Flammable Ice (Combustible Ice): Chinese Breakthrough Could Lead To Global Energy Revolution

[Beidou2020]

Exploration of 'flammable ice' to begin in 2015

China plans to explore promising natural gas hydrate deposits in its waters next year, according to the China Geological Survey.

No detailed plans or possible areas of exploration were given.

The natural gas hydrates, also called "flammable ice", may help ease the country's energy shortages. One cubic meter of natural gas hydrates can release at least 164 cu m of methane, and is considered a potential green energy resource.

Although China's exploration project is expected to begin in 2015, experts said commercial production may not begin until around 2030.

China discovered deposits of the resource in the South China Sea in 2007 and in the eastern Pearl River in 2013.

Despite such promising energy potential, no country has yet exploited the resource commercially, due to the challenging conditions and unclear environmental impacts.

 

[cirr]

China succeeds in mining combustible ice in South China Sea
2017-05-18 13:44
Xinhua Editor: Gu Liping

China has succeeded in collecting samples of combustible ice in the South China Sea, a major breakthrough that may lead to a global energy revolution, Minister of Land and Resources Jiang Daming said Thursday.

This is China's first success in mining flammable ice at sea, after nearly two decades of research and exploration, the minister said at a trial mining site in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea Thursday.

China found flammable ice, a kind of natural gas hydrate, in the South China Sea in 2007.

International scientific circles have predicted that natural gas hydrate is the best replacement for oil and natural gas.

http://www.ecns.cn/2017/05-18/258025.shtml


‘Flammable ice’: Chinese breakthrough could lead to global energy revolution
Published time: 19 May, 2017 14:21 Edited time: 19 May, 2017 16:14

Chinese miners have managed to extract 'combustible ice' from the seafloor of the South China Sea, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources.

The successful collection of the frozen fuel was "a major breakthrough that may lead to a global energy revolution," said China's Minister of Land and Resources, Jiang Daming.​

'Flammable Ice' is methane hydrates with molecules of methane gas trapped in a lattice of ice crystals. It can exist only in conditions of very low temperatures and high pressure. One cubic meter of combustible ice is equal to 164 cubic meters of natural gas, according to the US Energy Information Agency.

“It looks like ice crystals, but if you zoom into a molecular level, you see the methane molecules are caged in by the water molecules,” said Associate Professor Praveen Linga from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore, as quoted by BBC.​

In spite of the low temperature, the hydrates are easily flammable, as the gas encased in the ice catches fire once you bring it to a flame.

The discovery is China’s first success in the mining of flammable ice following almost twenty years of research and exploration, according to the ministry.

The mining site is reportedly located in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea, 300 kilometers from Hong Kong. The miners managed to extract a daily average of 16,000 cubic meters of gas with high purity from the site.

The natural gas hydrate is believed to be the best replacement for natural gas and oil. Moreover, fire ice is more environmentally safe and in large reserves, according to the head of the China Geological Survey Bureau, Zhong Ziran.

https://www.facebook.com/

“Many countries along the Maritime Silk Road have a demand for combustible ice mining. With the advanced technology we could help resolve the energy resource problem and boost economic development and exchanges between countries,” said Qiu Haijun, director of the trial mining headquarters, as cited by The Economic Times.​

https://www.rt.com/business/388964-china-mining-flammable-ice/

 

[cirr]

lihaile, word国

全球首次！中国在海域连续稳定试开采可燃冰成功

2017-05-18 12:19:35

关键字:可燃冰是什么海域可燃冰开采中国可燃冰中国可燃冰储量中国海域可燃冰试采成功南海可燃冰海域天然气水合物

【观察者网 综合报道】中国首次海域天然气水合物（可燃冰）试采成功！据央视新闻今天（18日）援引国土资源部中国地质调查局消息，这标志着我国成为全球第一个实现了在海域可燃冰试开采中获得连续稳定产气的国家。今日中午，中共中央国务院对海域天然气水合物试采成功发去贺电。

国务院贺电全文 央视

可燃冰，学名天然气水合物（Natural Gas Hydrate，简称Gas Hydrate），是分布于深海沉积物或陆域的永久冻土中，由天然气与水在高压低温条件下形成的类冰状的结晶物质。因其外观像冰一样而且遇火即可燃烧，所以又被称作“可燃冰”或者“固体瓦斯”和“气冰”。

燃烧后，可燃冰仅会生成少量的二氧化碳和水，污染比煤、石油、天然气小很多，但能量高出十倍。此外，可燃冰储量巨大，所含有机碳资源总量相当于全球已知煤、石油和天然气总量的两倍，被国际公认为石油、天然气的接替能源。

我国管辖海域和陆区也蕴藏有丰富的可燃冰资源，因此走近、认识可燃冰显得意义非凡。

正式出气至今 已累计产出超12万立方米甲烷含量高达99.5%的天然气

据央视新闻报道，我国南海北部的神狐海域，也是我国正在进行的可燃冰试开采的现场。这个持续不断燃烧的火焰，就是正在从1000多米的水下分解提取出的可燃冰所产生的甲烷气体。这标志着我国首次试开采得到了全面成功。

国土资源部地质调查局在今年2月表示，目前我国已经初步查明我国可燃冰的资源潜力，今年，我国将开展海上可燃冰的试开采。

通过勘查，2016年，在我国海域，已圈定了6个可燃冰成矿远景区，在青南藏北已优选了9个有利区块，据预测，我国可燃冰远景资源量超过1000亿吨油当量，潜力巨大。

国土资源部中国地质调查局资源评价部负责人邢树文说，可燃冰在我国的海域圈定了一系列的找矿远景区，也预测了资源量。今年我们正在积极进行这方面的试采准备。

南海北部神狐海域的天然气水合物试开采现场距香港约285公里，采气点位于水深1266米海底下200米的海床中。自5月10日正式出气至今，已累计产出超12万立方米甲烷含量高达99.5%的天然气。实现连续超一周的稳定产气，标志着我国进行的首次天然气水合物试采宣告成功。

中国地质调查局副总工程师、天然气水合物试采现场总指挥叶建良表示，从5月10日正式出气试点火成功，到目前为止，我们已经连续开采八天了，日产超过一万方以上，最高日产达到了3.5万方，这种连续稳定的出气，达到了我们原来预定的目标。

可燃冰，是由天然气和水在高压低温的条件下形成的类冰状的结晶化合物，预测资源量相当于已发现煤、石油、天然气等化石能源的两倍以上，是世界公认的一种清洁高效的未来替代能源。

因绝大部分埋藏于海底，所以可燃冰开采难度十分巨大。目前，日本、加拿大等国都在加紧对这种未来能源进行试开采尝试，但都因种种原因未能实现或未达到连续产气的预定目标。

此次试开采成功，不仅表明我国天然气水合物勘查和开发的核心技术得到验证，也标志着中国在这一领域的综合实力达到世界顶尖水平。

国土资源部中国地质调查局副局长 李金发：这一次天然气水合物的试开采成功，我们是优先抢占了领跑和技术高地，实现了我国在天然气水合物开发上的领跑。它将会是继美国引领页岩气革命之后的，由我国引领的天然气水合物革命，将会推动整个世界能源利用格局的改变。

我国可燃冰开采技术领跑世界

日均稳定产气超过一万方，以及持续超一周的连续产气时间，这两个指标在之前还没有一个国家能够成功实现。而完成这一历史性的飞跃，我国科学家们又是在如何做到的呢？

天然气水合物的试开采一直是一项世界性难题。2013年日本曾尝试进行过海域天然气水合物的试开采工作，虽然成功出气，但六天之后，由于泥沙堵住了钻井通道，试采被迫停止。

李金发说，第一每日试采的取气量要达到一万方以上，第二是连续产气一周。我们所有的指标都超过了预定目标，所以我国是世界海域天然气水合物开发成功的第一个国家。

为实现这一目标，我国科学家利用降压法，将海底原本稳定的压力降低，从而打破了天然气水合物储层的成藏条件，之后再将分散在类似海绵空隙中一样的可燃冰聚集，利用我国自主研发的一套水、沙、气分离核心技术最终将天然气取出。

叶建良受访时表示，我们这次运用了地层流体抽取法，从单纯考虑降压变成了关注流体的抽取，通过保证流体的抽取来实现稳定的降压。降压方案充分体现了优越性，也是保证我们这次试采成功一个关键因素，这也是在国际上从理论到技术方法的一个创新。

http://www.guancha.cn/industry-science/2017_05_18_408930.shtml

@TaiShang @Bussard Ramjet

 

[Han Patriot]

Damn it was only a few years ago when they could only take a small sample off the ocean intact, now they have a rig over it to mine.

 

[GS Zhou]

Quotes from China Gas Hydrate Resources Report (中国天然气水合物资源报告), authored by China Geological Survey Bureau (中国地质调查局).

The gas hydrate extraction project is soooo expensive, even the geological survey alone has cost China 5 billion RMB, needless to say the development and production of the specialized equipment.

But so what? No pain, no gains! That's how the real world functions.

 

[JSCh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/865132534010716161

 

[grey boy 2]

Great news

 

[Offshore]

Hahahaha SCS belong to China
We will harvest this resources

 

[AndrewJin]

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

International scientific circles have predicted that natural gas hydrate is the best replacement for oil and natural gas.

China has such a huge amount of resources, if we take into consideration these natural gas hydrates, as well as China's massive reserves of shale gas and oil (1st and 3rd largest in the world respectively), China might return to being an energy exporter in the future like we were back in the 1980's.

 

[Offshore]

China has such a huge amount of resources, if we take into consideration these natural gas hydrates, as well as China's massive reserves of shale gas and oil (1st and 3rd largest in the world respectively), China might return to being an energy exporter in the future like we were back in the 1980's.

No no no.. I hope the resource is not for export! We will used it for our own people! Cheap natural resources mean cheap living cost, I also hope China can push the living standards equal to Taiwan.
After all china is still developing and we still got hundreds of million poor people!

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

No no no.. I hope the resource is not for export! We will used it for our own people! Cheap natural resources mean cheap living cost, I also hope China can push the living standards equal to Taiwan.
After all china is still developing and we still got hundreds of million poor people!

Obviously we can only start exporting once our domestic demand is satisfied, like in the case with Chinese oil production in the 1980's, like I said.

Considering the growth in renewable energy, the growth in electric vehicles, and China's abundant natural resources, it is not too difficult to envision a future where China's domestic energy demands are satisfied to the extent where the surplus resources can be exported for profit.

 

[WhyCry]

Hahahaha SCS belong to China
We will harvest this resources

Only on PDF.. Good Luck

 

[Maxpane]

congrats china . haters gona hate but who cares.

 

[kankan326]

So many science and technology breakthroughs recently. My country is a little unfamiliar to me.