US shale gas revolution, reshaping the US energy mix, but also to revitalize the US petrochemical industry. This allows new energy "combustible ice" exploitation, people look forward to, but also face more challenges.
      the Eighth International Conference of gas hydrate on the 29th in Beijing. According to the China Geological Survey Bureau official said, China plans to 2015 began developing "combustible ice", 2017 will be the first trial mining in the South China Sea.
      gas hydrate because of its looks like snow and a fire to burn, commonly known as "combustible ice", is located in the deep-sea sediments or the land of permafrost in ice-water from natural gas-like crystalline material at a low temperature high pressure conditions of the formation. 1 m3 of "combustible ice" releasable at room temperature 164 cubic meters of natural gas and 0.8 liters of water, is considered to be one of the larger one of the potential energy.
      China "combustible ice" exploration prospects remains to be verified
      permafrost as the world's third largest country, China has a good occurrence of combustible ice conditions and resources prospects. Land and Natural Resources in 2013 released "2013 Sea gas hydrate exploration results" in the show, China for the first time in the eastern waters of the Pearl River Mouth Basin drilled high purity "combustible ice." It is estimated that the amount of long-term resources of land, at least 35 billion tons of oil equivalent, combustible ice reserves in the South China Sea about 68 billion tons of oil equivalent.
       At present, China's "combustible ice" mainly in the South China Sea, East China Sea, northeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and tundra, and greater content. Based on the investigation, director of China Geological Survey Bureau Zhang Haiqi had said in an interview with reporters that China is (combustible ice) one of the better prospects of national resources.
       China Geological Survey after survey, comprehensive assessment, in 2007 in the northern part of the South China Sea China's first drilling to obtain physical samples, 2009 in the land of permafrost zone Qilian Mountain Drilling obtain physical samples, in 2013 in the northern South China Sea continental slope drilling to obtain new types of gas hydrate physical samples again.
       technically, combustible ice mining major mining method using thermal excitation, vacuum extraction, chemical reagent method and hydraulic fracturing method.
       but "combustible ice" exploitation of corporate funds and technology to set up a high-threshold, general business is difficult to enter the field. At the same time as a new high-energy-based industrial investment, time-consuming, high recovery costs, companies must invest a lot of pre- human, material and financial resources, which gave the general business has brought problems. Currently on the "combustible ice" is the most interesting of the three domestic oil companies based.
       overseas combustible ice mining also uncertain
       In addition to Chinese plans to "combustible ice" on the exploitation of the agenda, and many foreign countries have to "combustible ice" exploration study began.
       2009, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said that drilling had found "significant" might energy resources in the US Gulf of Mexico gas hydrates.
       February 2012-April, the US Department of Energy and ConocoPhillips, Japan's national oil and gas and metals companies such as cooperation in Alaska North Slope permafrost zone the use of carbon dioxide and methane hydrates replacement method, test mining success in achieving effective exploitation of methane, while carbon dioxide sequestration.
       March 12, 2013 Japan at the Nankai Trough were gas hydrate production test, the first mining of methane in the waters hydrate, 6 days cumulative production 130,000 cubic meters, becoming the world's first subsea hydrate production technology to master the country.
       Japan's oil and gas resources are scarce, for "combustible ice" exploitation very seriously and actively. US Department of Energy at the 29th International Geological Congress has said, BSR distribution area of Japan Nankai Trough, about 35,000 square kilometers of gas hydrates.
In June 2000, Japan established the "gas hydrate research and development committee" and develop "Japan Gas Hydrate Development Plan" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"). According to "plan", Japan in 2001 to 2018 for a period, efforts to achieve "combustible ice" six goals of development.
      Although the "combustible ice" exploration, basic research and pilot drilling test other aspects have been a world leader, but in Japan, the United States currently have failed to achieve " combustible ice "of large-scale mining.
      China Sinopec Exploration and Development Research Institute of Strategic Research economist Liang Hui has written analysis within the gas hydrate, although widely occurs in permafrost and undersea formations deposits, but there is no one technology can be economically mined it, you can not use as a resource. Although Japan has made great progress in research, have been successful offshore production test pilot, but still at an experimental stage, from the stage of transition to commercial scale development and production phases, as well as economic, geological disasters, environmental issues need to be considered.