China to use 'combustible ice' as commercial fuel by 2030 | | A photo of Combustible ice, or gas hydrate, usually found in ocean beds and permafrost zones (File Photo) |
First results from exploratory drilling have confirmed the presence of a considerableexploitable reserve of high-purity gas hydrates in the eastern sea near the coast ofGuangdong's Pearl River Mouth Basin, according to a report from the Chinese governmentnetwork on December 17.
China’s Ministry of Land and Resources released the exploration results at a conference onTuesday in Beijing, confirming that a Chinese marine geology scientific and technical teamhave obtained samples of high-purity gas hydrates (commonly known as combustible ice).They found a considerable reserve during a three-month underwater drilling operationthat began in June this year.
After analyzing the gas hydrate samples and the results from the 23 drilling wells, expertshave forecast that the 55 km2 range of reserves in the sea off Guangdong could contain theequivalent of 100-150 billion cubic meters natural gas.
The newly found reserve is under a shallow layer of sea bed but is of substantial depth andcontains various types of high purity gas hydrate rock, according to Che Changbo, thedeputy director of the geological exploration division of Chinese Ministry of Land andResources.
Following 15 years of research, Chinese experts are forecasting a rich resource ofcombustible ice in China. The South China Sea region is expected to have combustible icestocks equivalent to 68 billion tons of oil. In addition, gas hydrate reserves have been foundin Qinghai, equivalent to 35 billion tons of oil. Taking as yet unproven reserves in TibetanPlateau into account, China is expected to have rich source of combustible ice.
Despite leading the world in research in the field, China still has a long way to go inresearching and developing the relevant technologies. But with the prospect of such large-scale gas hydrate reserves, commercial development has become a hot topic of discussion.Technical problems and the cost of combustible ice extraction are the bottleneck that manycounties have faced in the exploitation of natural gas hydrates.
Statistics shows that China has been a net importer of oil for the last 20 years. In 2012, upto 56% of crude oil came from imports, making China the world's second largest crude oilimporter and second largest oil consumer.
"China is expected to employ combustible ice for commercial use as a replacement fortraditional energy sources by 2030," said Che. As the depletion of existing energy sourceshas become an increasingly prominent issue, so the search for alternative energy hasbecome a primary concern of economies all over the world.
Methane hydrate is an attractive energy source due to its high energy density: one cubicmeter of combustible ice contains about 164 cubic meters of regular natural gas. However,researchers are still investigating the most appropriate way to extract the fuel forcommercialization.
Combustible ice has already been discovered in more than 100 countries, buried in boththe Arctic permafrost and beneath the sea bed. As well as China, countries including theUS, Japan, and the Republic of Korea have plans to tap the natural gas hydrates buried intheir territories.
Gas hydrate, an ice-like substance, is also known as combustible ice. Containing methaneand ice crystals that can supply energy, it can literally be lit on fire and burned as fuel. It isregarded as a potential alternative to coal and oil. But rather than dig up the substance,excavators would probably melt the ice underground first, and then extract the methanegas.
Because methane is a potent greenhouse gas, researchers are also concerned about theenvironmental effects of extracting methane hydrate. However, compared withconventional fuels like coal, one of the main advantages of using combustible ice is itsrelatively minor impact on people and the environment.
"Burning coal may be cheap, but it is a major source of air pollution and causes respiratorydisease in ordinary people,” says Han Xiaoping, chief information officer of China EnergyNetwork. “It makes more sense to spend money on clean energy than on doctors. "
（Editor：intern1、Zhang Qian） Related reading
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