History of hydrate R&D The science of natural methane hydrate Occurrences of natural methane hydrate Methane hydrate  R&D issues

Natural Methane Hydrate

Methane hydrate is the most abundant natural form of clathrate, a unique class of chemical substance in which molecules of one material (in this case, water) form an open solid lattice that encloses, without chemical bonding, appropriately-sized molecules of another material (in this case, methane).

The unusual association of two molecules in a solid substance without bonding has intrigued scientists since the first manufacture of chlorine hydrate almost two centuries ago. However, the subject appeared to be purely academic until solid hydrate was found to be plugging natural gas transmission lines in the 1930s. Then, in the 1960s, naturally-occurring methane hydrate was observed in Siberian gas reservoirs. As the understanding of natural methane hydrate grew, scientists realized that, given the ubiquity of both methane (the common by-product of bacterial breakdown of organic matter) and water in nature, methane hydrate could be present in vast quantities in any environment with suitable pressures and temperatures.

Over the past three decades, expeditions to polar regions and deep-water continental shelves all over the globe have consistently returned reports of methane hydrate. Today, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that methane hydrate may, in fact, contain more organic carbon than all the world's coal, oil, and non-hydrate natural gas combined. The magnitude of this previously unknown global storehouse of methane is truly staggering and has raised serious inquiry into the possibility of using methane hydrate as a source of energy.

However, while those investigations continue, important questions about the role of methane hydrate in the environment must be addressed. We now know that the global methane hydrate reservoir is in constant flux, absorbing and releasing methane in response to ongoing natural changes in the environment. The implications of this vast, dynamic, and previously unnoticed methane reservoir on the global carbon cycle, long-term climate, seafloor stability, and future energy policy are a critical part of the Methane Hydrate R&D Program.

The various links above provide more detailed technical information on our current understanding of methane hydrate. The topics include: 1) the history of man's understanding of hydrate; 2) hydrate formation, structure, and physical/chemical properties; 3) the global distribution of hydrate and what has been learned at the most well-studied localities; and 4) the key R&D issues posed by the recent recognition of this global methane occurrence. Please see our National R&D Program pages for information on the work currently being done to better understand the nature, environmental roles, and economic potential of this abundant and surprising compound.

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