Using Submarine Heat Pumps for Efficient Gas Production from Seabed Hydrate Reservoirs

Yasuhiko H. Mori, Jun-ichi Ochiai and Ryo Ohmura
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Yasuhiko H. Mori: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
Jun-ichi Ochiai: Department of Mechanical Systems, Tamagawa University, Tokyo 101-8308, Japan
Ryo Ohmura: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan

Energies, 2012, vol. 5, issue 3, 1-6

Abstract: This article reports our novel idea about the thermal stimulation of seabed hydrate reservoirs for the purpose of natural gas production. Our idea is to use submarine heat pumps, which are to be placed near the hydrate reservoir and work to recover thermal energy from the surrounding seawater and supply it into the reservoir. Although the heat pumps need an electricity supply from the sea surface level, they can provide thermal energy which is several times that of the consumed electricity in quantity. As a consequence, the use of submarine heat pumps has a distinct thermodynamic advantage over other thermal stimulation techniques already proposed in the literature.

Keywords: gas hydrate; methane hydrate; heat pump; energy; fuel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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