JAPAN TO DRILL SEABED FOR 'BURNING ICE'

Kieran · Post by **Kieran** » 29 Jul 2011, 01:36

http://news.discovery.com/earth/japan-t ... 10725.html

"Japan will seek to extract natural gas from seabed deposits of methane hydrate, also known as "burning ice," in the world's first such offshore experiment, a news report said Monday.

The test is scheduled for a stretch of ocean southwest of Tokyo, between Shizuoka and Wakayama prefectures, over several weeks in the fiscal year to March 2013, the Nikkei financial daily said.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is preparing to request more than 10 billion yen ($127.5 million) for the project, the report said."

RGR · Post by **RGR** » 29 Jul 2011, 01:47

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 29 Jul 2011, 03:51

A few people seem determined to toast the world we live in just to give those few who already have more than they could ever need even more.

Bandidoz · Post by **Bandidoz** » 29 Jul 2011, 14:44

OK - let's have another go at this one........the technology hasn't even got off the ground yet so no point in speculating that it's going to take off in the near future.....

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 29 Jul 2011, 15:04

I think it was predictable that the Japanese would be the first to turn to serious mining of clathrates. They have an energy-hungry economy, almost no fossil fuels of their own, nowhere to build large hydro plants, and are now suspicious of nuclear too. I think they are in an even more precarious energy situation than the UK is, and that can't be good.

RGR · Post by **RGR** » 30 Jul 2011, 00:51

[quote="Bandidoz"]

PS_RalphW · Post by **PS_RalphW** » 30 Jul 2011, 08:33

I studeied methane hydrates back in the early 80s as part of my chemistry degree. I just hadn't got around to mentioning all those problems the russians had with them clogging up pipelines...

RGR · Post by **RGR** » 30 Jul 2011, 15:23

[quote="RalphW"

SleeperService · Post by **SleeperService** » 31 Jul 2011, 14:51

May be a bit simple minded of me but surely burning methane produces lots of carbon. Is this a good solution?

RGR · Post by **RGR** » 31 Jul 2011, 15:36

[quote="SleeperService"]

SleeperService · Post by **SleeperService** » 01 Aug 2011, 17:00

RGR wrote:
SleeperService wrote:May be a bit simple minded of me but surely burning methane produces lots of carbon. Is this a good solution?
What are your druthers? Let hydrates melt and pump methane into the atmosphere, where it acts as a greenhouse gas, before becoming CO2? Or mine/produce the hydrates and burn them, getting lots of work out of it, and skipping directly to the CO2 in the atmosphere part? Either way you get CO2 in the atmosphere. One way the atmosphere has to do the work to turn it into CO2, the other way people get the value of the work.

For anyone who believes that CO2 output is a bad thing, I recommend stopping it at the personal level, otherwise it is a bit hypocritical to complain about anyone else doing it.

I understand and accept your reposte RGR. I also understand that hydrates can buy time for a more permanent solution. I think the real value would be to utilise them on the basis that they are an interim solution only this would set a specific target period to, say, generate 75% of our domestic heat and power from solar. Overproducing in summer and drawing more in winter from hydrate burning power plants.

This could also release dwindling oil stocks for much more valuable uses than moving around.