Characterization, Appraisal, and Economic Viability of Alaska North Slope Gas Hydrate Accumulations”, presented at

• Main Author: R. B. Hunter
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2004
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada; Alaska North Slope; north slope; permafrost; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.429.9652; http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/abstracts/2004hedberg_vancouver/extended/hunter/images/hunter.pdf

The collaborative research program will help determine if gas hydrate accumulations can become an economic unconventional energy resource, initially in the onshore Alaska North Slope (ANS) arctic region beneath permafrost and existing production infrastructure. The cooperative research venture between BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc. (BPXA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilitates high levels of collaboration between industry, government, and university researchers. The mutually beneficial research activities would not otherwise have been independently conducted by industry. Collett (1998) estimates that up to 590 TCF in-place ANS gas resources may be trapped in clathrate hydrates. An estimated 44 to 100 TCF in-place ANS gas resources may occur beneath existing infrastructure (Collett, 1993). If a significant portion of this estimated in-place gas can be economically recovered, this unconventional resource could become an important part of future gas resource development in Alaska. Gas from gas hydrates may help fill the projected future gap in U.S. domestic gas production. Other options include opening additional areas to exploration and production, increasing LNG imports, developing remote arctic regions conventional gas (Alaska and Canada) and/or developing other unconventional gas resources such as coalbed methane, tight gas, and shale gas.