huge

Gas Hydrate Other Gas Resources

Challenges to Commercial Development

• Identifying deposits where hydrate is concentrated and has resource potential

• Establishing commercial viability

• Establishing environmental impact assessment protocol

Production Scenarios

Gas Hydrate is a stable solid at low temperatures and high pressures. The primary methods for producing natural gas from hydrate are:

• Depressurization • Heating• Chemical Exchange (with CO2)

These methods involve technological and economic challenges

Highlights of U.S. Hydrate Program

North Slope of Alaska – Joint industry, university, government program led by BP.

• 2007 drilling program confirmed exploration model.

• Confirmed producibility.• Long-term production

test planned for 2010.• CO2 sequestration test

planned for 2010.

Methane CO2

Highlights of U.S. Hydrate ProgramGulf of Mexico• 2008 MMS Assessment:

Mean estimate of 6,717 TCF in sandstone reservoirs

• April, 2009 Drilling program led by Chevron logged hydrate-bearing sands.

Results of Recent International Programs

• Canada – Successful 2008 Arctic production test at limited scale.

• Japan – Extensive drilling programs. Moving forward with plans for production test by 2011.

• India – Extensive 2006 drilling program.• China – Initiated drilling program in 2007• S. Korea – Initiated drilling program in 2007

Significant U.S. Collaboration

ConclusionWith adequate funding, by 2015 the United States will be

able to determine:1. The scale and production methods for economically-

recoverable Arctic gas hydrate2. The scale of the technically-recoverable resource from

marine gas hydrate3. The environmental impact of hydrate gas production and

hydrate's role in the environment

This is an important step to ensure America’s energy security – a transition to renewables