Abstract
Methane hydrates occur in diverse geological settings and their origin is puzzling, owing to package of more than 160 times of equivalent volume of methane in ice cage at standard temperature pressure indicating formation at high pressure state. At the core mantle boundary of the Earth, high dense supercritical fluids of Fe with significant amount of O, Ti, Nb, C, H, and other elements exist. Geophysical studies reveal that at the core mantle boundary of the Earth at 2900 km depth, temperature exceeds 4000°C, pressure ranges around 135 GPa and the material present possesses high molar volume 8.8 gm/cm3. Sudden release of pressure causes opening of vents and supercritical fluid/plasma phase of CH4 exsolves as finely divided plasma bubbles and rapidly rises up through weak planes. The potential energy of these bubbles is so high; the velocity of ascending bubbles steadily increases with super adiabatic state with minimum frictional energy loss. The rapidly ascending CH4 plasma bubbles quench with outer skins of H2 or H2O while passing through the permafrost or near surface horizons. Again, some bubbles burst into numerous tiny droplets of dense methane into cold seawater near seafloor. The water layer surrounding the tiny bubble is formed as ice-cage on hydrophobic methane, by absorbing or releasing sufficient latent heat energy from freezing water for endothermic formation of methane hydrate. The water envelops as ice cage around CH4 near surface conditions at ambient temperature and pressure conditions. Numerical analyses of specific heats J/mole for CH4 and H2O reveal that such plasma bubbles could form even from upper mantle horizons ~100 km depth but with less potentiality. The charged particles inside the plasma bubble are highly influenced by magnetic and electric fields. Hence most bubbles drive through deep interconnecting fractures towards continental margins of polar region where earth’s electromagnetic and gravity intensities are relatively high.
Highlights
Methane HydrateHuge reserves of methane hydrate (MH) are discovered in the continental shelves of Arctic Ocean
Methane hydrates occur in diverse geological settings and their origin is puzzling, owing to package of more than 160 times of equivalent volume of methane in ice cage at standard temperature pressure indicating formation at high pressure state
The results show that the temperature at 100 m deep in the earth is sufficient to make plasma bubbles of CH4 and H2O
Summary
Huge reserves of methane hydrate (MH) are discovered in the continental shelves of Arctic Ocean. MH has a clathrate structure: water molecules form linked cages that enclose individual molecules of low molecular weight gas (e.g., CH4, CO2, H2S, and C2H6). It appears that CH4 and ice are separate phases in the methane hydrate (MH). H 13.13%, C 13.04% and O 73.83% and its structural formula is 16(S) 8(L) 136 (H2O) where S represents CH4 and H2S and L includes CH4, H2S, CO2, and C2H6 [6] The latter is composed of 83.13% (wt) of water and only 16.87% of methane like gases. CH4 being the simplest hydrocarbon produces more heat per mass unit (35.7 J K−1 mol−1) than other complex hydrocarbons It has has higher diffusivity than water.
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