Exploration and Production of Oceanic Natural Gas Hydrate : Critical Factors for Commercialization

Front Matter ....Pages i-xxviii Energy Overview: Energy Options and Prospects for Natural Gas (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson (Deceased))....Pages 1-55 Economic Characteristics of Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson (Deceased))....Pages 57-94 Exploration for Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson)....Pages 95-147 Potential High-Quality Reservoir Sediments in the Gas Hydrate Stability Zone (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson)....Pages 149-183 Valuation of NGH Deposits (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson (Deceased))....Pages 185-201 Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate Innovation Opportunities (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson (Deceased))....Pages 203-226 Leveraging Technology for NGH Development and Production (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson)....Pages 227-279 New Technology for NGH Development and Production (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson (Deceased))....Pages 281-326 Offshore Operations and Logistics (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson)....Pages 327-346 Energy Resource Risk Factors (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson)....Pages 347-417 Commercial Potential of Natural Gas Hydrate (Michael D. Max, Arthur H. Johnson)....Pages 419-468 Back Matter ....Pages 469-482 This second edition provides extensive information on the attributes of the Natural Gas Hydrate (NGH) system, highlighting opportunities for the innovative use and modification of existing technologies, as well as new approaches and technologies that have the potential to dramatically lower the cost of NGH exploration and production. Above all, the book compares the physical, environmental, and commercial aspects of the NGH system with those of other gas resources. It subsequently argues and demonstrates that natural gas can provide the least expensive energy during the transition to, and possibly within, a renewable energy future, and that NGH poses the lowest environmental risk of all gas resources. Intended as a non-mathematical, descriptive text that should be understandable to non-specialists as well as to engineers concerned with the physical characteristics of NGH reservoirs and their production, the book is written for readers at the university graduate level. It offers a valuable reference guide for environmentalists and the energy community, and includes discussions that will be of great interest to energy industry professionals, legislators, administrators, regulators, and all those concerned with energy options and their respective advantages and disadvantages.