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Project Number 461
Date of Summary January 22, 2007
Subject

Characterizing Natural Gas Hydrates in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico - JIP
Performing Activity Chevron Texaco
Principal Investigator Dr. Emrys Jones
Contracting Agency Minerals Management Service
Completion TAR project completed.
Description

The Gulf of Mexico Hydrates JIP, in collaboration with NETL/DOE, is investigating naturally occurring gas hydrates in the GOM.

The goals of the JIP include:

  • Develop, implement a research and technology plan to assist characterization of sediments containing naturally occurring hydrates in deepwater in the GOM
     

  • Assess and understand potential safety hazards associated with drilling wells and running pipelines through sediments containing gas hydrates
     

  • Develop a database of existing seismic, core, log, thermophysical and biogeochemical data to identify current hydrate containing sites in deepwater GOM
     

  • Use existing knowledge to choose one or more sites in deepwater GOM for field tests
     

  • Plan and execute a drilling and sample collection field testing program to collect data and obtain cores to characterize the hydrate containing sediments in the GOM

Use existing data in the database and data collected from the field during the project to develop wellbore and seafloor stability models pertinent to hydrate containing sediments in the GOM. This project was jointly funded by the MMS TA&R Program and Environmental Studies Program.
Progress Objectives of the TA&R Program funding have been met. The JIP continues into 2007 and the Environmental Studies Program of MMS continues with their involvement. Further information can be obtained on the JIP website.

Reports
AA (130 KB; 18 pages) File in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) . Holditch, S., and Jones, E., “Protocols for Seismic Data Acquisition and Processing to Characterize Natural Gas Hydrate Deposits In Deepwater”, May 2004, Houston TX 
AB (59 pages) File in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) . Holditch, S., and Jones, E., “Characterizing Natural Gas Hydrates in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico: Applications for Safe Exploration and Production Activities Third Semi-Annual Report”, June 2003, Houston TX 
 

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Last Updated: 07/22/2008, 06:28 PM