NATURAL GAS HYDRATES: HOW DID WE GET HERE?

E. Dendy Sloan
Director, Center for Hydrate Research
Colorado School of Mines

Natural gas hydrates form when small gas molecules contact water at low temperatures and high pressures. Hydrate applications in the broad areas of energy and climate are shown to derive from hydrate properties, based upon crystal structures. An overview of hydrate structural heuristics will be presented. The resulting hydrate properties are shown to have implications in five areas,: (1) flow assurance, (2) safety, (3) energy recovery, (4) gas storage/transportation, and (5) climate change. The state-of-the-art and future challenges will be presented