Methane hydrate is a cage-like lattice of ice inside of which are trapped molecules of methane, the chief constituent of natural gas. Methane hydrate is a cage-like lattice of ice inside of which are trapped molecules of methane, the chief constituent of natural gas. It is a cage-like lattice of ice inside of which are trapped molecules of methane, the chief constituent of natural gas.
Several other names are commonly used for methane hydrate. These include: methane clathrate, hydromethane, methane ice, fire ice, natural gas hydrate, and gas hydrate. Most methane hydrate deposits also contain small amounts of other hydrocarbon hydrates. The most likely methane hydrate deposits to be selected for first development will have the following characteristics: 1) high concentrations of hydrate; 2) reservoir rocks with high permeability; and, 3) locations where there is an existing infrastructure. The areas that permit the existence of methane hydrate on the Earth are limited to (1) permafrost zones in polar regions, and (2) layers within several hundred meters from the seafloor of an ocean with a depth of 500 m or deeper. Volume of methane hydrate. We live in an environment where the pressure is 1 atmosphere and water freezes at 0℃. Under a pressure of 1 atmosphere, methane hydrate can exist only in a low temperature of -80℃ or below. When the temperature is 0℃, it can exist only under a high pressure of 23 atmospheres or above. Methane hydrate is a crystalline solid that consists of a methane molecule surrounded by a cage of interlocking water molecules (see image at top right). Methane hydrate is an  ice  that only occurs naturally in subsurface deposits where temperature and pressure conditions are favorable for its formation. The most likely methane hydrate deposits to be selected for first development will have the following characteristics: 1) high concentrations of hydrate; 2) reservoir rocks with high permeability; and, 3) locations where there is an existing infrastructure. Image caption Methane hydrate, or fire ice, is a highly energy-intensive fuel source. The world is addicted to hydrocarbons, and it's easy to see why-cheap, plentiful and easy to mine, they represent an abundant energy source to fuel industrial development the world over. 1 Methane hydrate is in the form of a 3D ice structure with natural gas locked inside. 2  The substance looks like white ice, but it does not behave like it. 3  If methane hydrate is either warmed or depressurised, it will break down into water and natural gas. Gas hydrate is an ice-like crystalline form of water and low molecular weight gas (e.g., methane, ethane, carbon dioxide). On Earth, gas hydrates occur naturally in some marine sediments and within and beneath permafrost. Gas hydrates have also been inferred on other planets or their moons.  This research is important because methane hydrate deposits are believed to be a larger hydrocarbon resource than all of the world's oil, natural gas and coal resources combined. [1] If these deposits can be efficiently and economically developed, methane hydrate could become the next energy game changer. The most likely methane hydrate deposits to be selected for first development will have the following characteristics: 1) high concentrations of hydrate; 2) reservoir rocks with high permeability; and, 3) locations where there is an existing infrastructure. Methane Hydrate. Types of Methane Hydrate Deposits. Methane hydrate is a cage-like lattice of ice inside of which are trapped molecules of methane, the chief constituent of natural gas. If methane hydrate is either warmed or depressurized, it will revert back to water and natural gas. When brought to the earth's surface, one cubic meter of gas hydrate releases 164 cubic meters of natural gas. Methane hydrate, also called methane ice or methane clathrate, consists of methane, which is enclosed in frozen water. The water molecules completely surround the methane. Methane hydrate is a common constituent of the shallow marine (ocean) geosphere. In 1971, it was first discovered in Black Sea. Methane hydrate is often described as “methane gas surrounded by ice.” Although this description is easy to understand, it's not completely accurate. A more accurate description would be that methane hydrate consists of methane gas trapped inside cage-like crystal structures made up of water molecules.. Explains Langley, Gas hydrates are clathrate compounds. A clathrate is simply a structure in which water molecules under certain conditions bond to form an ice-like cage that encapsulates a gas molecule, known as a guest molecule. When that guest is a methane molecule, you have methane hydrate. Methane hydrates, which form at low temperature and high pressure, are found in sea-floor sediments and the arctic permafrost. They can be scattered through several-hundred-meter depths and at various concentrations. Methane hydrates M ethane hydrate isn t a familiar term to most, but it is gaining popularity in the energy sector. In the realm of energy R&D, methane hydrates are being evaluated as a potential fuel for the future.
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what is a methane hydrate