中国天然气水合物调查研究现状及其进展

天然气水合物大致经历了实验室研究、管道堵塞及防治、资源调查与开发利用4个发展阶段,中国目前正处于资源调查阶段的早期。自1999年开始,中国先后开展了南海、东海、陆上冻土区和国际海底区域天然气水合物的调查研究,相继发现了一系列地质、地球物理和地球化学异常标志,并在南海北部神狐地区成功采到水合物实物样品,取得了找矿工作的重大突破,显示出良好的找矿前景,但目前仍存在着调查研究程度较低、技术装备比较落后等问题。随着国家对天然气水合物重视程度的加强,中国天然气水合物的调查研究进程将会将进一步加快,并在不久的将来过渡到试生产阶段和商业性生产阶段。

Gas hydrate investigation and research in China: Present status and progress

The gas hydrate-related activities may largely go through four development stages: laboratory curiosity, pipe clogging and its prevention and control, resource investigation and exploitation and utilization. At present China is in the early phase of the resource investigation stage. Since 1999, scientists of China have carried out gas hydrate investigations and research in the South China Sea, East China Sea, offshore permafrost zones and international sea-floor areas and found a number of geological, geophysical and geochemical anomalies of gas hydrate and successfully collected samples of gas hydrate in the Shenhu area in the northern South China Sea. Then a major breakthrough was made in mineral exploration and good prospects are shown in the area. However, at present there are still some problems such as a lower exploration level and relatively backward exploration techniques and equipment. With more importance attached to gas hydrate by China, gas hydrate investigation and research in China will be further accelerated and in the near term the stage of resource investigation will pass into the stage of trial production and the stage of commercial production.