You don't have to leave Victoria to find an abundance of gas in BC. POC On Sun, 22 Sep 2002, Keith Addison wrote:
> tvoivozhd commented on the Homestead list recently: > > "About time attention was turned to this energy resource---about four > times that contained in more familiar coal, oil and gas reserves. > Some danger of a blowout if pressure is inadvertently released, and > you wouldn't want to breathe a methane bubble emerging from the ocean > floor any more than you would want to breath methane in a coal mine. > > "But methane hydrate in crystalline form is concentrated, like it > would be if compressed at very high pressure in a pressure-tank. Not > like impractical-to-compress hydrogen which for automotive use must > be generated by an onboard converter from gasoline or other liquid > fuel, or stored in nanotubes or metal hydride, releasing by > application of heat. > > "Releasing pressure on the hydrate causes it to sublime to > methane---which is a lot easier to process and cleaner than coal or > oil. Moreover, gases are a lot easier and cheaper to move long > distances through a pipeline than oil or slurries. Methane hydrate > deposits exist off many continental and island shelves. I have a > vague recollection that a big one lies off the U.S. east coast too." > > So what effect could this have on the famous Hubbert's Peak of fossil > fuel supplies down whose steep slopes we'll allegedly soon be > tobogganing towards the end of CAWKI? Also, how do these apparently > regular accidental discoveries of "new" energy resources reflect on > all the assurances we've had that current knowledge of the extent of > fossil-fuel reserves means that much more than it did in the past > (damn all)? > > Not that Hubbert's Peak makes much sense to me anyway, even without > methane hydrate, since there are immense reserves of coal and > long-established technology for converting it into fuel. Nor does > that make much sense because climate change will inevitably change > the whole ball-game. > > Keith > > > http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17697/story.htm > > Huge seabed methane find off Canada's west coast > > CANADA: September 10, 2002 > > VICTORIA, British Columbia - A fishing boat's accidental catch has > led to the discovery of a huge potential energy reserve off Canada's > Pacific coast that could meet the country's energy needs for 40 > years, researchers said yesterday. > > A remote controlled submarine discovered "glaciers" of frozen methane > hydrates, which can be used to produce methane gas, on the sea floor > about 130 km (85 miles) west of Vancouver Island, according to > University of Victoria geophysicist Ross Chapman. > > The technology needed to recover seabed methane is still in the > development stage, but Chapman said researchers hoped the discovery > of such a large deposit would spur more research. > > "This is a very big discovery for us. It is important for (the > industry) to know that there is hydrate right on the sea floor," > Chapman said, noting that frozen hydrate is usually found several > hundred metres (yards) beneath the seabed. > > The researchers said seismic studies indicate the reserves in the > undersea Barkley Canyon cover about 4 square kilometres (1.5 square > miles) and could descend another 250 metres (820 feet) beneath the > surface. > > The methane, which freezes at higher temperatures under pressure, is > trapped in frozen water molecules. Officials were alerted the deposit > two years ago when a fishing trawler dragged up a one-tonne chunk of > the ice. > > The frightened crew hauled the hissing, melting mass on to their ship > before shoveling it back into the sea. Chapman said the crew was > lucky not to have been poisoned as the methane gas escaped from the > melting ice. > > The hydrates could also be an indicator of conventional oil and gas > deposits beneath the sea floor. Their composition is similar to finds > from the Gulf of Mexico associated with major oil and gas reserves, > Chapman said. > > When the submersible craft poked the seafloor, both oil and gas > emerged and floated slowly to the surface. > > The discovery comes as British Columbia and Ottawa are looking at > lifting a 30-year ban on offshore drilling on the Pacific Coast. The > province has launched a C$4 million ($2.6 million) review of the > moratorium and hopes for a decision within 12 months. > > Attention has been focused on conventional reserves north of > Vancouver Island near the southern end of the Alaska panhandle, and > any effort to allow drilling is expected to meet heavy opposition > from environmentalists. > > Chapman said scientists are also interested in the impact of such > frozen methane deposits on global warming. Methane is a greenhouse > gas and, as the ice melts. it could be released into the atmosphere. > > The area off Vancouver Island is an active earthquake zone and > Chapman said scientists also believe that earthquakes could break the > ice free, releasing large amounts of methane into the atmosphere. > > Story by Paul Willcocks > > REUTERS NEWS SERVICE > > > http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/09/020911072713.htm > ScienceDaily Magazine -- Scientists Explore Large Gas Hydrate Field > Off Oregon Coast; Details Emerge Of Possible New Energy Source > > Source: National Science Foundation (http://www.nsf.gov/) > > Date: Posted 9/11/2002 > > Scientists Explore Large Gas Hydrate Field Off Oregon Coast; Details > Emerge Of Possible New Energy Source > Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) scientists have completed a two-month > expedition off the coast of Oregon to investigate the origin and > distribution of frozen deposits of natural gas known as "gas > hydrates." Funded largely by the National Science Foundation (NSF), > their research could identify locations and quantify amounts of this > potential natural resource, which may eventually serve as a major new > worldwide energy source. > > Among the most surprising findings of the recent offshore drilling > was the fast rate at which gas hydrate is forming. When hydrate forms > rapidly, the salts in the surrounding seafloor sediments do not have > time to diffuse and the water in the sediment becomes saltier than > seawater. Scientist Marta Torres of Oregon State University > explained, "We observed high concentrations of sea salts in the upper > 10-15 meters of sediment, indicating that hydrate is forming very > rapidly below the seafloor in this region." > > Although scientists know that gas hydrates are common in the seafloor > on the margins of continents around the world, they do not know how > much hydrate is present. Scientists onboard the research vessel > JOIDES Resolution studied the deposits in an area known as Hydrate > Ridge to determine how much gas hydrate is present beneath the > seafloor. > > According to Paul Dauphin, ODP program director at the National > Science Foundation, "Gas hydrates have been known to scientists for > some time, but were previously avoided because of potential safety > problems. Through a better understanding of how to drill in such > environments, ODP is developing tools and strategies to discover the > full extent of gas hydrate deposits." > > Anne Trehu of Oregon State University (USA), a co-chief scientist on > the cruise, said, "Measurements made during this cruise will allow us > to update estimates of the volume and flux of methane and other > hydrocarbon gases trapped in the sediments on the Oregon continental > margin and, by extension, in other regions." > > Ocean drilling plays a critical role in addressing questions about > hydrates because it provides the only means available of directly > sampling the material and the sediments that host them deep beneath > the seafloor. In 1995, ODP researchers drilled into gas hydrates in a > relatively stable area off the U.S. east coast. Scientists have > estimated that area could contain enough methane to supply U.S. > energy needs for more than 100 years. They also found evidence > suggesting that hydrates are involved in the global climate cycle, > and that they can cause massive landslides. > > On the recent cruise, scientists also gained an understanding of the > importance of sediment composition and grain size in the distribution > of hydrates within the sediments, which may provide clues to their > locations. > > ODP is an international partnership of scientists and Research > institutions organized to study the evolution and structure of the > Earth. While ODP is funded primarily by the US National Science > Foundation and its international partners, the US Department of > Energy and the European Commission played important roles in funding > much of the innovative technology used on this expedition. The Joint > Oceanographic Institutions manages the program. Texas A & M > University is responsible for science operations, and LamontDoherty > Earth Observatory of Columbia University is responsible for logging > services. > > > See also: > http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/globalhydrate/ > Global Inventory of Natural Gas Hydrate Occurance > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! 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