Scientists from Skoltech and Heriot-Watt University proposed extracting methane by injecting flue gas into permafrost hydrate reservoirs.
Scientists from Skoltech and Heriot-Watt University proposed extracting methane by injecting flue gas into permafrost hydrate reservoirs. Since the flue gas contains carbon dioxide, the new technology will also contributes to reduction of this green house gas in the Arctic atmosphere. The results of their study were published in the journal Scientific reports.
The Russian Arctic is actively developing due to exploitation of recently discovered oil and gas fields. However, operations in the Arctic region face numerous geological challenges. One of the most serious of them is formation of gas hydrates in frozen rock mass. Gas hydrates are ice-like crystalline structures formed by water and gas molecules. Their accumulations strongly hinders oil and gas field development and triggers spontaneous methane emissions into the atmosphere on the Arctic coast and shelf.
The scientists from the Skoltech Center for Hydrocarbon Recovery (CHR) and from Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh, Scotland) developed a unique method for extracting methane from permafrost gas-hydrates by injecting flue gases, generated by fuel combustion. The main sources of flue gas are waste gases from coal-burning power plants and metallurgical plants and other industrial facilities.
Read more at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (SKOLTECH)
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