https://www.earthmagazine.org/tags/hydrate/ Recent content in Hydrate on EARTH Magazine Hugo en-US American Geosciences Institute. All rights reserved. Fri, 11 Aug 2017 14:01:14 -0400 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/coatings-may-prevent-pipeline-clogs/ Fri, 11 Aug 2017 14:01:14 -0400 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/coatings-may-prevent-pipeline-clogs/ <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/coatings-may-prevent-pipeline-clogs/Trans-Alaska_Pipeline_System_Luca_Galuzzi_2005.jpg" alt="Clogs caused by the formation of gas hydrates are a major concern for oil and gas pipeline operators. Water-repellent films coating the inside of pipes could prevent hydrate formation. Credit: Luca Galuzzi, CC BY-SA 2.5." loading="eager" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Clogs caused by the formation of gas hydrates are a major concern for oil and gas pipeline operators. Water-repellent films coating the inside of pipes could prevent hydrate formation. Credit: Luca Galuzzi, CC BY-SA 2.5.</figcaption> </figure> <p>When ice forms in household water pipes, blockages and expansion can cause the pipes to burst. Similar problems can arise in the transportation of oil and gas when ice-like substances called gas hydrates build up inside pipelines — an issue traditionally mitigated by insulating pipes or by using antifreeze additives. But in a new <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsami.7b00223">study</a> published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, researchers report an alternative solution: specialized coatings for the inside of oil and gas pipes that prevent hydrate buildups and clogs. The coatings could prove more reliable than the usual approaches, but whether the method can be applied cost-effectively on a large scale is uncertain.</p> https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/listening-gas-bubbles/ Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:39:21 -0500 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/listening-gas-bubbles/ <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/listening-gas-bubbles/02_HoldingHydrate.jpg" alt="Methane hydrate recovered during a U.S. Geological Survey gas hydrate research cruise in the Gulf of Mexico in 2002. Passive acoustic techniques may be used to find gas hydrate deposits. William Winters, USGS" loading="eager" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Methane hydrate recovered during a U.S. Geological Survey gas hydrate research cruise in the Gulf of Mexico in 2002. Passive acoustic techniques may be used to find gas hydrate deposits. William Winters, USGS</figcaption> </figure> <h2 id="passive-acoustic-technology-detects-natural-gas-leaks-and-seeps">Passive acoustic technology detects natural gas leaks and seeps</h2> <p>In recent decades, active acoustic surveys have been used to detect methane seeps and gas hydrates &mdash; deposits of crystalline solids consisting of gas molecules, usually methane, surrounded by a cage of water molecules &mdash; buried under the seafloor.</p> https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/usgs-finds-giant-gas-hydrate-deposits-north-slope/ Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/usgs-finds-giant-gas-hydrate-deposits-north-slope/ <p>Buried beneath Alaska's North Slope are about 85.4 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas hydrates, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey assessment. That would be a significant source of energy to add to the U.S. energy mix &mdash; enough natural gas to heat 100 million homes for 10 years, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced Wednesday.</p>