Method for recovering gas from hydrates

• Main Authors: DAVID DA-TEH HUANG, JINGPING LONG, ROLAND BERNARD SAEGER, ROBERT FREDERICK HEINEMANN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.01.2001
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE ORUNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; APPARATUS THEREFOR; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; EARTH DRILLING; EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; FIRELIGHTERS; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; FUELS; FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; GENERAL METHODS OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MINING; NATURAL GAS; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR ASLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SEPARATION; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

The present invention provides a process for recovering gas from a clathrate hydrate comprising the steps of:(a) providing a clathrate hydrate within an occupying zone;(b) positioning a source of electromagnetic radiation within said clathrate hydrate occupying zone; and(c) recovering gas from the clathrate hydrate by applying electromagnetic radiation from the electromagnetic radiation source of step (b) to the clathrate hydrate at a frequency within the range of from direct current to visible light at energy density sufficient to dissociate the clathrate hydrate to evolve its constituent gas.