Reply #4: found a couple more links

[maddezmom]

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The U.S. R&D program is focused on the two major technical constraints to production: 1) the need to detect and quantify methane hydrate deposits prior to drilling, and 2) the demonstration of methane production from hydrate at commercial volumes. Recent and planned research and field trials should answer these two issues.

In recent field tests, researchers have demonstrated the capability to predict the location and concentration of methane hydrate deposits using reprocessed conventional 3-D seismic data, and new techniques, including multi-component seismic, are being tested. Modeling of small-volume production tests in the U.S. and Canadian Arctic suggest that commercial production is possible using depressurization and thermal stimulation from conventional wellbores. Large-scale production tests are planned in the Canadian Arctic in the winter of 2008 and in the U.S. Arctic in the following year.

Demonstration of production from offshore deposits will lag behind Arctic studies by three to five years, because marine deposits are less well documented, and marine sampling and well tests are significantly more expensive.

more:

http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/oilgas/hydrates/


Results from DOE Expedition Confirm Existence of Resource-Quality Gas Hydrate in Gulf of Mexico
Issued on: March 30, 2010

Initial Scientific Results Now Available on DOE-Sponsored Gas Hydrate Expedition
Washington, D.C. — Gas hydrate, a potentially immense energy resource, occurs at high saturations within reservoir-quality sands in the Gulf of Mexico, according to reports released by the Office of Fossil Energy’s (FE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).


Initial findings from the May 2009 expedition of the Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Joint Industry Project (JIP) have just been released by NETL. These reports detail the extremely valuable and advanced datasets on the various gas hydrate occurrences that were discovered in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the reports provide significant new information on the optimal drilling and well control protocols for deep gas hydrate research projects.


Gas hydrate is a unique solid substance comprised of natural gas (almost exclusively methane) in combination with water. It is thought to exist in great abundance in nature and has the potential to be a significant new energy source to meet future energy needs. However, prior to this expedition, there was little documentation that gas hydrate occurred in resource-quality accumulations in U.S. waters.

more:http://fossil.energy.gov/news/techlines/2010/10010-Hydrate_Expedition_Results_Availab.html