Back to results
US 8,783,364 B2Granted
Method for production, substitution, or mining of gas hydrate
AssigneeCentral Research Institute of Electric Power Industry
InventorYojiro Ikegawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas hydrate is produced by injecting guest molecules into voids in a layer of which temperature and pressure condition allows the guest molecules to cause to form hydrate, in a form of emulsion where liquid of the guest molecules is dispersed in water as minute particles having a size of less than a size of voids, and thereby dispersing the guest molecules uniformly into the voids in the layer.
Claims8
A method for substitution of gas hydrates, comprising:
- injecting an emulsion into voids in a layer, the emulsion comprising drops of a liquid of second guest molecules in water, the drops of liquid of the second guest molecules being dispersed in the water as drops having a size of less than a size of the voids in the layer, wherein hydrates of first guest molecules exist in the voids in the layer and the second guest molecules form hydrates under higher temperature and lower pressure conditions as compared with temperature and pressure conditions under which the hydrates of the first guest molecules form so that the hydrate of the first guest molecules in the voids is substituted by a hydrate of the second guest molecules.
A method for mining of gas hydrate, comprising:
- injecting an emulsion into voids in a CH4 hydrate layer as a heating agent for decomposing the CH4 hydrate in the voids to mine the CH4;
- the emulsion comprising drops of liquid CO2 in water, the drops of liquid CO2 being dispersed in the water and having a size of less than a size of the voids in the CH4 hydrate layer.
A method for mining of gas hydrate, comprising:
- injecting an emulsion into voids in a layer under the ground that is rested on a CH4 hydrate layer to form a seal layer of CO2 hydrate;
- the emulsion comprising drops of liquid CO2 in water, the drops of liquid CO2 being dispersed in the water and having a size of less than a size of the voids in the layer, the layer being under temperature and pressure conditions under which CO2 hydrate is formed;
- injecting the emulsion into voids in the CH4 hydrate layer for decomposing CH4 hydrate existing in the voids in the CH4 hydrate layer into CH4 gas by heat of reaction of CO2 hydrate formation;
- and
- recovering the CH4 gas at the ground by collecting the CH4 gas from the seal layer.
2 more elements
A method for mining of gas hydrate, comprising:
- injecting an emulsion into voids in a first layer under the ground that is rested on a CH4 hydrate layer for forming a seal layer of CO2 hydrate;
- the emulsion comprising drops of liquid CO2 in water, the drops of liquid CO2 being dispersed in the water and having a size of less than a size of the voids in the first layer, the first layer being under temperature and pressure conditions under which the CO2 hydrate is formed;
- injecting the emulsion into voids in a second layer that is rested under the CH4 hydrate layer for decomposing CH4 hydrate existing in the voids in the CH4 hydrate layer from a lower side of the CH4 hydrate layer by raising the temperature of the second layer using heat of reaction of the CO2 hydrate formation;
- recovering CH4 gas at the ground by collecting the CH4 gas from the seal layer, the CH4 gas being produced by decomposition of the CH4 hydrate;
- and
- injecting the emulsion into the voids in the CH4 hydrate layer after mining of the CH4 hydrate for restoring the CH4 hydrate layer after mining of the CH4 hydrate by producing CO2 hydrate in the voids in the CH4 hydrate layer after mining of the CH4 hydrate.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.