Fundamental studies of the role of foreign particles and surfaces on gas hydrate growth and propagation

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We are faced with an increasing demand for sources of energy. Over the next two decades most of this demand will be met by fossil fuels, although a preference toward natural gas should develop due to its smaller environmental footprint compared to oil or coal. Canada's natural gas production is expected to decline over the next few years, and the current global political climate raises concerns over the security of supply from other parts of the world. An alternative to secure Canada's energy needs for this century is the vast amount of natural gas trapped in the form of gas hydrates. Natural gas stored as hydrate (mostly methane) is found buried under the oceanic sediment and under the permafrost. Conservative estimates suggest that the amount of energy stored in hydrates is at least twice that of all other fossil fuels combined. The enormous quantities of methane stored as solid hydrates are also of environmental concern due to the high global warming potential of methane. It is also possible to design carbon dioxide sequestration strategies based on hydrate technology. Furthermore, the oil and gas industry spends millions of dollars on hydrate formation prevention in pipelines. The research work proposed here intends to provide fundamental information on the interaction of gas hydrates of methane and carbon dioxide (main components of natural gas) with particles and surfaces. Studies of this kind are important in order to understand the behavior of hydrates in nature and to acquire relevant knowledge that will allow economical and environmentally responsible exploitation of hydrate-forming systems. The potential outcome of this research is technologically and scientifically significant for it could place Canada at the vanguard of carbon sequestration efforts and recovery of unconventional energy resources such as gas hydrates.