Realizing Continuous and Stable Gas Production from Combustible Ice, China Will Rewrite the Global Energy Grid

Burning 'ice'

When it comes to energy, people often think of coal, oil, natural gas, etc., not cold ice cubes. But Chinese technology workers have already been able to ignite the "ice blocks" hidden under the sea into blazing flames. Imagine a piece of "ice" that can burn, with a calorific value 10 times higher than oil. After combustion, only carbon dioxide and water are produced, and the reserves are very abundant. This is such a clean and efficient energy resource.

So, what exactly is combustible ice? The scientific name of combustible ice is "natural gas hydrate", which is composed of organic molecules mainly composed of methane wrapped in water molecules. It contains both water and is solid, resembling ice and easily ignited. The formation of combustible ice must meet the following conditions: the temperature should not be too high, as it is prone to decomposition and melting; Higher pressure is required, and the greater the pressure, the more stable the combustible ice becomes; There should be a source of methane gas, as the sediment of ancient biological remains can be decomposed by bacteria to produce methane.

Therefore, combustible ice is widely distributed in permafrost in deep sea or land areas. At present, combustible ice deposits have been discovered in both the Antarctic and Arctic regions. Although China is not a polar country, it has also obtained physical samples of natural gas hydrates in the South China Sea and frozen soil areas of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, making it the only country in the world with natural gas hydrate resources in the seabed and land frozen soil areas at low and medium latitudes. The energy density of combustible ice is very high. Under the same conditions, the energy generated by the combustion of combustible ice is tens of times greater than that of coal, oil, and natural gas. After the decomposition of 1 cubic meter of combustible ice, 164 cubic meters of natural gas can be released.

Due to the fact that combustible ice is a compound of natural gas and water, it produces only a small amount of carbon dioxide and water after combustion, and is recognized as a true green energy source. Experts estimate that its resources are equivalent to twice the total amount of proven traditional fossil fuels worldwide. The storage capacity of combustible ice resources in China is equivalent to 100 billion tons of oil, of which the South China Sea is the main distribution area of combustible ice in China, with nearly 80 billion tons of reserves. Therefore, it can be said without exaggeration that combustible ice is a strategically significant future energy source.

Trial production is safe and controllable

The successful trial mining of combustible ice in our country is also the first time in the world to achieve safe and controllable mining of combustible ice in clay powder sand molds. This type of combustible ice accounts for over 90% of global resources and is the most difficult to develop. Zhong Ziran, Director of the China Geological Survey, said that the successful trial production has provided technical reserves and accumulated valuable experience for the commercial development and utilization of natural gas hydrates.

Combustible ice is the strategic high ground for future global energy development. We took the lead in successfully mining it, leading rather than following, "said Zhong Ziran. At present, many major countries have been competing in the field of combustible ice. Among them, the National Energy Technology Laboratory under the US Department of Energy announced on May 12th that it is conducting research on combustible ice mining in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and has now begun drilling. Previously, the United States passed the Natural Gas Hydrate Research and Development Act, and the US Department of Energy has allocated funding multiple times to support research on combustible ice.

Wide application prospects

In theory, as a type of natural gas, combustible ice has a high energy value and is easy to use. It can be cooled and compressed to produce liquefied natural gas, occupying less space and making it convenient for both pipeline and transportation. In addition to its huge reserves and low pollution, to some extent, if combustible ice can be economically and effectively extracted, its application prospects are very broad.

In recent years, China has continuously increased the exploitation and utilization of natural gas. In China's 13th Five Year Plan for Natural Gas Development, the main energy status of natural gas has been clarified, and it is proposed to strive to increase the proportion of natural gas consumption to 10% by 2020. However, it should be noted that combustible ice still has a long way to go before it can be commercially utilized in the future. Experts have stated that although combustible ice has large reserves and wide distribution, it formed much later than oil and natural gas. The seabed strata covering it are generally sandy, and it is difficult to extract with existing seabed drilling equipment. A slight mistake can lead to a large amount of sand and gravel flooding into pipelines, causing mining failure.

In addition, environmental issues require special attention. Because combustible ice is sealed by low-temperature freezing. If the temperature rises, methane in hydrates may overflow, and if not extracted properly, it can cause a huge disaster. This is a huge challenge for our mining technology, and if overcome, it will open a new chapter in the history of human energy.