Will it be benefitial to convert Methane to Methane Hydrate and then transport it?

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Devinder Mahajan, a chemist at the US department of energy's laboratory in Brookhaven, is looking for ways to encourage subsea hydrate deposits to release their methane. He has developed a pressurised tank that allows scientists to study hydrate formation. "You fill the vessel with water and sediment, put in methane gas and cool it down under high pressure. After a few hours, the hydrates form, you can actually see it. They look like ice, but they're not," he said. "This is a very important issue, tied to our future national energy security."

P.J.LAKHAPATE
plakhapate@rediffmail.com

 

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There is only a slight chance that methane hydrate will prove cost effective as a means of transporting methane. The temperature needs to be about 4 degrees c = 39 degrees f or colder and the pressure kept high during transport. Several other options for transporting methane without water are equally attractive such as cold liquid or high pressure gas.
It may however prove practical to remove methane hydrate from the ocean bottom as a source of methane. Neil

 

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