Hydrates, an ice-like deposit formed by natural gas under extreme pressure, has been named as a cause of the explosion and sinking of the BP Deepwater Horizon rig two weeks ago. But it may also be an important future source of fossil fuels, writes Tamsin Carlisle
A type of ice-like gas deposit is emerging as a major safety concern for deepwater drilling as it hampers BP's struggle to shut down an oil leak from a stricken well in the Gulf of Mexico.
Natural gas hydrates, which occur mostly in sediments at the bottom of the ocean, have been implicated in the April 20 well blowout and explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform.
There are two main dangers: heat destabilises hydrates, sometimes with explosive results; and the high pressure found deep underwater is likely to lead to ruptured pipes and valve malfunctions, allowing plugs of hydrates to clog up the works.
"There was concern at this location for gas hydrates," says Robert Bea, an offshore risk assessment expert and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who suspects hydrates were the root cause of the blowout at BP's Macondo well off the coast of Louisiana.
"The deeper the water, the greater the pressure, which when high enough can keep hydrates stable below the sea floor."
Hydrates clogging the pores in sediments below the ocean floor can form seals that trap conventional gas and oil in underlying rock layers over geological time. That can make the deepwater zones where hydrates form especially tempting targets for drilling, as oil companies move their search into deeper waters.
On Friday, another deepwater drilling platform sank, this time off the coast of Venezuela where an international consortium is developing the country's biggest gas discovery. The cause of that accident is not known.
Prof Bea, who has extensive access to BP documents on the US incident, says drillers encountered an unexpected "kick" of gas pressure a month before the blowout, suggesting that hot fluids from deep underground had released gas from hydrate crystals in the well bore. The gas kick was powerful enough to temporarily suspend drilling as a precaution.
Hydrates later stymied BP's efforts to use a 100-tonne steel and concrete box to trap the estimated 5,000 barrels of oil a day that was leaking from the Macondo well.
The problem was the formation of "jelly-like" hydrate crystals near the top of the container, which blocked the pipe through which the oil would have been pumped to the surface.
Now BP is using a fleet of 12 mini robot submarines to try to thread a pipe directly into the wellhead under 1,500 metres of water. The juncture would need to be perfectly sealed to prevent water from entering the pipe and allowing more hydrate crystals to form as the oil is pumped to a tanker at the surface.
"It's never been done before in water that deep," Doug Suttles, the chief operating officer for BP, said on Friday.
As a back-up, the company is preparing a smaller container known as a "top hat" for lowering over the wellhead. In theory, the smaller structure could be kept free of hydrates by injecting methanol to act as antifreeze.
Halliburton, the oilfield services firm that was responsible for cementing the Macondo well to help convert it from exploration to oil production, last year gave a presentation highlighting the risks from hydrates for deepwater jobs.
"Gas flow may occur after a cement job in the deepwater environment that contains major hydrate zones," Halliburton said. "Destabilisation of hydrates after the cement job is confirmed by downhole cameras."
But the sheer concentrations of gas trapped in hydrates, which leads to their explosive behaviour when the crystals fall apart, also means they could be an important future source of fossil fuel.
BP is investigating the possibility at a project in Alaska, where temperatures are low enough for hydrates to form onshore in the permafrost beneath the Arctic tundra.
Japan and India, which both lack sufficient conventional oil and gas resources to fuel their large economies, are also assessing prospects for gas production from hydrates in their offshore waters, as are established northern gas exporters such as Russia and Canada.
The recent Gulf of Mexico tragedy may seem very far away from the Middle East, which still has the biggest concentration of the world's conventional oil and gas resources.
Yet the planet's biggest gas hydrate deposits may lie deep in the Arabian Sea, according to recent joint Indian and US government field studies.
@Email:tcarlisle@thenational.ae
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
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Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
Company%20Profile
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions