METHOD FOR PRODUCTION, STORAGE AND DECOMPOSITION OF NATURAL GAS HYDRATES Russian patent published in 2014 - IPC F17C11/00 

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: method includes preliminary filling of a ship by ice-water mixture. Natural gas hydrates (NGH) are produced at the ship by pressure pumping of natural gas to it and further gas bubbling through ice-water mixture with simultaneous pumping of the above mixture to it and vibrating at acoustic frequency until NGH fill the whole ship volume. Thereafter pumping of gas and cryohydric mixture is stopped; NGH are stored at the ship at permanent temperature and pressure. In order to decompose NGH into water and gas pressure is decreased in the upper part of the ship by gas extraction from it and/or ship lifting to decrease hydrostatic pressure in it. When gas extraction is completed the ship is lowered to the initial depth and ice-water and cryohydric mixture is stored at the ship till next filling by NGH.

EFFECT: creating conditions for use of a submerged ship as a combined means for production, underwater storage and decomposition of NGH.

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