Editing Methane clathrate (section)

===Commercial use===
Economic deposits of hydrate are termed natural gas hydrate (NGH) and store 164 m<sup>3</sup> of methane, 0.8 m<sup>3</sup> water in 1 m<sup>3</sup> hydrate.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Exploration and Production of Oceanic Natural Gas Hydrate |last1=Max |first1=Michael D. |last2=Johnson |first2=Arthur H. |chapter=Economic Characteristics of Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate |date=2016-01-01 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=9783319433844 |pages=39–73 |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-43385-1_2|s2cid=133178393 }}</ref>  Most NGH is found beneath the seafloor (95%) where it exists in thermodynamic equilibrium.  The sedimentary methane hydrate reservoir probably contains 2–10 times the currently known reserves of conventional [[natural gas]], {{as of|2013|lc=y}}.<ref name=ta201304>
{{cite magazine |last=Mann |first=Charles C. |title=What If We Never Run Out of Oil? |magazine=The Atlantic Monthly |date=April 2013 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/05/what-if-we-never-run-out-of-oil/309294/ |access-date=23 May 2013}}</ref> This represents a potentially important future source of [[hydrocarbon]] [[fuel]]. However, in the majority of sites deposits are thought to be too dispersed for economic extraction.<ref name="Milkov 2004"/> Other problems facing commercial exploitation are detection of viable reserves and development of the technology for extracting methane gas from the hydrate deposits.

In August 2006, China announced plans to spend 800 million yuan (US$100 million) over the next 10 years to study natural gas hydrates.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2006-08/25/content_674169_2.htm |title=Agreements to boost bilateral ties |publisher=Chinadaily.com.cn |date=2006-08-25 |access-date=2013-03-14}}</ref> A potentially economic reserve in the Gulf of Mexico may contain approximately {{convert|100|e9m3}} of gas.<ref name="Milkov 2004"/> [[Bjørn Kvamme]] and [[Arne Graue]] at the Institute for Physics and technology at the [[University of Bergen]] have developed a method for injecting {{CO2}} into hydrates and reversing the process; thereby extracting CH<sub>4</sub> by direct exchange.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=184534 |title=Norske forskere bak energirevolusjon, VB nett, in Norwegian |publisher=Vg.no |access-date=2013-03-14 |date=May 2007}}</ref> The University of Bergen's method is being field tested by [[ConocoPhillips]] and state-owned [[Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation]] (JOGMEC), and partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The project has already reached injection phase and was analyzing resulting data by March 12, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/FutureSupply/MethaneHydrates/projects/DOEProjects/MH_06553HydrateProdTrial.html |title=The National Methane Hydrates R&D Program DOE/NETL Methane Hydrate Projects |publisher=Netl.doe.gov |date=2013-02-19 |access-date=2013-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817121951/http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/FutureSupply/MethaneHydrates/projects/DOEProjects/MH_06553HydrateProdTrial.html |archive-date=2013-08-17 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On March 12, 2013, JOGMEC researchers announced that they had successfully extracted natural gas from frozen methane hydrate.<ref name=extracts>{{cite news |title=Japan extracts gas from methane hydrate in world first |publisher=BBC |date=March 12, 2013 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21752441 |access-date=March 13, 2013}}</ref>  In order to extract the gas, specialized equipment was used to drill into and depressurize the hydrate deposits, causing the methane to separate from the ice.  The gas was then collected and piped to surface where it was ignited to prove its presence.<ref name=coup /> According to an industry spokesperson, "It [was] the world's first offshore experiment producing gas from methane hydrate".<ref name=extracts />  Previously, gas had been extracted from onshore deposits, but never from offshore deposits which are much more common.<ref name=coup>{{cite news |title=An Energy Coup for Japan: 'Flammable Ice' |author=Hiroko Tabuchi |author-link=Hiroko Tabuchi |date=March 12, 2013 |work=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/business/global/japan-says-it-is-first-to-tap-methane-hydrate-deposit.html |access-date=March 14, 2013}}</ref> The hydrate field from which the gas was extracted is located {{convert|50|km|mi}} from central Japan in the [[Nankai Trough]], {{convert|300|m|ft}} under the sea.<ref name=extracts /><ref name=coup />  A spokesperson for JOGMEC remarked "Japan could finally have an energy source to call its own".<ref name=coup /> Marine geologist Mikio Satoh remarked "Now we know that extraction is possible. The next step is to see how far Japan can get costs down to make the technology economically viable."<ref name=coup />  Japan estimates that there are at least 1.1 trillion cubic meters of methane trapped in the Nankai Trough, enough to meet the country's needs for more than ten years.<ref name=coup />

Both Japan and China announced in May 2017 a breakthrough for [[resource extraction|mining]] methane clathrates, when they extracted methane from hydrates in the [[South China Sea]].<ref name=BBCMay17 /> China described the result as a breakthrough; [[Praveen Linga]] from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore agreed "Compared with the results we have seen from Japanese research, the Chinese scientists have managed to extract much more gas in their efforts".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-39971667 |title=China claims breakthrough in 'flammable ice' |work=BBC News |date=2017-05-19}}</ref> Industry consensus is that commercial-scale production remains years away.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/china-japan-extracts-combustible-ice-from-seafloor-a-step-towards-harnessing-a-legendary-frozen-fossil-fuel |title=China and Japan find way to extract 'combustible ice' from seafloor, harnessing a legendary frozen fossil fuel |date=19 May 2017}}</ref>