Computer simulations indicate that thermal recovery methods, such as the use of hot water or steam flooding, could make hydrates a technically recoverable resource. Alternatively, methods that dissociate the gas by reducing the reservoir pressure may be possible. Chemical injection to decrease the stability of the hydrate lattice could be another approach. This potential for large volumes of methane to be released due to destabilization of the hydrate formation can also create safety problems, however. Offshore operators are increasingly reporting problems of drilling through hydrates.
Hydrates also can form either in the well bore or in connecting lines, plugging the flow.
Also, as hydrates decompose, particularly at or near the sea floor, subsidence can occur, potentially causing a loss of foundation support for offshore platforms or possibly damaging underwater cables. Research into methane hydrates, therefore, could benefit conventional oil and gas operations by developing improved methods to anticipate and diagnose the presence of these formations. The core was shipped to the Colorado School of Mines, which asked several organizations for proposals on how they would study the sample. The core studies kicked off a new effort by the DOE Office of Fossil Energy to study the physical and chemical properties of hydrates, the mechanisms for their formation and dissociation, and the geological characteristics of marine and Arctic hydrate formations. In FY 1997 and FY 1998, DOE provided a small amount of funding from its Natural Gas Supply Program to support activities in preparation for a more definitive program proposed for FY 1999.