Introduction
Methane gas hydrates are crystalline
form of natural gas formed at high pressure and low temperature. Methane gas
hydrates have captured double amount of carbon in comparison to fossil fuels.
They are present in permafrost regions and beneath the sea. They are considered
as future generation fuels. It is estimated that under the sea huge amount of
methane of the order of trillion in the form of gas hydrate is present.
Hydrates are naturally occurring materials that are present on submarine
continental margins and regions of Arctic permafrost. Their presence is also
supposed to be on large icy to medium-sized moons of the outer solar system and
also on the polar regions of Mars [7,8]. Natural gas hydrates are found
throughout the world. They are supposed to present in oceanic sediments along
continental margins as well as in polar continental settings . Gas
hydrates are scattered and they are present at south eastern coast of United
States in the Gulf of Mexico on the Blake Ridge, western and eastern
margins of Japan, the Middle America Trench and in the Cascadian basin near
Oregon, Peru . Gas hydrates are one of the cleaner forms of energy. Methane is
their major contributing gas in sediments [11,12]. Gas hydrates are seen as
future generation energy resource. Keeping into this various studies have been
reported gas hydrates as potential energy resource. According to USA department
of energy, if only feeble amount of the methane stored in the hydrates can be
obtained, it will be more than the current domestic supply of USA of natural
gas. The energy potential of methane hydrates is more than that of the other
unconventional sources of energy. Gas hydrates will be a mystery till their
development potential is s assessed.
Global Efforts Put in the Field of Gas
Hydrates
Global efforts have been put by
various countries for exploiting this vast source of energy. India has already
completed Nation
Gas Hydrate Programme NGHP-01 and started NGHP-02. The field testing of gas
hydrate is done globally as explained below:
Indian scenario (National Gas Hydrate
Programme Nghp-01)
The drilling/coring operations were
performed in four areas of India offshore while NGHP 01 from 28th April to 19th
August 2006.
Dedicated gas hydrate
coring/drilling/LWD (logging while drilling)/ MWD (Measurement while drilling)
operations were carried out while Indian Offshore during NGHP Expedition 01,
2006.
Sites of NGHP Expedition 01, 2006
Operational Programme
The
total of 39 holes were drilled at 21 sites in 4 areas in Indian Offshore (1
site in Kerela-Konkan, 15 sites in Krishna-Godavari, 4 sites in Mahanadi and 1
site in Andaman).
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