Progress in Research of Gas Hydrate

It is of great significance to study gas hydrate because of following reasons. (1) Most organic carbon in the earth reserves in the form of natural gas hydrate, which is considered as a potential energy resource for the survival of human being in the future. (2) A series of novel technologies are based on gas hydrate. (3) Gas hydrate may lead to many hazards including plugging of oil/gas pipelines, accelerating global warming up, etc. In this paper, the latest progresses in exploration and exploitation of natural gas hydrate, the development of hydrate-based technologies including gas separation, gas storage, CO2 sequestration via forming hydrate, as well as the prevention of hydrate hazards are reviewed. Additionally, the progresses in the fundamental study of gas hydrate, including the thermodynamics and kinetics are also reviewed. A prospect to the future of gas hydrate research and application is given.