Message Board Archives

Link Text


Methane hydrate is a fascinating substance that looks like ice, but actually consists of methane trapped inside a lattice of water molecules. If you put a match to it, it won't just melt - it will actually catch fire.
These solid gas deposits are found in places where low temperature and moderate pressure combine to trap methane in this specific way, such as the bottom of the ocean under hundreds of metres of water.

Now China has announced that their floating gas extraction platform in the South China Sea has borne highly promising results, and not just for experimental purposes, but for potential commercialisation.

Engineers drilled to the bottom of the sea and depressurised the hydrates right there, bringing the gas to the surface. According to reports in Chinese media, they managed to get as much as 35,000 cubic metres of gas a day.