By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Apr. 17 -- Industry is cooperating with the US government to exploit a massive unconventional gas resource in the Gulf of Mexico: gas hydrates.
A joint venture of ChevronTexaco Corp., the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and the US Department of Energy will team up for the Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrates Joint Industry Project (JIP), which will study naturally occurring gas hydrates in the gulf.
"This multiphase, multiyear project will develop technology to assist characterization of deepwater hydrates, to better understand their effect on sea floor stability, and to develop safe and efficient drilling and coring protocols in naturally occurring gas hydrates," the JV said.
Phase I of the JIP will include the collection and analysis of data, which will be compiled into a database. Phase II will involve the drilling and sampling of the areas in the database that show naturally occurring hydrates.
The JV will simultaneously host two workshops in Houston May 9-10 to discuss the JIP. The first workshop will cover drilling, coring, and core analysis, and the second, modeling, measurements, and sensors. Each workshop will then have three breakout sessions to discuss topics in more detail.
