Gas Hydrate Research
In the spring of 2002, scientists and engineers from seven participant organizations from five countries celebrated the success of the world’s first gas production from a methane hydrate reservoir at the JAPEX/GSC/JNOC et al. Mallik 5L-38 research well in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada.
Five years later, Japanese and Canadian researchers re-united in the town of Inuvik, to pioneer a new phase of gas hydrate research. This time, the goal was to undertake a longer test and advance new research and development studies utilizing the simple depressurization technique. The two-winter research program was successfully completed in April 2008 and we believe it represents a new step forward towards realizing gas hydrate as a viable energy resource.
Landscape - Gas Hydrate Research
Preliminary Results
The 2008 testing program at Mallik confirmed that continuous gas flow ranging from 2000 to 4000 m3/day was maintained throughout the course of the six-day (139-hour) test. Cumulative gas production volume was approximately 13,000 m3. Detailed analyses of the results are ongoing, but initial data confirm that the depressurization method is the correct approach.
Japanese and Canadian research teams will analyze the data and publish scientific and technical papers internationally. The analyses of the data and samples will help advance our understanding of methane hydrate dissociation behavior in formations and contribute to the development of more sophisticated production techniques. The gas rate prediction by the MH21-HYDRES gas hydrate reservoir simulation ) matches well with the observed values. By analyzing the data of the production test, we expect to make additional improvements in the model.
First sustainable gas flare of methane from a hydrate source (March 10, 2008).
The Impact and Way Forward
Development of effective production techniques is the key to realizing gas hydrates as a valuable energy resource. The success of the production test in northern Canada is a meaningful step forward, and we hope it will encourage international efforts and collaboration on engineering and scientific research.
Of course, more work is necessary to undertake longer term, and larger scale field tests in different geological settings and to provide additional data sets for the verification of theories and development of practical technologies. Indeed, there are many challenges to gas production from deep water marine sediments, the ultimate target of the Japanese team.
One way to achieve the desired science and engineering breakthroughs is to integrate studies of arctic and marine gas hydrate exploration and production, including basic studies in the laboratory, field demonstrations, and development and verification of numerical models.
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