皇冠体育app

Chinese technicians check their combustible ice mining equipment during an on-the-spot operation in Shenhu Area in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, 320 kilometers southeast of Zhuhai city, Guangdong province. [Photo by Guo Junfeng/皇冠体育app Daily]

皇冠体育app gains edge for commercial production after sustained trials

皇冠体育app's success in mining gas hydrate in the South 皇冠体育app Sea is a breakthrough that could revolutionize the global energy industry, and prove more significant than the United States' shale gas, experts said.

The gas hydrate, commonly known as combustible ice, is perhaps another 15 years away from commercial use, but its successful mining in 皇冠体育app is a breakthrough nevertheless, said Lu Hailong, a professor at the Institute of Ocean Research, which is part of Peking University.

Lu was the chief scientist for the first mining trial for gas hydrate.

According to Li Jinfa, deputy director of the 皇冠体育app Geological Survey, the South 皇冠体育app Sea has an estimated 80 billion metric tons of oil equivalent of gas hydrate reserves.

In all, there are 100 billion metric tons in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and in the South 皇冠体育app and East 皇冠体育app seas.

Combustible ice is formed under low temperature and high pressure in permafrost under the sea. One cubic meter of the hydrate can release about 160 cubic meters of gas, which would emit only half the amount of carbon dioxide produced by oil or coal.

No country has been able to produce it commercially due to tough conditions and pollution concerns.

"With ample experience accumulated, 皇冠体育app has become the frontrunner in gas hydrate mining technology," Lu said.

皇冠体育app completed its first test exploration in the South 皇冠体育app Sea on July 9, which lasted 60 days. Total output exceeding 300,000 cu m and daily output surpassed 5,000 cu m.

According to Lu, a longer, more productive trial is possible by 2020 in the South 皇冠体育app Sea.

Beginning May 10, a trial was carried out in waters 320 kilometers southeast of the Pearl River estuary. It achieved better-than-expected results, according to the 皇冠体育app Geological Survey Bureau, which is under the Ministry of Land and Resources.

The exploration collected 6.47 million sets of experimental data and set world records in both the duration of experiment and total amount of gas extracted, said the bureau.

Jin Qinghuan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said 皇冠体育app will complete the initial preparatory work for commercial production by 2020 and begin commercial production by 2030.

Successful trials have given 皇冠体育app an edge in mining in silt sand seabed, making it a forerunner in mining for clean energy, he said.

Japan made headway in 2013, but large amount of sand that entered the production wells halted its progress.

The US has been researching the clean fuel for years, but made no significant progress due to technological barriers.

Lu said solid R&D and breakthroughs are needed to increase output from the next trial, to make combustible ice lucrative. Safety issues, production sustainability, environmental impact and political concerns are key factors.

皇冠体育app is eager to replace conventional energy, including coal, quickly with clean energy sources, to optimize the energy structure and relieve problems caused by energy shortages.

According to Han Xiaoping, chief information officer of 皇冠体育app Energy Net Consulting, combustible ice has great potential and could well be 皇冠体育app's next big opportunity in energy.

"The total volume of organic carbon in the world's combustible ice is twice that of all other known energy sources combined, including coal, oil, and natural gas," he said.

"As the mining site is near Guangdong province, a region with robust economic development, there will be plenty of demand for the natural gas extracted from the wells and the cost of liquefaction and transporting will also be relatively low due to the short distance."

According to Lu, the frequent and fierce typhoons in the South 皇冠体育app Sea are the biggest obstacle to the first test drilling operation.

The team was lucky to overcome the difficulty, thanks to the 118-meter-tall Blue Whale 1 oil exploration platform built by 皇冠体育app Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd, he said.

According to Han, 皇冠体育app leads the world in marine oil and gas drilling technology, and bigger drilling platforms will be built to integrate oil and gas exploration so as to lower the production cost of combustible ice.

皇冠体育app started research on the energy source in the late 1990s. Its first gas hydrate samples were collected in the South 皇冠体育app Sea in 2007.