Abstract
Gas hydrates have lately received increased attention as a potential future energy source, which is not surprising given their global and widespread occurrence. This article presents an integrated study of the Nyegga site offshore mid-Norway, where a gas hydrate prospect is defined on the basis of a multitude of geophysical models and one shallow geotechnical borehole. This prospect appears to hold around 625GSm3 (GSm3 = 109 standard cubic metres) of gas. The uncertainty related to the input parameters is dealt with through a stochastic calculation, giving a spread of in-place volumes of 183GSm3 (P90) to 1431GSm3 (P10). The resource density for Nyegga is found to be comparable to published resource assessments of other global hydrate provinces.
Highlights
Gas Hydrate as an Energy ResourceGas hydrates are solid compounds of guest gas molecules set in a rigid cage of host water molecules, occurring at specific pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions beneath the world’s oceans and below the permafrost [1,2].Originally a mere scientific curiosity, gas hydrates have attracted much attention since being reported in hydrocarbon pipelines as early as 1934 [3]
Flow assurance remains a problem in the global oil and gas industry to the present day [4,5], with deep-water production and ever longer tie-back distances calling for sophisticated hydrate flow management
Gas hydrate dissociation in sediments along continental margins has been linked to potential for large-scale slope failures [6], reduced integrity of man-made seafloor structures due to hydrate-associated slope instability [7] and atmospheric release of methane linking into the wider issue of climate change [8,9,10]
Summary
A mere scientific curiosity, gas hydrates have attracted much attention since being reported in hydrocarbon pipelines as early as 1934 [3]. Flow assurance remains a problem in the global oil and gas industry to the present day [4,5], with deep-water production and ever longer tie-back distances calling for sophisticated hydrate flow management. In the past decade gas hydrates are increasingly considered as a potential energy source. Production of natural gas is already replacing oil as the dominant hydrocarbon produced in regions close to infrastructure and markets, as on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). With its lower per unit energy CO2 emissions than any other fossil fuel, is set to provide a large part of the supply necessary to satisfy a predicted 50–60%
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