Gas Hydrates: Its Present and Future Scenario

emphasizing on technological and environmental and

economical challenges.
GAS HYDRATES
The most pressing and urgent questions facing mankind today involve the security for future
energy resources. This in turn has led to intensification and extension of exploration and development
efforts for new sources of oil and gas.

Gas hydrate is a white ice-like material that naturally occurs under very low temperatures in
permafrost regions, and in the low temperature and high-pressure conditions in the continental slope
and rise areas and shallow sediments of deep oceans around the globe. Methane and other gases are
thermodynamically stabilized within gas hydrates by hydrogen bonding within a crystalline lattice of
water molecule (Figure 1). The compact nature of the hydrate structure makes for highly effective
packing of methane. Gas from the hydrates is truly unconventional because of its origin, conditions of
existence, trapping mechanism and conceivable production methods. A cubic volume of methane
contains gas that will expand to about 160 cubic volumes at standard pressure and temperature. Most
marine hydrates seem to confined to edges of continents where water is about 500 m deep and where
nutrient rich waters unload organic detritus for bacteria to convert to methane. Gas hydrates have been
found at the sea floor, but their usual range is 100 to 500 m beneath it. In permafrost regions they can
occur at shallower depths because surface temperatures are lower. Hydrate and related gas deposits are
a newly recognized vast store of combustible energy and industrial feed stock. They may contain twice
as much carbon as all known natural gas, oil and coal deposits and constitute the single largest store of
fixed carbon on the earth. Future gas hydrate R&D efforts will not only vastly improve knowledge of
natural gas hydrates, they will also lead to the development of new multiple-application technologies
and a greatly improved understanding of the mid- and deep ocean and of the interaction of of the
oceans and the atmosphere.
 Production Methods for Gas hydrate exploration
Gas can be produced from gas hydrate reservoirs by inducing dissociation using one or more of
the following four main methods:

• Depressurization methods can utilize existing production technologies and facilities but
require a permeable or mobile fluid zone to produce the gas released from dissociating hydrate.

• Thermal injection typically involves injection of hot water or steam into, the formation which
requires a heat source, additional equipment and costs.

• Inhibitor injection can involve the injection of hydration inhibitors such as salts and alcohols
which can lead to rapid dissociation and fracturing, potentially causes breach of reservoir.

• Recovery with fluorine and microwave. This technique deals with the new method for
recovery of gas hydrate; it involves the electromagnetic heating of the gas hydrates using an electro
strip antenna. In this process we have emission of high power Electromagnetic waves of frequency 2450
MHz which align the molecules according to electric field and whose alteration causes molecular
movement and thus causes melting of gas hydrates which are similar to ice.

Gas hydrate challenges

Technical, environmental and economic hurdles have made gas hydrate development a distant
goal of the industry rather than near-term possibility. Recovering methane and economically
transporting it, pose a challenge to technologists and scientists. However, this view is changing with
realization that gas hydrates could be developed with existing conventional oil and gas production
technology.

• Economic challenges

 It appears however that the complexities and challenges for exploration and production of
methane hydrates from the hostile and difficult marine environment require considerable
focused R&D effort in various fields, for which adequate financial support is lacking. This is
perhaps due to the perception that methane hydrate exploitation will be economically viable
only when the price of conventional hydrocarbon and other fuels rises substantially.
 The R&D is high cost…
 India :$36M expedition (’06)
 Japan: $60M field test(’06-’07)
 Deepwater and arctic locales
 The R&D is high risk…
 Science is still new
 Occurrences are complex
 High costs of long pipelines across unstable continental slopes
 Economic competitiveness with conventional resources.
 Hydrates need to be located near existing infrastructure facilities or the cost to prove hydrate
production will be too large.

 Environmental Challenges

 Damage to sensitive chemosynthetic communities.

 The potential connection, between the gas hydrate reservoir and the earth's climate is little
understood and the quantitative contribution of different elements in this complex loop needs
to be established through further research. Lack of understanding between gas hydrate
reservoir and the earth's climate could be an even bigger inhibitor on hydrate exploration
than present low oil prices and lack of funding support for hydrate research. The balance may
lie between mounting intensive campaigns on climate research and safety procedures on the
extraction and use of gas hydrates.
 The possible short and long term impacts of large scale hydrate exploitation on the geological
environment and global climate need to be studied to develop safe standardized procedures
for exploration and production before attempting to exploit this resource. It is also necessary
to systematically collect base line information on related environmental indicators and
continuously monitor short and long term effects on them. Perturbations associated with
exploiting methane hydrates need to be analyzed by careful modeling and techniques have to
be developed to avoid or mitigate them.
 .

Gas Hydrate Drilling and Production Problems

• Technical Challenges

 Hydrates decompose releasing hydrocarbons as a gas when removed from low temp/high
pressure environment.
 Gas hydrate, flow assurance and system implications- Methane hydrate contains methane in
concentrations up to 160 times its volume. Gas hydrates are solids with densities greater than
those of typical fluid hydrocarbons and this has practical implications for flow assurance and the
safety thereof. However, of more immediate concern to the natural gas industry is the fact that
methane hydrate also can form within pipelines under certain pressure and temperature
conditions, forming a solid or semi-solid mass that can slow or completely block gas flow. While
the problem is particularly serious for producers moving gas from offshore wells to onshore
processing facilities, methane hydrates can also be found in many other elements of the
network of gas storage facilities and transmission pipelines.
 Seismic analysis of hydrate deposits is developed to point where we can predict with reasonable
accuracy the location and concentration of some hydrate deposits. More needs to be done to
improve the quantification of the deposit and also to locate hydrates that are not in
 conventional horizontal deposits. Collecting pressure core samples for testing and verification of
hydrates is needed.
 Developing a recovery scheme compatible with a permafrost environment
 Tailoring existing production technologies and equipment for use in hydrate production.
 Drilling and completion (stimulation) technology development. Drilling for recovery of methane
from the hydrate is a challenging task because of the characteristics of the hydrates especially,
its unstable nature with change in pressure temperature conditions. Hydrates may dissociate
during the process of drilling and initiate a process of uncontrolled gas release and site
subsidence. Well completion for hydrate production has not been addressed. Some of potential
problems are sand control and hole stability.
 Establishing means for safe/profitable production Extracting natural gas from hydrate
formations using any of the above techniques would have an impact on the formation itself and
its surrounding area. In the case of undersea hydrate reserves, the dissociation and extraction
would have to be done without contributing to the instability of the seafloor.
 Reservoir models have been developed and limited testing completed. However, more tests and
data on reservoir properties and performance is required before acceptance of model
predictions. More production test will be required to gain confidence in models. Integration of
field production testing data with numerical simulation.
 Hydrate recovery will in all probability involve forced dissociation, which will involve significant
demand for heat. Supplying and managing this heat and maintaining an artificial thermodynamic
balance that allow the controlled dissociation of hydrate and the safe recovery of methane will
probably prove the key to commercialization.

INDIAN SCENARIO
Introduction
As an unconventional hydrocarbon resource, methane hydrates have been the focus of our
quest for meeting our energy demands and it was this objective that India’s National Gas Hydrate
Program(NGHP) was launched. Steered by the ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and technically
coordinated by Directorate General Of Hydrocarbons(DGH), NGHP is a consortium of National E&P
companies (Oil and Natural Gas Ltd. ,Gas Authority of India Ltd.) and National Research
Institutions(National Institute of Oceanography, National Geophysical Research Institute and National
Institute of Ocean Technology).

Commercialization
As per the Road Map linked below the commercial production of methane from gas hydrates is
still a far fetched thought although NGHP has set itself a deadline of mid 2015 as the time to
commence commercial production, the commercial production of methane from Indian Gas Hydrate
resources has its own set of challenges, a few would perhaps be :
 Absence of representative deep water gas hydrates field anywhere in the world
  Gas production rate ( Gas in the production testing of Mallik well in Canada’s permafrost area
have yielded very low production rate and could not sustain more than 7 days of production
using thermal and depressurization methods )
 Managing Water production rate ( High amount of water is expected to be produced along with
the dissociation of hydrates )
 Sand control since the hydrate reservoirs exist at very shallow depth below sea bed ( 200-400
mbsf) the sands here would not be consolidated due to absence of overburden pressure.
 Reservoir subsidence and other environmental hazards

These challenges can only be overcome by sustained commitment of our scientists and establishment
of a proper gas hydrate R&D center in India. The global gas hydrate communities of scientists and
researchers have to work in tandem with each other. DGH on behalf of the NGHP has signed
Memoranda of Understanding in the field of Gas Hydrates with Japan Oil, Gas, Metal Corporation
JOGMEC, Gas Hydrate R&D Organisation ( GHDO ) of the Korea Institute of Geology, Mining and
Materials ( KIGAM ) and the US Department of Energy (USDOE) another MOU with the US Geological
Survey (USGS) is in the pipeline. DGH has been closely associated with the USGS , USDOE and JOGMEC
scientists which has helped the NGHP scientists to gain a lot in terms of knowledge, understanding and
experience.

ROAD MAP
Three expeditions are planned before the commercial production of Methane from Gas
Hydrates. NGHP Expedition 01 aimed at the physical verification of the presence of Gas hydrates in
Indian Deep waters. The expedition has been successfully completed with actual cored evidences of the
presence of Gas hydrates in Indian deep waters. India now boasts of the worlds richest ( 132m massive
gas hydrate presence in KG with 80% saturation ) and the worlds deepest ( 612mbsf in Andaman
volcanic ash ) occurrences of gas hydrates. NGHP Expedition 02 would aim at the identification of sites
for carrying out pilot production testing. The expedition is planned in the beginning of 2010 and would
aim at identifying sites which would ideally have:

1. Sand dominated gas hydrate occurrence

2. Reasonably compacted sediments
3. Occurrence of free gas below the gas hydrate stability zone

NGHP Expedition 03 would aim at carrying out pilot production testing of at least one site in
the Indian deep-water environment. The expedition is planned for 2011 and would require extensive
R&D work in association with our International scientists. The commercial exploitation of Methane
from Hydrates would largely depend upon the success of this expedition. Other activities, which are
planned to be carried out simultaneously, would be

1. Delineation and resource assessment of the Gas Hydrates in KG & Mahanadi area
2. Environmental hazard studies for sites identified for Expedition 02
 3. R&D on methodology of production testing to be adopted for Expedition 03 along with
environmental hazard studies
4. Techno-economic studies on the exploitation of methane from hydrates after Expedition
5. Policy framework for award of acreage for Gas hydrates commercial production, which would be
subject to the results of 3 above.

R&D Advances in India

DGH has done pioneering work for initiating gas hydrate exploration in the country.
Reconnaissance surveys carried out by DGH in the East Coast and Andaman Deepwater areas in 1997
deciphered the most promising areas for Gas Hydrates. The surveys have indicated the presence of
several Gas Hydrate leads/ prospects. The total prognosticated gas resource from the gas hydrates in
the country is placed at 1894 TCM.
Government of India formulated a National Gas Hydrate Programme (NGHP) in 1997 for
exploration and development of gas hydrates resources of the country. The DGH is actively involved in
the programme. In fact, the Director General is the coordinator of the Technical Committee of NGHP.
Following reconstitution of the NGHP in the year 2000 by MOP&NG, a new sense of urgency was
imparted to the programme and it was put on a fast track implementation.

NGHP

The National Gas Hydrate Program (NGHP) is a consortium of National E&P companies (Oil and
Natural Gas Corporation Ltd ‘ONGC’, GAIL India Ltd & Oil India Ltd ‘OIL’) and National Research
Institutions (National Institute of Oceanography, National Geophysical Research Institute and National
Institute of Ocean Technology). Steered by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and technically
coordinated by Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) NGHP is given the responsibility to explore
the Gas Hydrates in India.
NGHP during its 1st expedition through a Consortium consisting of Overseas Drilling Ltd (ODL),
Fugro McClelland Marine Geosciences, Geotek Ltd, Lamont-Doherthy Earth Observatory (LDEO) and
scientists from numerous universities and national laboratories, has struck rich deposits of Massive Gas
Hydrates present within the fractured shales in the KG offshore area. United States Geological Survey
(USGS) was the main technical collaborator in this expedition.
The Technical Committee of NGHP reviewed the seismic data of the entire continental shelf of
India for identifying the best areas for conducting further gas hydrate studies. Two ‘Model Field
Laboratory Areas’ one each along the east and west coasts were identified based on the data review
carried out by the Technical Committee. More geoscientific data were acquired by National Institute of
Oceanography (NIO) in these areas on behalf of NGHP, to look for more proxies for gas hydrates in
addition to the seismic signatures. These geoscientific data included i.e., Side Scan Sonar, Swath
bathymetry, Chirp Sonar data, water samples and gravity cores for geochemical analysis.
The microbiological studies were also carried out on the gravity cores. All these data and studies
revealed several proxies of gas hydrates.
 Based on the detailed seismic data interpretation and special processing by DGH through
Western Geophysical and Reliance Industries Limited, the Andaman offshore and Mahanadi areas were
also added to the other two identified areas for ground truthing through coring/ drilling.
The study enabled NGHP scientists in firming up of locations for drilling and coring of gas hydrate
bearing sediments in four areas, i.e. K.G. and Mahanadi Basins in East Coast, Kerala-Konkan basin in the
west coast and Andaman offshore.

Expedition Overview
Initial planning called for ten sites to be occupied and twenty seven holes were scheduled for
drilling. Of these, eight sites were scheduled for LWD/MWD drilling and two sites were scheduled for
coring and wireline logging only.
Expedition NGHP-01 began at 0600 hr 28 April 2006 with the arrival of the drill ship in Mumbai,
India, and ended 113.5 days later in Chennai, India with the last line away North Quay at 1912 hr 19
August 2006. Ultimately twenty one sites were occupied with five sites re-occupied at least once. Thirty
nine holes were drilled. Of these, twelve holes were LWD/MWD drilled, twenty two holes were cored,
and four holes were drilled as dedicated wireline logging holes. Thirteen holes were wireline logged and
temperature gradients were established in eleven holes.
During Expedition NGHP-01 there were 494 cores cut with 2847.01 meters of core recovered
reflecting 78.7% of the interval cored. A total of 76 in situ temperature measurements were also
attempted using three different wireline temperature tools.
For organizational purposes, Expedition NGHP-01 was divided into five operational segments.
The first segment, or leg, consisted of a single hole cored and wireline logged in the Konkan-Kerala (KK)
Basin off the West coast of India. The second comprised solely of LWD/MWD holes. During leg 2, twelve
holes at ten sites were drilled in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin off the west coast of India. Leg 3A
consisted of six cored holes and two dedicated wireline logging holes at four sites located in the KG
Basin. Two sites were re-occupied sites that were previously LWD/MWD drilled on Leg 2 and two sites
were new. Leg 3B consisted of seven cored holes plus one hole that was abandoned due to hole
conditions before any coring or logging could be initiated. Five sites were occupied including two that
were re-occupied LWD/MWD sites and three that were new additions. All sites were located in the KG
Basin. The expedition was completed on Leg 4 with the drilling of two holes (one dedicated to wireline
logging) at one site located in the Andaman Sea, three holes at two sites located in the Mahanadi (MN)
Basin off North Eastern India, and two holes back in the Krishna-Godavari Basin off the South Eastern
coast of India.
Finally more than 2800 m of cores were cut from 21 sites and 39 holes

Results
The NGHP efforts in Indian offshore for gas hydrate exploration led to the following:
• Conducted comprehensive analyses of gas-hydrate-bearing marine sediments in both passive
continental margin and marine accretionary wedge settings;
• Discovered gas hydrate in numerous complex geologic settings and collected an unprecedented
number of gas hydrate cores (more than 2800 m from 21 sites and 39 holes);
• Delineated and sampled one of the richest marine gas hydrate accumulations yet discovered in the
world (Krishna-Godovari basin)
• Discovered one of the thickest and deepest gas hydrate occurrences yet known (Andaman Islands)
which revealed gas-hydrate-bearing volcanic ash layers as deep as 600 meters below the seafloor;
• Established the existence of a fully developed gas hydrate system in the Mahanadi basin of the Bay of
Bengal;

All the ongoing geoscientific studies of NGHP Expedition 01, 2006 will be completed by January,
2008. NGHP is currently focusing on gas hydrate reservoir delineation and resource estimation in the K.
G. area. The identification of the promising sites for NGHP Expedition 02 for riser drilling and pilot
production testing will be taken up after completion of the ongoing studies on samples and data from
NGHP Expedition 01, 2006. This could even mean acquiring seismic data focusing on shallow depths.

Challenges
There is still no proven technology world over to exploit methane from Gas hydrate on a
commercial scale. Moreover since much of the gas hydrate reserves worldwide are found disseminated
in sandstone whatever research being done on the extraction of gas from hydrates focus on
disseminated deposits in sands. This is in contrast to our discovery of gas hydrates in KG offshore, which
are massive in nature and found in fractured shales.
Gas hydrates are unconventional hydrocarbon deposits and much of the work being done world
over is in research stage. Therefore an extremely close coordination and work association is requires
with leading scientists globally to be updated with the recent developments and device methodologies
to incorporate the research to best suit our requirements.

Expedition NGHP01

The National Gas Hydrate Program (NGHP) is a consortium of National E&P companies (Oil and
Natural Gas Corporation Ltd ‘ONGC’, GAIL India Ltd & Oil India Ltd ‘OIL’) and National Research
Institutions (National Institute of Oceanography, National Geophysical Research Institute and National
Institute of Ocean Technology). Steered by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and technically
coordinated by Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) NGHP is given the responsibility to explore
the Gas Hydrates in India.
NGHP during its 1st expedition through a Consortium consisting of Overseas Drilling Ltd (ODL),
Fugro McClelland Marine Geosciences, Geotek Ltd, Lamont-Doherthy Earth Observatory (LDEO) and
scientists from numerous universities and national laboratories, has struck rich deposits of Massive Gas
Hydrates present within the fractured shales in the KG offshore area. United States Geological Survey
(USGS) was the main technical collaborator in this expedition.

Expedition Overview
Initial planning called for ten sites to be occupied and twenty seven holes were scheduled for
drilling. Of these, eight sites were scheduled for LWD/MWD drilling and two sites were scheduled for
coring and wireline logging only.
 Expedition NGHP-01 began at 0600 hr 28 April 2006 with the arrival of the drill ship in Mumbai,
India, and ended 113.5 days later in Chennai, India with the last line away North Quay at 1912 hr 19
August 2006. Ultimately twenty one sites were occupied with five sites re-occupied at least once. Thirty
nine holes were drilled. Of these, twelve holes were LWD/MWD drilled, twenty two holes were cored,
and four holes were drilled as dedicated wireline logging holes. Thirteen holes were wireline logged and
temperature gradients were established in eleven holes.
During Expedition NGHP-01 there were 494 cores cut with 2847.01 meters of core recovered
reflecting 78.7% of the interval cored. A total of 76 in situ temperature measurements were also
attempted using three different wireline temperature tools.
For organizational purposes, Expedition NGHP-01 was divided into five operational segments.
The first segment, or leg, consisted of a single hole cored and wireline logged in the Konkan-Kerala (KK)
Basin off the West coast of India. The second comprised solely of LWD/MWD holes. During leg 2, twelve
holes at ten sites were drilled in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin off the west coast of India. Leg 3A
consisted of six cored holes and two dedicated wireline logging holes at four sites located in the KG
Basin. Two sites were re-occupied sites that were previously LWD/MWD drilled on Leg 2 and two sites
were new. Leg 3B consisted of seven cored holes plus one hole that was abandoned due to hole
conditions before any coring or logging could be initiated. Five sites were occupied including two that
were re-occupied LWD/MWD sites and three that were new additions. All sites were located in the KG
Basin. The expedition was completed on Leg 4 with the drilling of two holes (one dedicated to wireline
logging) at one site located in the Andaman Sea, three holes at two sites located in the Mahanadi (MN)
Basin off North Eastern India, and two holes back in the Krishna-Godavari Basin off the South Eastern
coast of India.
Finally more than 2800 m of cores were cut from 21 sites and 39 holes

Results
The NGHP efforts in Indian offshore for gas hydrate exploration led to the following:
• Conducted comprehensive analyses of gas-hydrate-bearing marine sediments in both passive
continental margin and marine accretionary wedge settings;
• Discovered gas hydrate in numerous complex geologic settings and collected an unprecedented
number of gas hydrate cores (more than 2800 m from 21 sites and 39 holes);
• Delineated and sampled one of the richest marine gas hydrate accumulations yet discovered in the
world (Krishna-Godovari basin)
• Discovered one of the thickest and deepest gas hydrate occurrences yet known (Andaman Islands)
which revealed gas-hydrate-bearing volcanic ash layers as deep as 600 meters below the seafloor;
• Established the existence of a fully developed gas hydrate system in the Mahanadi basin of the Bay of
Bengal;

All the ongoing geoscientific studies of NGHP Expedition 01, 2006 will be completed by January,
2008. NGHP is currently focusing on gas hydrate reservoir delineation and resource estimation in the K.
G. area. The identification of the promising sites for NGHP Expedition 02 for riser drilling and pilot
production testing will be taken up after completion of the ongoing studies on samples and data from
NGHP Expedition 01, 2006. This could even mean acquiring seismic data focusing on shallow depths.

Challenges
There is still no proven technology world over to exploit methane from Gas hydrate on a
commercial scale. Moreover since much of the gas hydrate reserves worldwide are found disseminated
in sandstone whatever research being done on the extraction of gas from hydrates focus on
disseminated deposits in sands. This is in contrast to our discovery of gas hydrates in KG offshore, which
are massive in nature and found in fractured shales.
Gas hydrates are unconventional hydrocarbon deposits and much of the work being done world
over is in research stage. Therefore an extremely close coordination and work association is requires
with leading scientists globally to be updated with the recent developments and device methodologies
to incorporate the research to best suit our requirements.

Strategy
Work association of Indian Scientists with that of US & Japan, the two other countries besides
India who have contributed largely in this field, jointly undertaking R&D studies for knowledge sharing
and information exchange. This can also include holding of joint seminars and conferences in the area of
Gas Hydrate research & development.
Form a tripartite consortium of Hydrate R&D taking US as a consortium partner and take up joint
exploration & Exploitation programme in offshore US, Japan & India on cost sharing basis. This would
enable worldwide hydrate experts to work jointly on projects and gain expertise & experience which
would be useful to all the 3 countries.
Establishing a national Gas hydrate R&D Center / Directorate in India, to look into the exploration
& exploitation aspects of Gas Hydrates. This would help extract the best from the intellectual resources
present in our country. This is important because even though we carry out activities related to Gas
hydrate exploration most of the research work on the samples/ cores/ data obtained from our shores at
our cost are sent abroad for further studies and Indian scientists never have the opportunity to have
working experience on such studies, even if work association with foreign scientists is carried out,
knowledge transfer does not take place on a continuous basis. This may be acceptable on a short term
basis but in the long run it is essential that we develop our own intellectual resources and expertise. An
exclusive R&D Centre in India is the need of the hour and a step in the right direction. The R&D
Directorate may be kept under the aegis of the DGH, with intellectual resources drawn from E&P
companies, Research and Academic Institutions within the country who may be permanently posted to
this Directorate on non transferable basis. This would further bring all intellectual resources in a
specialized field like gas hydrates, which currently are scattered all over the country under one common
roof for yielding efficient results.