Welcome to the information portal for the National Methane Hydrate R&D Program. Over the past eight years, research carried out under this program has resulted in significant advances in our understanding of methane hydrates, their role in nature, and their potential as a future energy resource. This success is largely due to an unprecedented level of cooperation between federal agencies, industry, national laboratories, and academic institutions.
For a quick introduction to methane hydrate and its potential as a fuel source, please read the 2011 Methane Hydrates Primer. Information on other elements of the program can be found under the remaining Key Links. Read More.
U.S. and Japan Complete Successful Field Trial of Methane Hydrate Production Technologies U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the completion of a successful, unprecedented test of technology in the North Slope of Alaska that was able to safely extract a steady flow of natural gas from methane hydrates – a vast, entirely untapped resource that holds enormous potential for U.S. economic and energy security.
New Methane Hydrates Funding Opportunity Available
The DOE Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory announces the release of a Methane Hydrates Program Funding Opportunity for new research and development projects, with a proposal submission deadline of June 1, 2012, 11:59PM (EST). The funding oportunity address the following general areas: 1) field programs that will enable collection of in situ data in gas-hydrate-bearing systems; 2) field sampling, modeling and/or remote sensing efforts designed to constrain methane hydrate system dynamics in gas-hydrate-bearing areas, particularly those at high latitudes or at the landward margin of gas hydrate stability in global deepwater settings; and 3) development of innovative tools, and/or the collection of fundamental data, to assist in the analyses of gas hydrate reservoir response and environmental impacts related to potential gas hydrate production.
To view the content / description of the Funding Opportunity Announcement please visit the FedConnect website and look for the Documentation section in the upper right hand corner.
To view a Synopsis of the Funding Opportunity Announcement or to access the Forms and Instructions necessary for applying please visit the Grants.gov website.
New Methane Hydrate Primer Now Available! This document provides a simple, but comprehensive, explanation of what methane hydrate is, where it is found, its potential as a fuel source, and the current state of methane hydrate research activities.
Initial Scientific Results Available from DOE/NETL-Sponsored Gas Hydrate Expedition 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 FE's National Energy Technology Lab. Initial findings from the May 2009 expedition of the Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Joint Industry Project (JIP) 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.
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The National Methane Hydrate R&D Program, enabled by the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000 and the subsequent 2005 amendment to this Act [PDF], is managed by DOE through the Office of Fossil Energy and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), and the program’s design is formulated through discussions among the six participating federal agencies and in consultation with advisory panels from industry and academia. The brochure, “Interagency Coordination on Methane Hydrates R&D” [PDF] , describes this unique federally funded, collaborative program that is designed to optimize hydrates research, avoid duplication and ensure that no important questions are left unanswered. A second document, an “Interagency Roadmap for Methane Hydrate R&D” [PDF] outlines the goals and objectives of the Program.
In addition to the work being carried out by individual researchers, the Program supports this website, the quarterly Fire in the Ice (FITI) newsletter (which highlights ongoing activities for more than 1000 readers worldwide), and a wide array of meetings and workshops that facilitate the broad and timely dissemination of hydrate research progress to the larger research community and the Nation.
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