1  

SUMMARY The 9th International Methane Hydrates R&D (Fiery Ice 2014) Workshop was held at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), India, organized by the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, India during November 10-12, 2014 on the theme "Science & Technology of Gas Hydrates: When can they be produced efficiently and safely". The workshop was preceded by 'Geologic Field Excursion' to Nagarjuna Sagar on November 9, 2014 in which 33 delegates participated, followed by a 'Laboratory Visit' to CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute on November 13, 2014 in which 20 delegates participated. A total of 106 (32 International and 74 National) delegates from both Academic and Industries took part in the workshop. At the end of the workshop in the evening of 12th November, 38 delegates joined a trip to 'Golconda Fort - A Historical Place'. The workshop consisted of 2 Keynote Lectures, 10 National Reports, 46 Individual Research Presentations with 16 Oral and 30 Posters. The Workshop was inaugurated by Mr. S.K. Srivastava, Chairman and Managing Director of Oil India Limited, India. The session was chaired by Prof. Harsh Gupta, President of International Union of Geodesy & Geophysics. The very presence of these two personalities, former occupying the top position in oil industries and the latter being the architect of Indian Gas Hydrates Program under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (the then Department of Ocean Development), show their concern on Gas Hydrates Program in India. During remarks, Prof. Harsh Gupta, based on his experience by attending many international meetings/conferences, stressed on the need to expose and project gas-hydrates program to the Earth Science community, and to exchange knowledge and idea through collaboration, particularly among the researchers in the energy-starving Asian countries, to best exploit the advantages of this expensive research and development. At the inauguration, Mr. S.K. Srivastava pointed out that India is now looking for sand dominated gas-hydrates reservoir in the Krishna-Godavari and Mahanadi offshore basin during the second expedition of Indian National Gas Hydrates Program that recovered massive gas-hydrates in fractured shale during its first expedition.

Mr. S.K. Srivastava lighting the Lamp during the Inauguration of the 9th IMHRD Workshop

2  

Prof. Harsh Gupta during his remarks at the Inauguration of the 9th IMHRD Workshop The key note speeches provided global overview on the exploration and exploitation status of gas-hydrates. The individual oral and poster presentations demonstrated recent results/ discoveries based on theoretical development and applied research. The gas-hydrates activities of 10 countries (Japan, Germany, South Korea, China, Singapore, Norway, USA, New Zealand, Taiwan and India) were presented through the respective national reports, and this offered latest information for International collaboration. The six Breakout Sessions with distinct titles covering several important aspects of gas-hydrates created platforms to understand more on current development and challenges of gas-hydrates research through active participation of experts in related field.

Group photo of participants after the inaugural session on 10th November, 2014

3  

KEYNOTE-1 Feasibility of simultaneous CO2 storage and CH4 production from natural gas hydrate

using mixtures of CO2 and N2

Bjørn Kvamme

University of Bergen, Department of Physics and Technology, 5007 Bergen, Norway Production of natural gas from hydrate using carbon dioxide opens up for a win-win situation in which carbon dioxide can be safely stored in hydrate form while releasing natural gas from in situ hydrate. This concept has been verified experimentally and theoretically in different laboratories worldwide, and lately also through a pilot plant in Alaska. The use of carbon dioxide mixed with nitrogen has the advantage of higher gas permeability and less tendency for blocking flow channels. The fastest mechanism for conversion involves the formation of a new hydrate from free pore water and the injected gas. As a consequence of the first and second laws of thermodynamics the most stable hydrate will form first in a dynamic situation, which involves that carbon dioxide will dominate the first hydrates formed from water and carbon dioxide / nitrogen mixtures. This selective formation process is further enhanced by favorable selective adsorption of carbon dioxide onto mineral surfaces as well as onto liquid water surfaces, which facilitates efficient heterogeneous hydrate nucleation. The limitations of hydrate stability as function of gradually decreasing content of carbon dioxide has been examined. It is argued that if the flux of gas through the reservoir is high enough to prevent the gas from being depleted for carbon dioxide prior to subsequent supply of new gas then combined carbon dioxide storage and natural gas production is still feasible. Otherwise, the residual gas dominated by nitrogen, will still dissociate the methane hydrate and the nitrogen / methane dominated gas may also re-dissociate the formed carbon dioxide hydrate. The ratio of nitrogen to carbon dioxide in such mixtures is therefore a sensitive balance between flow rates and rates for formation of new carbon dioxide dominated hydrate. If nitrogen is the preferred gas to add to carbon dioxide then also additional components can be added to the mixture in order to promote conversion kinetics as well as stability of the new hydrate which is being formed. Some alternatives for such components are also discussed.

4  

KEYNOTE-2

An Overview of Gas-Hydrate Exploration Using Geo-Science Data

Richard Coffin

Physical and Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

Methane hydrates, known to be distributed in high concentrations through coastal regions around the world, are being investigated for better understanding of climate change and coastal stability, as well as a future major energy reserve. Japan leads the world in methane hydrate energy assessment with a focus in the Nankai Trough, off the coast of Tokyo. This investigation has lead to Arctic tundra hydrate energy evaluation in the Mackenzie Delta and Prudhoe Bay by international governments, universities and industry. There are also strong efforts in methane hydrate energy exploration that are ongoing and developing by teams of scientists and industry off the coasts of India, China, Korea, and many other nations. Exploration of deep system gas hydrates depends on data from seismic profiling and deep sediment drilling. This approach to hydrate exploration is expensive and may limit the capability to predict hydrate reserves. Recent studies have combined seismic profiles, shallow sediment geochemistry, heatflow and controlled source electromagnetics to predict deep sediment hydrate deposits. This approach provides a more thorough, less expensive, investigation prior to deep drilling assessment. The geochemical, geophysical, and geological assessment of methane hydrate in a variety of locations around the world have been compared. The data show the regions where seismic and geochemical data focus for hydrate exploration and locations where seismic data indicates deep system hydrate deposits while geochemical data suggest hydrate instability, lower than expected hydrate loading, or no presence of methane hydrates. The controlled source electromagnetic and heat flow data can be used in combining the interpretation of seismic and geochemical data. Data is presented from the Gulf of Mexico, Mid Chilean Margin, Arctic Ocean and two regions off the coast of New Zealand.

5  

NATIONAL REPORT-1 Recent Progress of the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program in Japan

Jiro Nagao

Methane Hydrate Research Center (MHRC), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, Japan

Methane hydrate is a solid state compound where methane is captured in cages of water molecules, in shallow sediments of permafrost and deep ocean floor. The existence of methane hydrate has been confirmed in Japan offshore, particularly in the Nankai Trough, from the observations of BSR. Thus, methane hydrate will become a valuable domestic energy resource once its production technique is established. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) launched the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program, and the Research Consortium for Methane Hydrate Resources in Japan (MH21 Research Consortium) was consisted with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) and National Institute of Advance Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Several methods, including depressurization, thermal stimulation and inhibitor injection, have been proposed to recover gas from natural methane hydrate reservoirs. The depressurization method decreases the reservoir pressure below the equilibrium pressure of methane hydrate formation at the reservoir temperature, which appears to be a cost-effective solution for producing natural gas from methane-hydrate-bearing layers. In fact, JOGMEC as a part of MH21 Research Consortium and Natural Resources Canada, Aurora Institute (NWT) revealed that continuous and relatively strong gas flow was possible by the depressurization technique at the Mackenzie Delta site, Northwest Territories of Canada in 2008. As the result, continuous gas flow for six days with gas production rate of 2000-4000 Sm3/day was confirmed. The target of methane hydrate research and development program in Japan have moved to recover the offshore methane hydrate deposits as Japanese domestic energy resource. In March 2013, Japan attempted the world first extraction of methane gas from offshore natural gas hydrate deposits. This field test was performed at the north slope of a subsea knoll (the Daini-Atsumi Knoll) off the coasts of Atsumi and Shima peninsulas, in the eastern Nankai Trough. The main objectives of the offshore test are i) confirmation of gas productivity form the offshore methane hydrate reservoir, ii) evaluation of stability and integrity of wells for shallow and unconsolidated sediments, and iii) implementation of monitoring technologies for methane hydrate dissociation behaviour. As the result, gas flow confirmed for six days with gas and water production rates of approximately 20000 Sm3/day and 200 m3/day respectively. The total production volume of methane gas was of 119,500 m3. Stable depressurization and flow of gas and water clearly indicated that methane hydrate dissociation by depressurization is possible from marine methane hydrate reservoir. Before the offshore field test in 2013, the pressure coring using a hybrid pressure coring system (Hybrid PCS) has been performed in June and July 2012. Total 21 cores (3m core x 19 including 3 ESCS cores, and 1.5m core x 2) were recovered from the silt zone above the methane hydrate concentrated zone (MHCZ) to the channel sandy zone at the lower part of MHCZ. The core samples with three different forms (conventional core, pressure core, and LN2 core) based on type of sediments, pressure conservation, and request from the science party were prepared. The sedimental properties, permeability, mechanical properties have been investigated to understand the reservoir characteristic and establish the methane hydrate reservoir model in the eastern Nankai Trough.

6  

NATIONAL REPORT-2

The German Gas Hydrate Initiative SUGAR From Exploration to Exploitation of marine gas hydrates

W. F. Kuhs1, M. Haeckel2, J. Bialas2, K. Wallmann2 and SUGAR partners

1 Georg-August-UniversitätGöttingen, GZG, Abt. Kristallographie, Goldschmidtstr. 1, D-

37077, Göttingen, Germany 2 GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Wischhofstr. 1-3, D-24148 Kiel,

Germany SUGAR (SUbmarine GAs hydrate Reservoirs) is a collaborative R&D project with 20 partners from SMEs, industry and research institutions. It was launched in 2008, has just successfully finished its second phase and is now starting its third phase running until the end of 2017. The portfolio of technologies developed in SUGAR includes state-of-the-art hydro-acoustic, 3-D seismic and electromagnetic devices for the exploration of marine gas hydrate deposits as well as the monitoring of hydrate exploitation operations. The novel joint inversion technique combines the interpretation of seismic and electromagnetic data and was successfully applied to hydrate accumulations e.g. offshore New Zealand and in the Black Sea. New autoclave systems for mobile drilling rigs (MeBo 70 and 200) recovering marine hydrates under in situ pressure have been built that are suitable for deployments from both, drilling vessels and medium research vessels. A further outcome of the project is a unique module of the 3-D basin modeling software PertoMod for the prediction of the formation of gas hydrate deposits in marine and permafrost settings. Exploitation strategies for marine hydrate deposits are being developed in laboratory experiments as well as in numerical reservoir simulations. The primary focus is on the production of methane by injection of CO2, combining natural gas recovery with the safe

7  

sequestration of CO2 in methane hydrates reservoir below the seafloor. While the reservoir simulations test field-scale strategies and assess these in terms of gas production rates and economics, the laboratory experiments focus on the optimization of the hydrate conversion reaction by application of supercritical CO2, heat supply via in situ combustion and a fundamental understanding of the reaction process on a microstructural scale. In addition, in the second SUGAR phase, novel, low cost, drilling technologies specialized for marine hydrate deposits, which are significantly shallower below the seafloor than standard oil and gas reservoirs have been designed and developed. In the third phase of the project the primary focus is on the preparation of a future field test of the SUGAR technology, also addressing potential technological and environmental risks. The work programme is guided by the needs of the participating companies in developing their specific commercial products.

NATIONAL REPORT-3

Gas Hydrate R&D Activities at KIGAM

Jong-Hwa Chun, Se-Joon Kim, Sung-Rock Lee, Byong-Jae Ryu

Petroleum & Marine Research Division, KIGAM, Korea

Since 1996, the Petroleum & Marine Research Division of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) has been conducting basic research and development (R&D) on natural gas hydrates in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea. Multi-disciplinary research integrating geophysical and geological data conducted between 2000 and 2004 demonstrated the need for intensive R&D on the gas hydrate natural resources in the East Sea. Based on the results, the Gas Hydrate R&D Organization (GHDO) announced the “10-year Korean National Gas Hydrate Program” in 2005. It consists of three phases: Phase 1 (2005–2007) - exploration and initial drilling; Phase 2 (2008–2011) - reserve assessment, applicable basic

8  

production technology and subsequent drilling; and Phase 3 (2012–2014) - development of optimal production technology and test production. In 2012, this national program was revised to extend Phase 3 (2012–2016). The Korean National Gas Hydrate Program is managed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE, former Ministry of Knowledge Economy). The program is being conducted by a consortium comprising KIGAM, the Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC), and the Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS). KIGAM conducted two gas hydrate drilling expeditions in the Ulleung Basin (2007-UBGH 1 and 2010-UBGH2) that characterized the gas hydrate reservoirs and assessed the gas hydrate resources based on two- and three-dimensional seismic data. Korea also developed test production technologies and conducted an environmental impact assessment of the production of natural gas hydrate in the deep-water Ulleung Basin, East Sea of Korea.

NATIONAL REPORT-4

The Status of Natural Gas Hydrate Research in Chinese and the Green Solid Fluidization Development Principle of Natural Gas Hydrate in Shallow Layers of

Deepwater

Zhou Shouwei1 Chenwei2 Li Qingping2

1 China National Offshore Oil Corporation

2 China National Offshore Oil Research Institute

Natural gas hydrate is mainly distributed in the polar and slopes of deepwater, nearly 95% is stored in the deepwater. The natural gas hydrate exploration test target in permafrost and sea areas is more like ore body and with free gas, which can be developed by depressurization, heat or chemical injection etc. The main research projects in China, status of natural gas hydrate exploration, facilities of experimental study, development methods for exploitation and associated risk are presented.

9  

Most gas hydrates stored in mud-sand layers about 10 to 200 meters under the seabed accounted for 80% of the total resource. Because this kind of hydrate layer is near to the seabed, the sediments with dispersible hydrate is looser and poor cementation, no feasible method has been found so far. The authors in October 2012 in Qingdao, China Natural Science Fund Committee Organization of "Shuangqing BBS" for the first time presented solid fluidization development principle of Natural gas hydrate reservoir in shallow layers of Deepwater, and obtained the patent. Combining with the geological situation of Marine gas hydrates drilling sampling in China and abroad, focusing on the core idea of fluidization mining, the technical principle is to change uncontrollable Natural gas hydrate in shallow layers of Deepwater by seabed closed fluidization lifting system into a controllable gas hydrate resources, so as to ensure safe production, achieve the goal of green controllable exploration.

NATIONAL REPORT-5

Energy Recovery from Natural Gas Hydrates: Prospects and Challenges for Singapore

Praveen Linga

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Large amount of methane exists in the earth in the form of natural gas hydrates (NGH), an ice-like substance with guest gas molecules trapped within water cages. The amount of carbon stored as NGH is more than twice the carbon content present in all fossil fuels combined. It has been demonstrated that conventional gas production techniques can be employed to produce energy from NGH. Thermal stimulation, depressurization or a combination of both these methods are the approaches to recover natural gas. One innovative and promising solution to secure the future energy needs and mitigate carbon dioxide emissions simultaneously is to replace methane trapped in the gas hydrate deposits with carbon dioxide. It is noted that there are challenges like sand and water management during

10  

production that needs to be overcome to sustain energy production from NGH. There is an overwhelming need of pursuing research and development at laboratories in order to exploit this huge resource. The state of the art experimental work in methane production from natural gas hydrates carried out at the National University of Singapore in Singapore has been summarized and future directions and challenges are outlined.

NATIONAL REPORT-6

Fluid flow and gas hydrate formation along Norwegian offshore: Recent results from the SW Barents Sea

Chand S1,2, Crémière A1,2, Knies J1,2, Baranwal S1,2, Jensen H1, Lepland A1,2, Thorsnes

T1,2

1 Geological Survey of Norway, Postboks 6315 Sluppen, N-7491, Trondheim, Norway

Vadakkepuliyembatta S2, Buenz S2, Jurgen Mienert2

2 CAGE – Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, Department of Geology, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, N-9019, Tromsø, Norway

Subsurface and seafloor fluid flow anomalies are gaining large interest after the finding of many new hydrocarbon discoveries and large water column acoustic gas flares in the SW Barents Sea. The SW Barents Sea seafloor has undergone large changes in geomorphology due to the impact of glaciations on its surface and subsurface. Glacial erosion during Plio-Pleistocene removed large thickness of sediments from the seabed resulting in the uplift/overturning of many basins and opening up of existing and new faults causing basin wide spillage of hydrocarbon fluids. High resolution seafloor mapping by MAREANO and other projects indicates a wide distribution of pockmarks all along the SW Barents Sea.

11  

Regional fault complexes such as the RingvassøyLoppa Fault Complex have clear indications for open pathways for fluids, consistent with the observation of large acoustic gas flares in the water column. Mapping of large gas anomalies and chimneys in seismic data in the subsurface indicates accumulation and vertical as well as lateral flow of gas and other fluids along structural boundaries and across stratigraphic layers. Analysis of gravity cores and carbonate crusts collected from different parts of the SW Barents Sea provide very interesting results: i) The pockmarks are dated to have formed a few thousand years after the glaciers retreated from the SW Barents Sea. They were found to be active until recent past although almost all of them are inactive today. ii) The carbonate crusts, fossil expressions of methane seepage, from SW Barents Sea reveal a similar age span, indicating that they also started forming after deglaciation. iii) Estimates of extractable organic matter indicate presence of thermogenic components and methane isotopes indicate fluid flow from deep source rocks. iv) Foraminifera related to microseep activity are observed at different levels of the post glacial sediments indicating fluid flow towards the seafloor. Seismic data from different parts of the SW Barents Sea indicate that the fluid flow is governed by the subsurface architecture of the sedimentary units, and in specific basins such as Tromsø Basin, the Opal A to Opal CT transition boundary acts as the guidance layer accumulating and routing upward fluid flow. Gas hydrate modelling incorporating different gas compositions observed in exploration wells indicate a highly varying gas hydrate stability zone in the SW Barents Sea. The multidisciplinary study is important in gas hydrate exploration for regions with complex subsurface geology such as SW Barents Sea.

12  

NATIONAL REPORT-7

A REVIEW OF UNITED STATES METHANE HYDRATE ENERGY EXPLORATION AND RESEARCH

Provided by: Dr. Ray Boswell, NETL-DOE, Morgantown West Virginia

Presented by: Dr. Richard Coffin, PENS, TAMU-CC, Corpus Christi Texas Since the passage of the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000, the DOE has led a coordinated national methane hydrate research and development (R&D) program in collaboration with six other federal agencies, universities, industry, and international R&D programs. The DOE program mission is to advance the scientific understanding of naturally occurring methane hydrate so that its resource potential and environmental implications can be fully understood. Methane hydrate — natural gas trapped in an ice-like cage of water molecules — occurs in both terrestrial and marine environments. Terrestrial deposits have been found in sediments within and beneath permafrost in Arctic regions, such as on the North Slope in Alaska. Prior programs in Alaska have explored gas hydrate reservoir potential and alternative production strategies, and additional testing programs are in development. While not part of this announcement, DOE intends to further evaluate production methods on terrestrial methane hydrate deposits in Alaska. Marine gas hydrates occur in shallow sediments in deepwater settings along the continental margins. Prior marine investigations, primarily through the DOE-supported Gulf of Mexico Joint Industry Partnership’s (JIP), confirmed methods for safe drilling in hydrate-bearing sediments (Leg I expedition in 2005) and documented the occurrence of high-quality gas hydrate reservoirs in areas of the Gulf of Mexico such as Green Canyon and Walker Ridge (Leg II expedition in 2009). However, significant research remains to better define resource volumes and accurately assess the production potential of methane hydrates in deepwater settings. The objectives of the marine gas hydrate program are to: (i) collect a full suite of in situ measurements and core samples to characterize the physical properties of marine methane hydrates; (ii) assess their potential response to possible production activities; and (iii) further delineate the occurrence and nature of gas hydrates in the U.S. outer continental shelf. This provided an update on the US DOE efforts and collaborations on methane hydrate research and exploration.

13  

NATIONAL REPORT-8

An update on the state of gas hydrates research in New Zealand

G.J. Crutchley1, I. A. Pecher1,2 K. Kroeger1 and the NZ Gas Hydrates Working Group

1 GNS Science, 1 Fairway Drive, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. 2 University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Gas hydrate research in New Zealand has gained significant momentum in the last five years in response to increased funding targeting a wide-range of gas hydrate related issues. New Zealand is currently approaching the half-way point of a 6-year, government-funded gas hydrate programme designed to explore the potential of gas hydrate as an alternative energy resource. This programme encapsulates a wide range of scientific disciplines that will be important for the potential exploitation of gas hydrates, including quantitative seismic methods, hydrate deposition modelling, hydrate production modelling and environmental impact assessments. Provided an update on some key aspects of recently-completed research from within our working group that have focused on gas hydrates on the Hikurangi margin – New Zealand’s premier gas hydrate province. The focus has been made on i) high-resolution velocity analysis that are being used to identify localised gas hydrate deposits, ii) hydrate formation modelling with Petromod®, and iii) analysis of double BSRs on the margin. These approaches are improving the understanding of deep petroleum system beneath gas hydrate deposits and the geological processes that lead to the formation of concentrated hydrate deposits. An outline of on-going and planned research for the coming years is given as it looks to identify the most attractive targets for exploration drilling.

14  

NATIONAL REPORT-9

Present status and planning of the gas hydrate program of NEPII in Taiwan

Tsanyao Frank Yang1,2 and Gas Hydrate Research Team of Taiwan2

1 Geothermal Energy & Gas Hydrate Focus Center

2 Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University 3 Universities and Central Geological Survey, MOEA, Taiwan

The BSRs, considered as the major indicator for gas hydrates, have been identified as widely distributed in offshore SW Taiwan. The Central Geological Survey of Taiwan launched two 4-year multidisciplinary gas hydrate investigation programs in 2004 to explore the potential of gas hydrate resources in Taiwan. In addition to the field investigations, phase equilibrium of gas hydrate via experiment, theoretical modeling and molecular simulations have also been studied. The results provide insights into gas hydrate production technology. The results indicate that enormous amounts of gas hydrate should occur beneath the seafloor, although none of solid gas hydrate samples have been found. Therefore, another 4-year program started in 2012 to extend the studies/investigation. In the ongoing projects, some specific areas will be studied in detail to assess the components of gas hydrate petroleum system and provide a better assessment of the energy resource potential of gas hydrate in the target area. Considering the high potential energy resources, the committee of the Energy National Science and Technology Program initiated a national master program to plan the strategy and timeline for the gas hydrate exploration, exploitation and production in Taiwan. The program includes six components: i) resource assessment, ii) production and exploitation, iii) safety and sea-floor stability, iv) carbon cycle, v) deep sea bio-diversity and, vi) energy transportation and industrial application. Furthermore, in 2014, the National Energy Program-Phase II has established a Geothermal Energy and Gas Hydrate Focus Center to better support and coordinate the Taiwan gas hydrate investigation efforts. Eventually, it has been planned to conduct deep gas hydrate drilling investigation to obtain critical information on gas hydrate studies and to assess the gas hydrate energy resource potential. The current status and details of Taiwan gas hydrates program are presented.

15  

NATIONAL REPORT-10

Indian National Gas Hydrate Program – An Update

Pushpendra Kumar

Keshav Dev Malviya Institute of Petroleum Exploration (KDMIPE) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC), Dehradun-248195

The gas hydrate exploratory research in India is being steered by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas under National Gas Hydrate Program (NGHP) with participation from Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), E&P companies like Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) & Oil India Limited (OIL) and National Institutions like National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) & National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT). Several initiatives have been taken by NGHP for exploration of gas hydrate in Indian offshore. Geophysical, geological and geochemical data were collected and analyzed from the East and West Coasts and Andaman areas and, prospective areas of gas hydrates were identified for coring/ drilling operations. The dedicated gas hydrate coring/ drilling/ LWD/ MWD operations were carried out under NGHP at 21 sites (39 wells) in Krishna-Godavari (KG), Mahanadi, Andman and Kerala-Konkan offshore during 28th April to 19th August 2006. This NGHP Expedition-01 established gas hydrates in KG, Mahanadi and Andman basins. The close spatial association of gas hydrates with the deeper microbial gas accumulation in KG area appears to be controlled by methane flux through fracture systems generated by regional stress regime. However, the discovered gas hydrates are distributed in fractured shale or clay sediment which may not be producible with the current technologies. The NGHP Expedition 01 has established huge amount of gas hydrate deposits in the East Coast of India. But the total gas hydrate resource potential and the technically recoverable amount of gas hydrates are yet to be assessed. From 2007 to 2014, about 7000 sq km seismic data has been studied by ONGC and another 1000 sq km seismic data has been studies by DGH, NIO & NGRI for the identification of promising sites of gas hydrates in sand facies. Studies have shown areas with good prospects in sand reservoirs. NGHP is currently planning for the execution of NGHP Expedition 02 for drilling/coring/logging in the East Coast of India. We present an update on exploratory efforts being made by India under NGHP for developing gas hydrates as an energy resource.

16  

Synopsis from Breakout Sessions Breakout Session 1: Challenges in producing gas from methane hydrates and when can they be produced efficiently and safely Moderators: Richard Coffin, Praveen Linga & Sudeep N. Punnathanam Total Participants: 42 Three different strategies for extracting methane from marine gas hydrates were discussed:

(i) Exchange with carbon dioxide

Since carbon dioxide hydrate is more stable than methane hydrate, injection of carbon dioxide into methane hydrate reservoir leads to an exchange of methane with carbon dioxide. Also, compared to other chemicals, carbon dioxide is an inherently safer chemical. This strategy also gives an additional benefit of carbon dioxide sequestration. That being the case, there are huge technical challenges that need to be surmounted to make this viable. Studies have shown that an additive is required for efficient exchange. Still there is a lack of sufficient data, which can be used for model validation. Good models are necessary for success of reservoir simulation. A sustained production from a field for several months is also required for generating high quality data for validation of model. Studies on environmental impact for this exchange need to be performed if this strategy is to be seriously considered. Unless these challenges are overcome, industry will not seriously invest for this technological development. Another aspect that desires to be looked into is the downstream processes to get the methane purified in this approach.

In the context of methane hydrates found along the Indian coastline, which are predominantly clay-based, development of new methods for dissociation of hydrates is necessary. Although it is difficult to extract methane from clay-based reservoirs, clay minerals tend to adsorb carbon dioxide very well.

Another issue that was raised is the displacement of sequestered carbon dioxide over time with the methane generated from natural methanogenesis. Since carbon dioxide can dissolve in water and has much smaller greenhouse effect than methane, this is of minor concern.

(ii) Thermal stimulation Methods to achieve thermal stimulation involve pumping in hot water, catalytic oxidation of methane and electric heating. A general consensus emerged that the thermal stimulation has much lower energy efficiency and commercial viability compared to other techniques, especially, the depressurization method. The thermal stimulation employing hot water does not seem to appear a viable option for producing methane from natural gas hydrates. It was also discussed for looking at out of the box ideas to apply thermal stimulation such as the proposed catalytic oxidation or the electrical heating in-situ. However, such approaches need to be validated and proven before the industry can look into them as a viable option. (iii) Depressurization

17  

This strategy is currently favoured for extracting methane from marine gas hydrates. However, there has been no successful field test using this strategy with duration greater than a week. It was noted that successful long-duration field tests with a minimum production of 20000 – 40000 cubic metres of gas per day are necessary to make this approach commercially viable. It was also noted to manage the sand and water production, which appears to be a major challenge in field tests that have been conducted so far.

Roadmap for production of methane from gas hydrates

The right time of production of gas from gas hydrates depends on energy security of a particular country both in terms of availability of natural gas and oil, and other renewable energy resources; type of geological reservoir and its geographical location; and governments' initiatives, and this aspect varies for different countries. Japan is planning to conduct the next round of field tests in 2018. The full-scale commercial production from methane hydrate reservoir may take another ten years (2028) to an expert in the audience. Due to higher priority in producing gas from shale deposits, the United States is currently behind Japan towards realizing full-scale commercial development. Korea has planned to conduct her first field tests of production in 2015. India is planning a field test at least at one location in KG basin within the next five years time.

Breakout Session 2: Resource Assessment of Methane Hydrates and Key Parameters for Drilling Moderators: Jun Matsushima & Uma Shankar Total Participants: 16 The discussion was divided into two parts: (i) Resource Assessment of Methane Hydrates and (ii) Key Parameters for Drilling.

Although there are some methods available in estimating the amount of in-situ gas hydrates, considerable uncertainty remains in assessing the resource potential. Similarly, although there are some criteria in choosing the drilling locations, the methods have not yet been fully

18  

developed. The discussion was developed from the viewpoint of geologic difference between the clay dominant and the sand dominant.

(i) Resource Assessment of Methane Hydrates (MH)

Since there lies several meaning to the term “Resource Assessment”, the present definition of ‘resource assessment’ was clarified as the estimation of MH resource (without characterizing the MH reservoir).

The most popular method for the estimation of MH resource is the ‘volumetric method’ as follows:

Each parameter has the statistical distribution for Monte Carlo approach. P10: Estimated occupied volume larger than this value of which probability exceeds 10%. P90: Estimated occupied volume greater than this value, the probability of which exceeds 90%.

To estimate each parameter, the measurements as shown in the Table below is used. Furthermore, to determine the distribution range of each parameter, following methodologies are useful:

• Core data and logging data are upscaled and extrapolated via seismic data (e.g. velocity, reflector pattern)

• Convention of methane flux information and CSEM are useful to identify the horizontal continuity of MH zone

(ii) Key Parameters for Drilling

MH Resource=Area × Layer thickness × Net Gross Ra o × porosity × MH satura on × Cage occupa on ra o

Monte Carlo Simulation

PDF（Probability Distribution Function:）

MH resource

P90 P10

19  

• Although the BSR is considered in the first screening, BSR is not the only criteria in selecting the drilling locations, because the amplitude of BSR is significantly influenced by many factors like the presence of gas below MH zone and seismic tuning effects arising from thin layers.

• Velocity information is the most robust and useful at this moment, which can be derived from classical interval velocity analysis using Dix equation, PSDM and tomography.

• In clay dominant MH zone, the BSR and velocity information fluctuate due to fractures. This is a good indicator.

• Followings are also good indicators. Strong reflector generated at the top of MH zone Velocity azimuth anisotropy Resistivity structure derived from CSEM Seismic attenuation (low attenuation in clay dominant field, high attenuation in

sand dominant) Geological interpretation (e.g. finding submarine fan system, channel system)

Breakout Session 3: Methane Hydrates System: Origin of Methane Hydrate Reservoir Moderators: Shyam Chand & Nittala Satyavani Total Participants: 13 Where are methane hydrate reservoirs formed: Most of the times they are confined to the stratigraphic boundaries that are intercepted by the structural traps. Gas moves along these boundaries and gets trapped. There is a gas seepage when stratigraphic boundary cross-cuts the ocean floor. Faults are the most promising reservoirs as they facilitate the movement of free gas into the hydrate stability zone. There are some exceptions to this: 1. Sandy environments (eg. Blake Ridge), where the hydrates have been found in finely disseminated form in pore spaces.

20  

2. Fracture environment (eg. Gulf of Mexico). The movement of free gas is faster in case of fracture because there is no need of additional pressure difference, whereas in sediments without any fractures, gas will flow by a process called diffusion, which takes a longer time. Supply of methane and formation of hydrates: Supply of methane should be optimal--just as much as required for formation of hydrates and not heat up the entire system. Too much of gas will cause flares and does not result in formation of gas hydrates. Gas saturated water moving in the channel sand would result gas hydrates by a very slow diffused mechanism. Such gas hydrates tend to be microbial and not thermogenic as there are no faults. On the other hand, if there are faults cutting across such diffusive system, they result in continuously producing gas fields. The nucleation process of gas hydrates is controlled mostly by the type of sediments and not just the pore size. The more the sediment rate more the preservation of the organic matter, less sulfate and more methane. Hence gas hydrate formation is mostly favoured in the region of high sedimentation rates. Gas hydrates can redistribute themselves and concentrate in more permeable layers. In the fracture dominated system, the gas hydrates are prone to dissolution and re-precipitation. If such a re-precipitation fills up the fractures, it increases the pressure, leading to detours in gas migration. For a good hydrate system, we need a highly faulted system and not one big fault. Time and space variability is key factor that controls the formation of hydrates. Conventional hydrocarbon systems (CONV) versus Gas Hydrates(GH) The source of CONV is thermogenic while for GH it is either biogenic or thermogenic or both. In case of CONV, the constituents are mostly the higher order hydrocarbons while for GH it is either methane or ethane. The similarity is in the reservoir type and both of them have similar leakage systems. Conventional gas is in place and is mobile but in hydrate it is solid and there are energy changes involved.

21  

Breakout Session 4: Methane Hydrates Related Geohazards: Slope Instability and Climate Change Moderators: Richard Birchwood & Pawan Dewangan Total Participants: 20 Key issues emerged during the discussion:

1. Clatharate gun hypothesis – Recent expert opinion at Gordon Research Conference suggests that this scenario is unlikely

2. No need to worry about the atmosphere as all the methane would dissolve in the seawater (Gordon Research Conference), even a big blowout does not escape into the atmosphere

3. Differentiate between subsidence and slope stability 4. Potential for slope instability during production depends on areal extent of

disturbance Discussion on Nankai Trough

1. Engineering research started in 2000 2. Production test in Nankai carried out on 12 deg slope 3. The study shows that slope stability is not an issue 4. Highly sensitive pressure sensors were used to monitor the subsidence

General discussion 1. Be careful about exaggerating dangers to the public 2. Consideration should be given to the properties of sediments in the overburden and

underburden adjacent to the methane hydrate reservoir as these sediments respond to stress changes caused by production and have the potential to fail.

3. Need to be able to compute mechanical properties of host sediments 4. Laboratory measurement suggests increase in shear strength with gas hydrate

saturation but more data is required, particularly the data characterizing the change in sediment properties after the dissociation

5. Strength of the sediment after dissociation may return to the strength of the host sediment. However, recent resonant column experiments by Jeff Priest suggest the existence of hysteresis in the strength properties of gas hydrate bearing sediments. The gas hydrate saturation in sediments was increased from an initial value and then restored to the initial value via dissociation. The strength of the sediments in the initial and final states was different.

6. Question was raised about the suitable experimental and field testing by India based on the experience of Japan. India is planning for gas hydrates Expedition-02 in 2015, and all these will be decided after establishing the existence of sand reservoirs of gas hydrates. There is a need for reservoir characterization, geotechnical testing of cores from the production site. LWD can be used to generate mechanical property estimates using correlations devised from core data. No substitute for the core testing.

7. Few gas hydrates reservoir geomechanics simulators exist. These softwares should be validated through experiments and by comparing them with each other.

22  

8. The constitutive equation used by the software is very important and sensitivity of the software to errors in data should be known.

9. Slope instability does not have a good software but the SUGAR project is working on this problem.

10. Conventional software can be used to study slope instability due due to gas hydrate dissociation if coupling between dissociation and soil properties is assumed to be one-way. Choice of software depends on required level of detail. A major deficiency is lack of knowledge of input properties.

11. Considerable uncertainty exists with regard to subsidence during long term production testing. The oil industry has been dealing with this problem during conventional oil production. It may be possible to develop an engineering solution for gas hydrate production based on experience of oil industry.

12. Hazard related to production testing in the Indian sides– Made an autonomous coring system (ACS) at National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) similar to MeBo. The system started sinking into the seafloor due to low strength of the seafloor sediments. Necessary modification is being planned for future testing of ACS in the KG basin.

13. The class of the reservoir is not known for KG basin. NIOT is investigating different method for hydrate extraction in the KG basin which appears more promising than Mahanadi and Andaman basins.

14. In KG basin, multiple slope failures are observed in the continental slope region. The depth of submarine slope failure is close to the boundary of the gas hydrate stability zone (~ 700-750 m) suggesting the link between the slope failure and gas hydrate dissociation. A systematic investigation of threshold conditions for slope stability is required.

23  

Breakoto geo-sModeraTotal P 

out Session science datators: Tets

Participants

5: Methanta suya Fujii &s: 22

ne Hydrates

& Maheswa

s in sand an

ar Ojha

nd clay reservoirs, annd their response

24  

25  

26  

Breakout Session 6: Multidisciplinary Approach for Linking Subsurface Fluid flow and Gas hydrates Moderators: Machiko Tamaki & Aninda Mazumdar Total Participants: 20

1. It may be possible to characterize the shallow and deep biogenic methane using

combined studies of Δ14C , δ13C and δD of hydrocarbon gases. Along the gas migration path different gas compositions may be encountered in deep drill holes.

2. Integration of experimental hydrate synthesis and realistic field scale observations. Experimental data are based on ideal condition using specific mineralogy, gas concentrations etc. which is very different from the highly heterogeneous natural setting of hydrate system. This integration can greatly help in better modeling consideration.

3. The methane extraction from hydrate reservoir using depressurization and thermal dissociation was discussed. Temperature perturbation owing to hydrate crystallization (exothermic) and thawing (endothermic) at laboratory scale were discussed in relevance to the actual field condition.

4. Importance of few nanometer thick water layer at the mineral –hydrate interface was discussed. Hydrate instantaneously degasses on the mineral surface due to chemical potential. Importance of this process during sediment burial and hydrate dynamics at BGHSZ was also raised.

5. Hydrate exploration being an expensive project (deep drilling and multichannel seismic data generation), there is need for alternative and less expensive methods like controlled source electromagnetic survey (?), sediment pore fluid analyses of piston cores to get an idea of methane flux.

6. The relative importance of advective and diffusive methane flux in significant hydrate generation was discussed. A balanced fluid flow is important is concentrating the hydrate deposits.

7. Connection between hydrate destabilization and climate change in geological timescale was discussed. Members were of the view that the present knowledge is insufficient to

27  

explain climatic perturbation directly to methane release into the atmosphere directly through hydrate destabilization owing to bottom water temperature increase.

Synopsis on Gas Hydrates Laboratory Visit at CSIR-NGRI Hyderabad

As a part of the 9th IMHRD workshop, a Laboratory visit to CSIR-NGRI was organised on

November 13, 2014 to showcase the experimental capabilities on basic properties of Gas

hydrates. The prime objective is to get basic understanding on gas hydrate formation,

kinetics, stability and dissociation under laboratory conditions. The laboratory is essentially

using the micro-Raman spectroscopy as characterising tool.

Basic Characterisation methods:

1. Micro-Raman having chemical mapping (x,y,z) and remote probing facility

2. FTIR spectroscopy characterisation

3. Low temperature DSC to probe dissociation kinetics of gas hydrates

Indigenous Facilities developed at NGRI:

1. Stirred and non-stirred pressure vessels with working pressures upto 15 MPa with

continuous pressure & temperature logging facility. Different cells are with capacity

100 ml to 700 ml.

2. Developed bulk (~ 50 ml) pressure cells, bomb type, to synthesise methane hydrates in

laboratory using cells with acrylic and SS having typical working pressure of 8 MPa.

28  

3. Also developed small volume (~ 1 ml) SS cells, having working pressure of 10 MPa,

with optical (sapphire or quartz) windows. Synthesised gas hydrates were used for gas-

hydrates characterisation.

4. Showed the characteristic encased methane molecular signatures in sI and sII cages

5. Demonstrated hydrate dissociation characteristics using DSC.

6. Explained the approach in extracting information on hydrate nucleation, growth

kinetics, thermodynamic parameters etc., from the experimental data.

Participants enthusiastically interacted on the detailed design of micro cell that is being

developed for in-situ Raman studies. Because of limited financial resources, gas

hydrates were synthesized in some synthetic SiO2 and other clay minerals following p,

T trajectories in isochoric process. Participants appreciated the efforts in developing

such a laboratory, primarily tapping all indigenous components. They also suggested

enhancing the capabilities in conducting experiments under isothermal and isobaric

conditions.

Synopsis on the Valedictory Function on November 12, 2014

Dr. Kalachand Sain, Convener of the Workshop, requested Prof. Richard Coffin, Prof. Bjorn

Kvamme, Dr. Jiro Nagao, Dr. Jong-hwa Chun, Prof. Werner F. Kuhs, Dr. Gareth Crutchley,

Dr. Saulwood Lin, Dr. Tetsuya Fujii, Dr. Puspendra Kumar, Dr. Rajneesh Kumar, Dr.

Krishna Vishwanath to share their observations/comments from this workshop for further

improvement and provide steps/strategy to take gas-hydrates R&D way forward. Prof. Harsh

Gupta was supposed to moderate the function but couldn't be present due to high fever. As

Shale Gas has stolen the worldwide attention, Dr. Sain asked the panellists to put forth

important aspects of gas hydrates to keep the national programs of many countries excited

and motivated. Remarks of panellists are summarized below:

Dr. Saulwood Lin from Taiwan expressed that it was a very successful meeting in terms

of sharing new results and disseminating knowledge from wonderful geophysical data

and laboratory experiments. There would have been more discussion on geochemical,

microbiological and geological data.

Dr. Jong-hwa Chun from Korea complimented for well organizing the Workshop. After

Japan successfully demonstrated the test production of methane from submarine

29  

hydrates, Korea might conduct the test by 2015-16. However, it will be decided by the

Korean Govt. and announced by GHDO as such a test needs lot of data for decision.

Dr. Jiro Nagao from Japan appreciated for nicely completing the workshop, and said

that AIST got a chance to be in touch with DGH, ONGC and NGHP specifically for the

expedition-02. AIST may provide necessary information and guidance to NGHP for

conducting any test related to the production of gas from marine gas-hydrates deposits

from India and any other country in Asia.

Prof. Richard Coffin from USA primarily expressed delights for great success of this

Fiery Ice workshop and thanked all who delivered very fantastic and good

presentations. He appreciated India's efforts to collect and present incredible seismic

data for the investigation of gas-hydrates along the Indian margin. He invited more

people to join the gas-hydrates research program to make it more successful on global

scale. He also asked comments for further improvement and requested proposals for

hosting the next Fiery Ice workshop. He was amazed to see lot of people participating

to this workshop. He praised for the fantastic interpretation of geophysical and well log

data, and stressed upon the need for more results from geochemical, heat flow,

controlled source electromagnetic data to build a comprehensive model of gas hydrate

system. he mentioned on the need of a broad scale understanding of methane

concentration deep in the system and methane concentration in shallow system. He

stressed on the laboratory experiments to be made more realistic by adding more than

sand or more than clay for comprehensive understanding of the formation, stability and

dissociation of gas hydrates. This could be made further realistic with microbial

community driven, quantifying age variance and different organic loading.

Dr. Bjorn Kvamme from Norway said that it was a great session. The gas hydrates

system in sediments has never reached the thermodynamic equilibrium, one needs to

study by bringing that into reservoir simulator at some stage. He mentioned on the

integration of different disciplines working at different scale. There are so many

different scales and there are so many phenomena and multi scale process that really

need to be understood. More discussion is required to understand the entire gas hydrates

system: why do we get more saturation at some places and low at other places, whether

fresh gas is entering the system, how fracture system works. We really need to

understand the dynamics of the fracture system, dynamics of the reservoir system, and

extremely required to integrate the multidisciplinary approach.

30  

Prof. Werner F. Kuhs from Germany said it was his first and very enjoyable workshop.

Certainly integration of different disciplines across the national barriers is needed for a

better understanding of the dynamic process of gas-hydrates. He focused on multi scale

approach from nano scale to Km scale, if needed to atomic scale. He gave a message to

young students to learn how to cooperate between different disciplines, listen first what

others do, not easy to follow always, understand the key points, and be more deductive.

Along with the seismics, he stressed upon studying the Controlled Source Electro-

Magnetics to answer some of the questions with regard to gas-hydrates reservoir. He

suggested to invite key people to the next workshop with key expertise and open

questions.

Dr. Gareth Crutchley from GNS, New Zealand said that he learned a lot from this

workshop. He also mentioned that some issues can be resolved using the Controlled

Source Electro-Magnetics studies. The breakout sessions were really very good. He also

stressed on the Inter-disciplinary study that brings people from different areas and bring

out information that cannot be extracted uniquely from one discipline.

Dr. Tetsuya Fujji from JOGMEC, Japan was very impressed with the analysis and

interpretation of seismic data. Japan is now trying to interpret what happened during the

production test of submarine gas-hydrates. They have made different working groups

with history matching, geo-mechanics for fluid flow, logging group. There are lot of

issues to be solved. Their next target is to establish the sand management. In the next

production test, Japan looks for gas production increasing tendency. Of course, Japan

will share her expertise and would like to collaborate with many people.

Dr. Rajneesh Kumar from NCL, Pune said that it was not an easy task for organizing

such a large workshop with so many people due to financial constraints in most of our

Govt. organization/institutes. On Indian perspective, he stressed on the need of

strengthening the work force to expand the gas hydrates research from lab scale to

bench scale to pilot scale. India has been collaborating with USA and Japan but needs

to build her own critical mass of people. He advised to write editorials with a view to

educate more people about gas hydrates, and attract young people to pursue advanced

research on gas-hydrates. He also mentioned that Indian organizations/Institutes must

come together to resolve several issues on gas-hydrates through multi-disciplinary

approach.

Mr. Krishna Vishwanath from DGH, Delhi, mentioned that India has formed the

National Gas Hydrates Program (NGHP) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum &

31  

Natural Gas in which DGH is the coordinator, and several other organizations like

ONGC, GAIL, OIL, RIL, IOCL, GSI, and institutes like NGRI, NIOT, NIO are actively

involved. Several R&D projects related to laboratory aspect, exploratory aspect,

operation aspect have been completed and are being taken up by member organizations.

Besides, the joint study between the member organization and the Indian Institute of

Technology are also being pursued with a view to understand some critical aspect based

on multi-disciplinary approach. The missing gap between Universities and Industries

can probably be met by this type of workshop. NGHP is also maintaining its

relationship with many countries like USA, Japan and Germany for better

understanding of gas-hydrates towards the exploration & exploitation. India is almost

ready for the expedition-02 sometimes in 2015.

Dr. Puspendra Kumar from ONGC, Dehradun attended the workshop at the last day.

Though he missed some of the deliberations, but was very impressed by attending the

breakout sessions and got the flavour what exactly happened during the last two days.

Several issues, like whether gas is biogenic or thermogenic, where gas is coming from,

how much the resource potential, reason for variation in saturation, what are the

deciding factors for drilling, what kind of technology required for production, methods

for identifying massive gas hydrates below the seafloor, all discussed during the

workshop, are very important to industry for considering gas hydrates as a future major

energy resource. He raised a pertinent question whether Japan has postponed the

commercial test production by another 10 years till 2028? Dr. Jiro Nagao affirmed that

Japan would move to the commercial production, may be after 2028, based on

encouraging results on subsequent field test production. However, Dr. Kumar

mentioned that many Japanese websites still show commercial production by 2018.

With reference to the concern raised by Dr. Rajnish Kumar, Dr. Pushpendra Kumar

mentioned that NGHP and ONGC are planning simultaneously for encouraging

industry-academia co-operation program particularly in the field of gas-hydrates along

with sponsoring fellowship to young researchers. NGHP and ONGC have identified

some short-, mid- and long-term research areas, and is in the process of inviting

proposal from potential researchers. He also mentioned that NGHP is very cohesive

where many organizations are working together. It encourages to pursue different

activities only to rationalize, because it is a national program. Sometimes, similar works

are discouraged to avoid repetition. He enjoyed the day-long program and

complimented the Organizer for making it a very good technical workshop.

32  

Dr. Kalachand Sain from CSIR-NGRI thanked all the panellists for their observation

and comments. He agreed to Prof. Kuhs's observation that they should have been more

discussion covering different disciplines/field. Keeping this in view, Dr. Sain mentioned

that about 150 letters of invitation were sent to topmost scientists, technologists,

academician, industry people working in the field of gas hydrates at different countries

to attend the 9th IMHRD workshop. It was very difficult to get people from different

disciplines on a single date at a single platform, as someone has teaching load, someone

is in the cruise, someone has field program, someone attended just concluded

seminar/workshop, someone has no fund to attend, someone having other

commitment... etc. Dr. Sain brought to the notice that to make a workshop very

successful in terms of deliberation of recent results/discoveries on gas-hydrates not only

from geo-science data point of view but also from technological point of view,

laboratory study point of view, production point of view and many other issues by those

who proved themselves as world-leaders in different countries, there should be some

seed fund available. He was fortunate to organize this Workshop at HICC, Hyderabad

due to financial support obtained timely from the University of Bergen, Hawaii

University, US Dept. of Energy, and many Indian Organizations/Institutes. The success

of this workshop has been possible because of great initiatives, active involvement and

cooperation provided by Dr. Richard Coffin, Prof. Bjorn Kvamme, Prof. Stephen M.

Masutani, Prof. Tsutomu Uchida, Prof. Hideo Narita, Prof. Harsh Gupta since its

beginning. He also mentioned that the next workshop is very important in terms of

celebrating the 10th IMHRD Workshop.

Prof. Kvamme said that the point of having seed fund is noted down and would be

discussed with other members like Prof. Narita, Prof. Uchida and Prof Masutani. He

mentioned that it was difficult for many key people to attend the 9th workshop due to

various reasons. About who will take the lead role for the next workshop, he mentioned

that Taiwan and Singapore already expressed their desire to hold it. However, the

decision would be made at a later date, and requested to all to send one page proposal.

Dr. Richard Coffin asked all National representatives to email him the proposal for

organizing the 10th IMHRD Workshop, if interested. He mentioned on the willingness

of Hawaii, Alaska, Singapore and Taiwan for holding the 10th Workshop. Since Taiwan

was ready, Dr. Saulwood Lin was asked to present the proposal, and he made a

beautiful presentation.

33  

Everybody appreciated for successfully and fruitfully finishing the workshop.

A photo of Cultural Program in the evening of November 10, 2014

A group photo at the end of the Valedictory Function on November 12, 2014

34  

A poster session during the IMHRD Workshop

Group photo of participants at the Golkonda Fort - a historical place of Hyderabad in the eveninhg of November 12, 2014.

35  

Group Photo before leaving for the Geologic Field Excursion at Nagarjuna Sagar, near Hyderabad on November 9, 2014.

This provided a (i) glimpse of the Archaean greenstone belts, Precambrian granites

and gneisses, and Proterozoic sediments in Eastern Dharwar Craton, (ii) sight of the

Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir - a major multipurpose irrigation project, and (iii) glance of

one of the largest (masonry) irrigation dams in Asia called the Nagarjuna Sagar. Three

experts and thirty-three delegates participated to the Field excursion.