Exploration and Production of Oceanic Natural Gas Hydrate (eBook)

Michael Max has a broad background including geology, geophysics, chemistry, acoustics, and information technology. Max has a BSc (History, Geology) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, an MSc (Petroleum & Economic Geology) from the University of Wyoming, and a PhD (Geology) from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.  He has worked as a geologist / geophysicist for the Geological Survey of Ireland, the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC in shallow water acoustic propagation prediction, and the NATO Undersea Research Center, La Spezia, Italy in at-sea experiments and operational technology applications.  From 1999 to 2011 Max was CEO and Head of Research for Marine Desalination Systems LLC, which established a hydrate research laboratory and explored industrial applications of hydrate chemistry.  He has been an author on many scientific publications and three textbooks and over 40 patents and patent applications.  He assisted in the writing of the U.S. Gas Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000.  Michael was appointed by the Secretary of Energy to the Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee of the Department of Energy for 2014--2017, and is Co-Chair, Diving Committee of the Marine Technology Society.  He has been a principal of HEI since 2001 and is also an Adjunct Professor in the School of Geological Sciences of University College, Dublin, Ireland.  Max is a member of the Geological Society of America, Geological Society of London, American Geophysical Union, American Chemical Society, Explorers Club, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Acoustical Society of America, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, amongst others.Arthur H. Johnson is a founding partner of Hydrate Energy International, LLC (HEI) and is engaged in energy consulting in the U.S. and throughout the world.  Prior to forming HEI in 2002, Art was a geologist with Chevron for 25 years where his career included most aspects of hydrocarbon exploration and development.  Art was instrumental in initiating Chevron's Gulf of Mexico program for gas hydrate studies in 1995.  He has advised Congress and the White House on energy issues since 1997, and chaired advisory committees for several Secretaries on Energy. He has an on-going role coordinating the research efforts of industry, universities, and government agencies. Art served as the Gas Hydrate Lead Analyst for the “Global Energy Assessment”, an international project undertaken by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) of Vienna, Austria and supported by the World Bank, UN organizations, and national governments that evaluated the energy resource base of the entire planet with a view to addressing energy needs in the decades to come. He is Chair of the Gas Hydrate Committee of the Energy Minerals Division of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and has a continuing role as an AAPG Visiting Geoscientist.   Art has published over 80 papers and articles, along with several books. These cover a diverse range of topics that include geology, geophysics, economics, and astrogeology.

Preface1. Energy Overview: Prospects for Natural Gas 1.1  Energy, GDP, and Society1.2  The Energy Mix1.3  Matching Power Supply to Demand1.4  Energy Policy in a CO2 Sensitive Power Future1.5  Strategic  Importance of Natural Gas in the New Energy Paradigm1.6  Natural Gas Backstop to Renewable EnergyReferences2. Economic Characteristics of Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate 2.1  Natural Gas Hydrate2.2  NGH Stability within the GHSZ: Implications for Gas Production Cost2.3  Geology Controls NGH Paragenesis2.4  Production-Oriented Classification of Oceanic NGH2.5  NGH May Be the Largest Natural Gas Resource on Earth2.6  NGH in the Spectrum of Conventional and Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources2.7  Low Environmental Risk Character of the NGH ResourceReferences3. Exploration for Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate 3.1  NGH Exploration3.2  NGH Petroleum System Analysis3.3  Marine Sediment Host for NGH deposits3.4  NGH Exploration Methods3.6  NGH Exploration Potential: Glacial Period Sea Level Low Stands in the Mediterranean and  Black SeasReferences4. Potential High-Quality Reservoir Sediments in the Gas Hydrate Stability Zone 4.1  High-Quality Sand Reservoirs on Continental Margins4.2  Subsided Rift-Related Sediments 4.3  Paralic Reservoirs4.4  Aeolian-Sabkha Reservoirs4.5  Sequence Stratigraphy-Related Marine Sequences4.6  High-Quality Reservoir Potential in the Mediterranean and Black Seas4.7  Exploration for High-Quality ReservoirsReferences5. Valuation of NGH Deposits 5.1 Petrogenesis5.2  Valuation5.3  Geophysical Characterization of NGH Deposit Settings5.4  The Creaming CurveReferences6. Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate Innovation Opportunities 6.1  NGH Technology Opportunities6.2  Exploration Opportunities6.3  Drilling6.4  Production Opportunities6.5  Operations on the Seafloor6.6  Environmental Security6.7  Lightweight Exploration and Production6.8  Summary of NGH Opportunity Issues and ConclusionsReferences7. Leveraging Technology for NGH Development and Production 7.1  The Curve of Technology and Innovation7.2  Moving to the Seafloor: Subsea Industrial Sites7.3  Background Technology Trends7.4  Drilling7.5  Production Issues7.6  Modularization of Apparatus7.7  Leveraging of Conventional TechnologyReferences8. New Technology for NGH Development and Production 8.1  New Technology for NGH Development and Production8.2  Exploration8.3  Drilling8.4  Production Issues8.5  Well Abandonment8.6  NGH as a Geotechnical Material 8.7  Role of Intellectual Property 8.8  Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)8.9  Optimizing Leveraged and Innovative Technology for NGH DevelopmentReferences9. Offshore Operations and Logistics  9.1  NGH Exploration and Production Operations9.2  Access9.3  Open Oceanic Regions9.4  Arctic Ocean9.5  Other Frontier AreasReferences10. Energy Resource Risk Factors 10.1  Factoring Risk into Development of Energy Resources10.2  Risk Factors of Natural Gas Resource Types10.3  Risk of Overdependence on Natural Gas 10.4  Environmental Risk to Energy Projects and Production10.5  NGH Environmental Risk10.6  Geohazards10.7  Risks of Non-NGH Energy Sources10.8  Regulations, Leasing, Tax Matters, and Law10.9  Energy Prices10.10  Business Cycles10.11  Exploration Risk10.12  New Technology Risk10.13  Risk-Cost-Benefit AnalysisReferences11. Commercial Potential of Natural Gas Hydrate 11.1  State of the Industry11.2  Conventional and Shale Gas and Oil Dominate Markets11.3  Underlying Economics of the Natural Gas Commodity11.4  Supply, Demand and Natural Gas Resources and Markets11.5  The Emerging World Gas Market11.6  A World Price for Natural Gas11.7  NGH Factors11.8  How Soon NGH?ReferencesIndex