Volume 20: Sustainable Energy Solutions for a Post-COVID Recovery towards a Better Future: Part III

Comparative Study on Recovery of Methane Gas from Natural Gas Hydrates Using Combination of Depressurization & Thermal Simulation Methods Jyoti Singh, Tejaswa Poothia, Prerna B S Rawat, Dipti Mehra, Gaurav Pandey

Abstract

One of the cleanest burning fossil fuels is natural gas and is recognized as a strong candidate for energy resources as compared to oil and gas. Natural gas hydrates are commonly found in Shallow and deep waters where suitable pressure and temperature condition combine to make it stable. Gas Hydrates are the potential source of methane which needs to be extracted from the seabed but exploitation of it is much far from being economically viable and safe. Various methods for the exploitation of methane gas are depressurization, thermal stimulation, chemical inhibitor injection and replacement methods. These methods are being widely studied by using experimental approach and numerical methods. Numerous Fields tests carried out by different nations to produce the methane gas from natural gas hydrate reservoir and observed that it’s a complex process. This paper gives comparative study on the effect of exploitation methods on methane gas recovery from natural gas hydrate deposit. Combination of different methods for the production of methane gas from natural gas hydrate is briefly reviewed. Possible methods for the extraction of natural gas in each method and challenges/limitations are discussed in detail. Combination of thermal stimulation and depressurization method is observed to be more efficient than the individual methods in terms of recovery of methane gas from gas hydrates.

Keywords Natural Gas, Natural Gas Hydrates, Clean Energy, Depressurization, Thermal Stimulation, Methane Recovery