GAS HYDRATES TODAY

Gas hydrates, or clathrate hydrates, have been increasingly involved in the development of various energy- and environment-related technologies in recent years. In addition to the well known problem of the plugging of natural-gas pipelines by hydrate formation, various hydrate-related scientific and technological problems need to be investigated and solved. Exploratory deep-ocean drilling for natural-gas hydrate deposits as a potential energy resource, CO2-hydrate formation accompanying liquefied CO2 disposal into the deep sea as an option to mitigate global warming, and developing new technologies for the storage and transportation of natural gases in the form of hydrates are examples of many subjects or tasks of the current and future research on gas hydrates. Such research covers a wide spectrum of science and technology, including geophysics, petroleum engineering, physical chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, etc.