Hydrate Production Methods

Three basic methods have been proposed to dissociate hydrates. These are depressurization, thermal and chemical stimulation. It is likely that depressurization will play a role in all methods of hydrate production. However it may not proceed at a sufficiently fast rate if used as the sole production method. The use of thermal stimulation is problematic due to the scale of expected energy losses. Most chemicals have too high a freezing point or are toxic.