Experimental new ways to exploit methane hydrate

Japan and the United States will collaborate on methane hydrate methane exploitation in the United States from January 2012.

>>> China - US cooperated to study the exploitation of fire in the South China Sea

The method is to exploit large amounts of methane by injecting CO ₂ into the soil.

The purpose of this joint experiment is to promote technological innovation to more effectively exploit this energy resource and to strengthen the relationship with the United States in securing energy security in the medium and long term.

Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (JOGMEC) will contribute US $ 7 million, half the cost of the exploration well with US oil and gas company Conoco Phillips.

The trial site is the northern part of Alaska owned by Conoco Phillips. The trial period lasts 40 days to extract and capture methane from methane hydrate lying 1,000 m underground.

From February 2012, Japan will also start exploring methane hydrate in the seafloor off the Aichi Prefecture of Japan.

Methane Hydrate (also called flame retardant) is a solid, formed from methane and water (methane content of more than 75%) under high pressure (above 30atm) and low temperature (below 0 degree centigrater).

Firefires have been found on many seabeds throughout the world's oceans and also in glaciers around the year (like the Russian Siberian) with enough reserves for the whole world for hundreds of years.

According to scientists, the source of burnt ice at the bottom of the oceans is about 100 times larger than in the continent. For those that have been explored, their carbon content is more than double the total carbon content of all fossil fuels known to date (including coal, oil, natural gas).