1.What is Gas Hydrate?

Hydrates are ice like mixtures of natural gas and water that can form at
temperatures above freezing point of water.
Form lattice like structures or appearance in which molecules of one
substance are completely enclosed by water molecules.

Methane exist in the sea floor and arctic permafrost. Methane hydrate is
frozen natural gas and it is currently estimated that there are far more
energy trapped in methane hydrate deposit than in all known reserves
of oil , gas and coal .
Baikal lake gas hydrate
So far, 21 sites of gas hydrate occurrence have been discovered. Gas
hydrates are of structures I and II, which are of thermogenic, microbial,
and mixed origin. At the 15 sites, gas hydrates were found in mud
volcanoes, and the rest six near gas discharges. Additionally,
depending on type of discharge and gas hydrate structure, they were
visually different. Investigations using MIR submersibles allowed
finding of gas hydrates at the bottom surface of Lake Baikal at the three
sites.
Caspian Sea Gas Hydrate
According to the calculations and maps, methane hydrate formation in
Caspian Sea, theoretically, can take place from near the seabed to 4000
and 2500 m beneath the sea surface when low and high geothermal
gradient are supposed, respectively. By comparing the results with gas
hydrate zones revealed in geophysical profiles, it has been shown that,
in Caspian Sea, gas hydrates probably accumulate near the lower limit
when a high geothermal gradient is assumed.
2.Formation of Gas Hydrate in the nature
a) Gas hydrates are stable at the temperatures and pressures that occur
in ocean-floor sediments at water depths greater than about 500
meters, and at these pressures they are stable at temperatures above
those for ice stability. Gas hydrates also are stable in association with
permafrost in the polar regions, both in offshore and onshore sediments

Formation Causes
b) Hydrate Formation in Tubing
Shut-in gas wells are particularly prone to serious hydrate problems, if
the well has been producing some water. Subsequent equilibration of
the tubular and its contents with cold zones of the rock can lower the
temperature into the hydrate-formation region.
Hydrate nuclei form from the films of water on the tubular walls. The
subsequent crystallization can result in large plugs of hydrate tens or
hundreds of meters long.
Hydrate formation can also take place in shut-in oil wells(Makogon, Y.
1997)The logic is that oil will dissolve some watergenerally small
amounts. Under high-temperature/high-pressure (HT/HP) conditions,
the amounts can be 5 to 10 mole% (at 300F). The oil is produced up
the wellbore, temperature falls, and liquid water comes out of solution,
remaining in suspension as micro droplets. In a static condition, the
micro droplets gradually coalesce and precipitate. This liquid water is
saturated with gas so that hydrates can form at the appropriate
pressure/volume/temperature (PT) values.
3. There are four techniques to prevent hydrate formation:

Remove the free and dissolved water from the system with
separators, glycol dehydrators, molecular sieves, or other methods
Maintain high temperatures so that hydrates do not form
Maintain low pressures to keep all phases fluid
Inject an inhibitor to prevent hydrate formation

4. A Future Energy Source

When hydrate fills the pore space of sediment, it can reduce
permeability and create a gas trap, The gas can continually migrate
upwards to fill any open pore spaces.
This process, in turn, causes the trap to become more effective,
producing highly concentrated methane and methane hydrate
reservoirs.
Hydrate is a gas concentrator; the breakdown of a unit volume of
methane hydrate at a pressure of one atmosphere produces about
160 unit volumes of gas.(The worldwide amount of methane in gas
hydrates is considered to contain at least 1x104 gigatons of carbon
in a very conservative estimate).
 6. EXTRACTION of Gas Hydrate

Natural gas can be produced from geologic accumlations of natural gas

hydrates either by dissociating the clathrate structure, yielding liquid
water and gaseous methane, or by replacing the CH 4 molecule with
another guest gas
Thermal Stimulations method
Depressurization method
Inhibitor injection method
Carbon Dioxide Injection Method
1)Thermal Stimulation method
The thermal stimulation approach involves raising the hydrate
temperature above the stability point, causing the hydrate to
dissociate
Thermal stimulation requires a continuous energy source to
overcome the endothermic heat of dissociation
2)Depressurization Method
Depressurization involves lowering the hydrate pressure below the
stability point, causing the hydrate to dissociate.
Depressurization results in rapid hydrate dissociation, but with an
associate drop in the hydrate temperature. Without an external heat
source, depressurization lowers the hydrate temperature to a new
equilibrium condition, halting the depressurization process.
 Disadvantages of depressurization method
In sandy sediments, depressurization has been shown, through
numerical simulation, to be the most feasible production
technology
Production of water
Disturbing the marine life
3)Inhibitor injection method
Inhibitor injection involves the injection of an organic or inorganic
compound that shifts the hydrate equilibrium point to lower
temperatures for isobaric conditions
As with depressurization, inhibitor injection could require
additional inhibitor or a heat source to compensate for the decrease
in hydrate temperature with dissociation
The most common thermodynamic organic inhibitors are
methanol, mono ethylene glycol (MEG) and di ethylene glycol
(DEG) commonly referred to as glycol.
Dissolved salts (e.g. NaCl, CaCl2 , KCl, NaBr) can also be
inhibitors.
Disadvantages of Inhibitors injection method
1.environmental impact.
2.economic costs.
3.thermal self regulation of gas hydrate