The mention of "flammable ice" might confuse many people because isn't ice typically used to extinguish fires?
Why would ice be flammable?
In fact, flammable ice is not ordinary ice but refers to a mixture containing natural gas (methane). It's named flammable ice because of its appearance resembling ice.
Flammable ice is formed by methane and water under low-temperature, high-pressure conditions. It can be refined into natural gas for human use, hence the name flammable ice.
Flammable ice is regarded as a new type of clean energy and considered an alternative to oil. When burned, it produces no impurities or emissions, making it an environmentally friendly energy source.
China has the world's largest reserves of flammable ice, but currently, there is little sign of flammable ice replacing oil in the market.
Why isn't this clean energy source more widely used?
China's Global Leading Reserves
Energy is crucial for national development.
Without sufficient energy, people's lives will be affected. Although forecasts suggest that China's oil reserves can sustain for about 100 years until 2022, the increasing consumption of oil over time has made the issue of energy depletion increasingly prominent.
Therefore, finding alternatives to oil becomes crucial.
Flammable ice, as an emerging clean energy source, has attracted much attention. With its enormous reserves and low consumption, it is considered an ideal substitute for oil.
China began in-depth research on flammable ice in the South China Sea in the 1990s and discovered abundant resources there.
In recent years, China has conducted several experiments on flammable ice extraction in the South China Sea and successfully extracted flammable ice in the Shenhu area in the northern part of the South China Sea in 2017. Apart from China, other countries are also actively developing flammable ice resources, especially Japan.
However, due to territorial disputes, Japan has not yet conducted extraction in the South China Sea but has focused on waters near its own territory.
Flammable Ice as an Alternative to Oil
Flammable ice is considered an alternative to oil because it contains a large amount of methane, which can be converted into natural gas at a very high ratio under standard atmospheric pressure.
Moreover, burning flammable ice does not produce impurities, and its heat release efficiency is higher than traditional fossil fuels.
Due to the extensive use of mineral fuels globally leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions, flammable ice has become a much-needed alternative energy source.
However, extracting flammable ice is not easy.
It forms under low-temperature, high-pressure conditions and is prone to melting, making extraction challenging.
Additionally, methane in flammable ice is a greenhouse gas, and if emissions cannot be effectively controlled during extraction, it could have adverse effects on global climate.
Furthermore, due to high costs and technical difficulties, people have not yet fully mastered the relevant extraction technologies.
Despite its tremendous potential, greater emphasis on environmental protection and sustainable resource utilization is needed in the development and utilization of flammable ice.
Blind development may cause ecological damage, so it requires careful consideration.
Kommentare