MS/SFO

Project Description
The work to be conducted under this agreement is to continue technological development aimed at the establishment of a monitoring station/sea-floor observatory (MS/SFO) to monitor and investigate the hydrocarbon system within the hydrate stability zone (HSZ) of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The intention of this and past efforts is to consolidate research effort and to equip the MS/SFO with a variety of sensors that will enable the determination of a steady-state description of physical, chemical and thermal conditions in its local environment as well as to detect temporal changes of those conditions. Objectives for work under this agreement include deployment, installation, and testing of sensor and support systems critical to the successful operation of the gas hydrates MS/SFO in MC118.

[link to fossil.energy.gov]


From an industry perspective: Fire in Ice...the race for utilizing hydrates as an energy source is on. A little somethin' I found a couple of weeks ago from a New Zealand source....

International gas hydrates research programs and/or key institutions

* USA: National Methane Hydrates R&D Program, U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory

* USA: Gulf of Mexico Joint Industry Project at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Industry consortium, with academic collaborators and co-funding from the U.S. DoE/NETL.

* Japan: MH21 - Research Consortium for Methane Hydrate Resources in Japan

* India: Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Gas Hydrates

* Korea: Gas Hydrate R&D Organization

* China: Information Center for Natural Gas Hydrates


[link to www.gns.cri.nz]