This post is the first in a series from the Genesis of Methane Hydrate in Coarse-Grained Systems: Northern Gulf of Mexico Slope (GOM^2) expedition.
The whiteboard in the galley said, “DEPARTURE 5/1 0700.” What began as an idea in June 2014, followed by lab and land trials in Utah and Central Texas in 2015, had finally arrived: Gulf of Mexico marine trials. Calling them marine trials sells this foray into the Gulf of Mexico well short of our expectations.
First a little background.
Why are we here?
We are here for frozen gas. Methane hydrates, methane gas encased in an ice lattice, are a type of natural gas deposit found all over the world’s oceans and permafrost. We are here to learn more about them, but how? These methane hydrates are tricky. If we core them using conventional techniques (bring them up and expose them to atmospheric pressure) they will turn to water and gas before we can study them. Instead they must be brought to the surface under pressure, which brings us to the second reason why we’re here: to test the Pressure Coring Tool with Ball (PCTB). The PCTB is attached directly to the drill bit; after the core enters the tool, a ball valve is remotely shut, keeping the core at in-situ pressure as it is brought to the surface and on board our vessel. This is a two-week trial of the tool prior to a much larger and more involved coring program.
Who are we?
We are a cadre of scientists and engineers hailing from four universities (University of Texas, Ohio State University, Columbia University, & University of New Hampshire), the U.S. Department of Geological Sciences, National Energy Technology Laboratory, and two engineering firms (Pettigrew Engineering and Geotek). Together we number approximately 25 researchers and engineers with the goal of proving the quality and capability of the tools while acquiring hydrate-bearing core that will be sent to labs all over the country for further analysis.
What are we doing?
We are going to be working 24 hours a day for several weeks to drill two boreholes in over 6000 feet of water and nearly 1500 feet of sediment to a hydrate bearing layer in deepwater Gulf of Mexico—about 150 miles south of New Orleans. Our goal is to bring 20 three-foot-long pressurized cores to be analyzed at and distributed from the newly constructed Pressure Core Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
After months of preparation we have boarded the Helix Q4000. After the vessel undergoes several days of testing (it’s just undergone major maintenance), we are bound for our drilling site, where several members of our party will join us via helicopter and our trials will commence.
That note on the whiteboard, while meant to be a notice to the Helix crew meant much more to us. Finally, after two and a half years, we’re starting. Bon voyage.