Natural gas, composed mostly of methane, is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels, emitting 25-50% less carbon dioxide than either oil or coal for each unit of energy produced. In recent years, natural gas supplied approximately 20-25% of all energy consumed in the United States. Methane hydrate is a potentially enormous and as yet untapped source of methane. The Department of Energy's Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program has been tasked since 2000 to implement and coordinate a national methane hydrate research effort to stimulate the development of knowledge and technology necessary for commercial production of methane from methane hydrate in a safe and environmentally responsible way. Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States evaluates the program's research projects and management processes since its congressional re-authorization in 2005, and presents recommendations for its future research and development initiatives.
Natural gas, composed mostly of methane, is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels, emitting 25-50% less carbon dioxide than either oil or coal for each unit of energy produced. In recent years, natural gas supplied approximately 20-25% of all energy consumed in the United States. Methane hydrate is a potentially enormous and as yet untapped source of methane. The Department of Energy's Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program has been tasked since 2000 to implement and coordinate a national methane hydrate research effort to stimulate the development of knowledge and technology necessary for commercial production of methane from methane hydrate in a safe and environmentally responsible way. Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States evaluates the program's research projects and management processes since its congressional re-authorization in 2005, and presents recommendations for its future research and development initiatives.
Gas hydrates represent one of the world’s largest untapped reservoirs of energy and, according to some estimates, have the potential to meet global energy needs for the next thousand years. "Methane Gas Hydrate" examines this potential by focusing on methane gas hydrate, which is increasingly considered a significant source of energy. "Methane Gas Hydrate" gives a general overview of natural gas, before delving into the subject of gas hydrates in more detail and methane gas hydrate in particular. As well as discussing methods of gas production, it also discusses the safety and environmental concerns associated with the presence of natural gas hydrates, ranging from their possible impact on the safety of conventional drilling operations to their influence on Earth’s climate. "Methane Gas Hydrate" is a useful reference on an increasingly popular energy source. It contains valuable information for chemical engineers and researchers, as well as for postgraduate students.
This book describes aspects of the natural gas hydrate (NGH) system that offer opportunities for the innovative application of existing technology and development of new technology that could dramatically lower the cost of NGH exploration and production. It is written for energy industry professsionals and those concerned with energy choices and efficiencies at a university graduate level. The NGH resource is compared with physical, environmental, and commercial aspects of other gas resources. The authors' theme is that natural gas can provide for base and peak load energy demands during the transition to and possibly within a renewable energy future. This is possibly the most useful book discussing fossil fuels that will be a reference for environmentalists and energy policy institutions, and for the environmental and energy community.
Commercial development of energy from renewables and nuclear is critical to long-term industry and environmental goals. However, it will take time for them to economically compete with existing fossil fuel energy resources and their infrastructures. Gas fuels play an important role during and beyond this transition away from fossil fuel dominance to a balanced approach to fossil, nuclear, and renewable energies. Chemical Energy from Natural and Synthetic Gas illustrates this point by examining the many roles of natural and synthetic gas in the energy and fuel industry, addressing it as both a "transition" and "end game" fuel. The book describes various types of gaseous fuels and how are they are recovered, purified, and converted to liquid fuels and electricity generation and used for other static and mobile applications. It emphasizes methane, syngas, and hydrogen as fuels, although other volatile hydrocarbons are considered. It also covers storage and transportation infrastructure for natural gas and hydrogen and methods and processes for cleaning and reforming synthetic gas. The book also deals applications, such as the use of natural gas in power production in power plants, engines, turbines, and vehicle needs. Presents a unified and collective look at gas in the energy and fuel industry, addressing it as both a "transition" and "end game" fuel. Emphasizes methane, syngas, and hydrogen as fuels. Covers gas storage and transport infrastructure. Discusses thermal gasification, gas reforming, processing, purification and upgrading. Describes biogas and bio-hydrogen production. Deals with the use of natural gas in power production in power plants, engines, turbines, and vehicle needs.
The US has not had a rational energy policy for many years. Instead we created energy legislation focused on conservation and citing energy independence as the principle cause. Some legislation focused on protecting the environment primarily by creating moratoria over designated geographic areas. This effectively blocked drilling along the entire eastern and western offshore areas, areas on land and offshore northern Alaska, parts of the Gulf of Mexico and vast areas of federally owned land. As the countrys oil requirement grew so too did our need to import oil. Oil prices also grew and the daily value of imports have now reached about a billion dollars per day. Today our country is in deep recession so we need to look at our energy needs with a different set of objectives. These include energy independence, security, economic impacts, environmental factors and, of course, elimination of the daily expenditure for foreign oil. We do so in this book as we explore the two most significant ways in which energy is consumed: transportation and generation and distribution of electric power. The approach sticks to technical issues and the costs, and financial factors because in our current economic environment money has to be given priority over political issues. Focusing on increasing domestic energy production and economic issues will improve and strengthen our country. Energy independence and security will follow. In the long run the environment will be clean. In our plan, we propose a set of policies that comply with the full scope of objectives. We solicit readers to contact political leaders to create and pass the necessary legislation.
Gas hydrates are both a huge energy resource and an environmental challenge. They have a significant impact on society because of their applications to the future of energy, protection of the environment and fuel transportation. Gas Hydrates opens up this fascinating, multidisciplinary field to non-specialists. It provides a scientific study of gas hydrates that considers their potential as an energy source while assessing the possible risk to the environment. The authors also examine the feasibility of using these natural compounds for storing and transporting gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Diagrams and photos are used throughout Gas Hydrates to help readers understand the scientific and technical content. Each section has been designed so it can be read independently by academics and professionals in the oil and gas industry, as well as by all those with an interest in how hydrates combine to be an energy resource, an industrial challange and a geological hazard.
How will we meet rising energy demands? What are our options? Are there viable long-term solutions for the future? Learn the fundamental physical, chemical and materials science at the heart of renewable/non-renewable energy sources, future transportation systems, energy efficiency and energy storage. Whether you are a student taking an energy course or a newcomer to the field, this textbook will help you understand critical relationships between the environment, energy and sustainability. Leading experts provide comprehensive coverage of each topic, bringing together diverse subject matter by integrating theory with engaging insights. Each chapter includes helpful features to aid understanding, including a historical overview to provide context, suggested further reading and questions for discussion. Every subject is beautifully illustrated and brought to life with full color images and color-coded sections for easy browsing, making this a complete educational package. Fundamentals of Materials for Energy and Environmental Sustainability will enable today's scientists and educate future generations.
" Although methane hydrates are not recent discoveries, it is only now that their extraction and production are becoming commercially feasible as a major new energy source. They are present offshore in almost every coastal state, and their economic potential for endowing those states with abundant natural gas – in addition to their utility as freshwater resources and as carbon sinks for captured greenhouse gases – is vast. This book presents the first treatment of the legal issues facing the future of offshore methane hydrates, taking into account both proprietary interests and environmental hazards. Starting from law and economics theory as applied to environmental accidents, the book’s analytical framework addresses how best to provide for the opportunities and challenges presented by offshore methane hydrates. Issues and topics include the following: - introduction to the science and technology of offshore methane hydrates; - methane as a green energy source; - research programmes and agendas under way in Japan, South Korea, the United States, Canada, China, and India; - carbon capture and sequestration; - risks – methane emissions, large-scale combustion events, subsea landslides, tsunamis, earthquakes, deep ocean eruptions; - strategies of risk governance – during exploration, development, production and abandonment of the extraction process; - acts that enable seeping and venting of methane; - regulatory compliance as a defense from liability; - grounds for deference to rules of civil liability; - potential impact on anthropogenic climate change; and - private regulation and market-based incentives The analysis compares and contrasts recommended legal policies with existing legal frameworks in relevant international conventions, the European Union, and the United States. Rules of civil liability are reviewed to determine when strict liability or negligence might be efficiently employed in risk governance along with the implementation of public regulations. As a road map to amending and revising existing laws and conventions, this book will be of inestimable practical value to policymakers in supporting the optimal risk governance of the development of methane hydrates. For potential entrepreneurs and operators, this book greatly reduces the legal uncertainty underlying their decision-making and investment decisions. Furthermore, this book enables a broad cross-section of legal practitioners and scholars to engage in this fascinating late arrival to the natural resources law and policy arena. "
Liberating Energy from Carbon analyzes energy options in a carbon-constrained world. Major strategies and pathways to decarbonizing the carbon-intensive economy are laid out with a special emphasis on the prospects of achieving low-risk atmospheric CO2 levels. The opportunities and challenges in developing and bringing to market novel low and zero-carbon technologies are highlighted from technical, economic and environmental viewpoints. This book takes a unique approach by treating carbon in a holistic manner—tracking its complete transformation chain from fossil fuel sources to the unique properties of the CO2 molecule, to carbon capture and storage and finally, to CO2 industrial utilization and its conversion to value-added products and fuels. This concise but comprehensive sourcebook guides readers through recent scientific and technological developments as well as commercial projects that aim for the decarbonization of the fossil fuel-based economy and CO2 utilization that will play an increasingly important role in the near- and mid-term future. This book is intended for researchers, engineers, and students working and studying in practically all areas of energy technology and alternative energy sources and fuels.
