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Alaska Gas Hydrate Research and Field Studies

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Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology

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Definition of the Subject

Gas Hydrates

Natural gas hydrates are solid, crystalline, ice-like materials made up of small molecules of gases, mainly methane confined inside cages of water molecules. These gas hydrates are solid solutions and are formed when water molecules linked by hydrogen bonding create cavities (host) that enclose a variety of molecules (guest). These molecules can be CH4, C2H6, and CO2 to name a few. It is interesting to note that there is no chemical bonding between the host water molecule and the caged molecule. Hydrates can form under high pressures or low temperatures, which are generally the conditions that exist in the Arctic or under deep ocean beds. Huge volumes of gas hydrates are expected to exist at various locations around the globe (Fig. 3). It is known that 1 m3 of hydrates upon dissociation release about 180 std m3 of gas, making them a huge potential as a future energy resource [3, 4].

Alaska Gas Hydrate Research and Field Studies. Figure 3
figure 1151

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Abbreviations

In-place:

The term used to estimate gas hydrate resources disregarding technical or economical recoverability. Generally these are the largest estimates [1].

Permafrost:

A layer of soil or bedrock that has been continuously frozen for at least 2 years.

Petrophysical:

Physical properties of the reservoir rock.

Resources:

Resources are those detected quantities of hydrocarbon that cannot be recovered profitably with the current technology but may be recoverable in the future. It also includes those quantities that geologically may be possible but have not been found yet [2].

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Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the US Department of Energy (USDOE), BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., North Slope Borough (NSB), Petrotechnical Resources of Alaska (PRA), and Petroleum Development Laboratory (PDL) at UAF for their financial support in accomplishing this work. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Tim Collet (USGS), Mr. Robert Hunter (ASRC Energy Services), Mr. Tom Walsh (Petrotechnical Resources Alaska, Inc.), and graduate students Praveen Singh, Andrew Johnson, Paul Hanson, and Vivek Peraser for their contribution, support, and help when needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 425 Duckering Building, Fairbanks, AK, 755880, USA

    Dr. S. L. Patil, A. Y. Dandekar & S. Khataniar

Authors
  1. Dr. S. L. Patil
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  2. A. Y. Dandekar
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  3. S. Khataniar
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Correspondence to S. L. Patil .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. RAMTECH LIMITED, Larkspur, CA, USA

    Robert A. Meyers

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Patil, S.L., Dandekar, A.Y., Khataniar, S. (2012). Alaska Gas Hydrate Research and Field Studies. In: Meyers, R.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_434

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