Exploration and Production of Oceanic Natural Gas Hydrate

Preface
1. Energy Overview: Prospects for Natural Gas 1.1 Energy, GDP, and Society 1.2 The Energy Mix 1.3 Matching Power Supply to Demand 1.4 Energy Policy in a CO2 Sensitive Power Future 1.5 Strategic Importance of Natural Gas in the New Energy Paradigm 1.6 Natural Gas Backstop to Renewable Energy References
2. Economic Characteristics of Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate 2.1 Natural Gas Hydrate 2.2 NGH Stability within the GHSZ: Implications for Gas Production Cost 2.3 Geology Controls NGH Paragenesis 2.4 Production-Oriented Classification of Oceanic NGH 2.5 NGH May Be the Largest Natural Gas Resource on Earth 2.6 NGH in the Spectrum of Conventional and Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources 2.7 Low Environmental Risk Character of the NGH Resource References
3. Exploration for Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate 3.1 NGH Exploration 3.2 NGH Petroleum System Analysis 3.3 Marine Sediment Host for NGH deposits 3.4 NGH Exploration Methods 3.6 NGH Exploration Potential: Glacial Period Sea Level Low Stands in the Mediterranean and Black Seas References
4. Potential High-Quality Reservoir Sediments in the Gas Hydrate Stability Zone 4.1 High-Quality Sand Reservoirs on Continental Margins 4.2 Subsided Rift-Related Sediments 4.3 Paralic Reservoirs 4.4 Aeolian-Sabkha Reservoirs 4.5 Sequence Stratigraphy-Related Marine Sequences 4.6 High-Quality Reservoir Potential in the Mediterranean and Black Seas 4.7 Exploration for High-Quality Reservoirs References
5. Valuation of NGH Deposits 5.1 Petrogenesis 5.2 Valuation 5.3 Geophysical Characterization of NGH Deposit Settings 5.4 The Creaming Curve References
6. Deepwater Natural Gas Hydrate Innovation Opportunities 6.1 NGH Technology Opportunities 6.2 Exploration Opportunities 6.3 Drilling 6.4 Production Opportunities 6.5 Operations on the Seafloor 6.6 Environmental Security 6.7 Lightweight Exploration and Production 6.8 Summary of NGH Opportunity Issues and Conclusions References
7. Leveraging Technology for NGH

Michael Max has a broad background including geology, geophysics, chemistry, acoustics, and information technology. Max has a BSc (History, Geology) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, an MSc (Petroleum & Economic Geology) from the University of Wyoming, and a PhD (Geology) from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. He has worked as a geologist / geophysicist for the Geological Survey of Ireland, the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC in shallow water acoustic propagation prediction, and the NATO Undersea Research Center, La Spezia, Italy in at-sea experiments and operational technology applications. From 1999 to 2011 Max was CEO and Head of Research for Marine Desalination Systems LLC, which established a hydrate research laboratory and explored industrial applications of hydrate chemistry. He has been an author on many scientific publications and three textbooks and over 40 patents and patent applications. He assisted in the writing of the U.S. Gas Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000. Michael was appointed by the Secretary of Energy to the Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee of the Department of Energy for 2014--2017, and is Co-Chair, Diving Committee of the Marine Technology Society. He has been a principal of HEI since 2001 and is also an Adjunct Professor in the School of Geological Sciences of University College, Dublin, Ireland. Max is a member of the Geological Society of America, Geological Society of London, American Geophysical Union, American Chemical Society, Explorers Club, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Acoustical Society of America, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, amongst others.
Arthur H. Johnson is a founding partner of Hydrate Energy International, LLC (HEI) and is engaged in energy consulting in the U.S. and throughout the world. Prior to forming HEI in 2002, Art was a geologist with Chevron for 25 years where his career included most aspects of hydrocarbon exploration and development. Art was instrumental