Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States

205 Pages·2010·17.58 MB·English

by  Committee on Assessment of the Department of Energy's Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program: Evaluating Methane Hydrate as a Future Energy Resource

Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States
Committee on Assessment of the Department of Energy’s
Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program:
Evaluating Methane Hydrate as a Future Energy Resource
Committee on Earth Resources
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing
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the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute
of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for
their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
The opinions, fndings, and conclusions or recommendations contained in this document
are those of the authors and do not necessarily refect the views of the U.S. Department of
Energy. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorse-
ment by the U.S. government. Supported by the Department of the Energy, under Award
No. DE-AT01-08FE0053.
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International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-14889-8
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Cover: The backdrop is a three-dimensional rendering of the “structure 1” or s1 methane
hydrate in which methane molecules (represented by spheres) are trapped inside hydrogen-
bonded water cages. The images embedded within the cages include a hand-held methane
hydrate-bearing sediment sample from the Mt. Elbert well at Milne Point, Alaska (upper
left), prepared drillcores from the Department of Energy/Joint Industry Project Gulf of
Mexico methane hydrate cruise (middle), and the Doyon 14 drill rig at the Mount Elbert
test site, Milne Point, Alaska (lower middle). Images courtesy of: M. R. Walsh, Colorado School
of Mines (three-dimensional s1 methane hydrate structure); Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Research
Team (both the Mt. Elbert hand-held core sample and drill rig); Gulf of Mexico Department of
Energy/ Joint Industry Project Research Team (prepared drill cores).
Designed by Michael Dudzik.
Copyright 2010 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States
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vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States
CoMMITTEE oN ASSESSMENT oF THE
DEPARTMENT oF ENERGy’S METHANE HyDRATE
RESEARCH AND DEVELoPMENT PRoGRAM:
EVALUATING METHANE HyDRATE AS
A FUTURE ENERGy RESoURCE
1
CHARLES PAULL (Chair ), Monterey Bay Aquarium Research
Institute, Moss Landing, California
2
WILLIAM S. REEBURGH (Chair ), University of California, Irvine
(Retired)
SCoTT R. DALLIMoRE, Geological Survey of Canada, Sidney,
British Columbia
3
GoNzALo ENCISo, oil and Gas Exploration Consultant,
Houston, Texas
SIDNEy GREEN, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
CARoLyN A. KoH, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
KEITH A. KVENVoLDEN, U.S. Geological Survey (Retired),
Palo Alto, California
CHARLES MANKIN, oklahoma Geological Survey (Retired),
Norman
MICHAEL RIEDEL, Geological Survey of Canada, Sidney, British
4
Columbia
National Research Council Staff
ELIzABETH A. EIDE, Study Director
DEBoRAH GLICKSoN, Program offcer
NICHoLAS D. RoGERS, Financial and Research Associate
CoURTNEy R. GIBBS, Program Associate
1
August 7, 2009, to present.
2
June 26, 2008, to August 7, 2009.
3
Shell Exploration and Production Company until March 2010.
3
McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada until May 2009.
v
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States
CoMMITTEE oN EARTH RESoURCES
1
CLAyToN R. NICHoLS (Chair ), Department of Energy, Idaho
operations offce (Retired), ocean Park, Washington
2
MURRAy W. HITzMAN (Chair ), Colorado School of Mines, Golden
JAMES A. BRIERLEy, Brierley Consultancy LLC, Highlands Ranch,
Colorado
WILLIAM S. CoNDIT, Independent Consultant, Santa Fe,
New Mexico
ELAINE T. CULLEN, National Institute of occupational Safety
and Health, Spokane Research Laboratory (Retired), Chattaroy,
Washington
GoNzALo ENCISo, oil and Gas Exploration Consultant,
Houston, Texas
MICHELLE MICHoT FoSS, University of Texas, Austin
DoNALD JUCKETT, American Association for Petroleum Geologists
(Retired), Springfeld, Virginia
ANN S. MAEST, Stratus Consulting, Boulder, Colorado
LELAND L. MINK, U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Program
(Retired), Worley, Idaho
MARy M. PoULToN, University of Arizona, Tucson
NoRMAN H. SLEEP, Stanford University, Stanford, California
RICHARD J. SWEIGARD, University of Kentucky, Lexington
SAMUEL J. TRAINA, University of California, Merced
National Research Council Staff
ELIzABETH A. EIDE, Senior Program offcer
ERIC J. EDKIN, Senior Program Assistant
NICHoLAS D. RoGERS, Financial and Research Associate
1
From 2010.
2
Through 2009.
vi
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States
BoARD oN EARTH SCIENCES AND RESoURCES
CORALE L. BRIERLEY (Chair), Brierley Consultancy, LLC,
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
KEITH C. CLARKE, University of California, Santa Barbara
DAVID J. CoWEN, University of South Carolina, Columbia
WILLIAM E. DIETRICH, University of California, Berkeley
RoGER M. DoWNS, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
JEFF DozIER, University of California, Santa Barbara
KATHERINE H. FREEMAN, Pennsylvania State University,
University Park
WILLIAM L. GRAF, University of South Carolina, Columbia
RUSSELL J. HEMLEy, Carnegie Institution of Washington,
Washington, D.C.
MURRAy W. HITzMAN, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
EDWARD KAVAzANJIAN, JR., Arizona State University, Tempe
LOUISE H. KELLOGG, University of California, Davis
RoBERT B. MCMASTER, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
CLAUDIA INÉS MoRA, Los Alamos National Laboratory,
New Mexico
BRIJ M. MoUDGIL, University of Florida, Gainesville
CLAyToN R. NICHoLS, Department of Energy, Idaho operations
offce (Retired), ocean Park, Washington
JoAQUIN RUIz, University of Arizona, Tucson
PETER M. SHEARER, University of California, San Diego
REGINAL SPILLER, Allied Energy, Houston, Texas
RUSSELL E. STANDS-oVER-BULL, Anadarko Petroleum
Corporation, Denver, Colorado
TERRy C. WALLACE, JR., Los Alamos National Laboratory,
New Mexico
HERMAN B. zIMMERMAN, National Science Foundation (Retired),
Portland, oregon
vii
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States
National Research Council Staff
ANTHoNy R. dE SoUzA, Director
ELIzABETH A. EIDE, Senior Program offcer
DAVID A. FEARy, Senior Program offcer
ANNE M. LINN, Senior Program offcer
SAMMANTHA L. MAGSINo, Program offcer
MARK D. LANGE, Associate Program offcer
LEA A. SHANLEy, Postdoctoral Fellow
JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Financial and Administrative Associate
NICHoLAS D. RoGERS, Financial and Research Associate
CoURTNEy R. GIBBS, Program Associate
JASoN R. oRTEGo, Research Associate
ERIC J. EDKIN, Senior Program Assistant
ToNyA E. FoNG yEE, Senior Program Assistant
viii
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States
oCEAN STUDIES BoARD
DoNALD F. BoESCH (Chair), University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Science, Cambridge
EDWARD A. BoyLE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JoRGE E. CoRREDoR, University of Puerto Rico, Mayag�ez
KEITH R. CRIDDLE, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau
JoDy W. DEMING, University of Washington
MARy (MISSy) H. FEELEy, ExxonMobil Exploration Company,
Houston, Texas
RoBERT HALLBERG, National oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration
DEBRA HERNANDEz, Hernandez and Company, Isle of Palms,
South Carolina
RoBERT A. HoLMAN, oregon State University, Corvallis
KIHo KIM, American University, Washington, D.C.
BARBARA A. KNUTH, Cornell University, Ithaca, New york
RoBERT A. LAWSoN, Science Applications International
Corporation, San Diego, California
GEoRGE I. MATSUMoTo, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research
Institute, Moss Landing, California
JAy S. PEARLMAN, The Boeing Company, Port Angeles, Washington
ANDREW A. RoSENBERG, University of New Hampshire, Durham
DANIEL L. RUDNICK, Scripps Institution of oceanography, La Jolla,
California
RoBERT J. SERAFIN, National Center for Atmospheric Research,
Boulder, Colorado
ANNE M. TREHU, oregon State University, Corvallis
PETER L. TyACK, Woods Hole oceanographic Institution,
Massachusetts
DAWN J. WRIGHT, oregon State University, Corvallis
JAMES A. yoDER, Woods Hole oceanographic Institution,
Massachusetts
ix
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.