Only Japan and China have been successful so far in extracting methane from gas-hydrate fields, albeit the fact that nearly 40 countries have carried out marine gas-hydrate explorations:
Why is it so?
What are the highly sensitive geological processes that might trigger hazardous situations before, during and after the gas-hydrate production tests?
The main reason is that Methane hydrate is a self-sustaining substance in nature. It needs power to free out the methane from the clathrate substance. If you depressurize the substance, it will cool off and form a protective shield of water ice (it freezes and no methane will leak out). If you heat the substance, you need energy for heating, thereby making the method costly. If you dissociate hydrate with chemicals, you have to pump the chemicals down the hole, etc. It is difficult to utilize a resilient substance. Remember that Japan has been working on this for over 30 years, and have still no commercial plant that is useful (that I know of).
Poor hydrocarbon resources (and big population) stimulate scientific study and engineering development in order to receive maximum from suronding environment.
The problem with some of the hydrates, is that you will have to use more energy to dig them out of the ground, than you can get back by using them as fuel. Why should you then use them ????
Another thing is that Nankai Trough Gas Hydrates Area is composed of turbidites and reservoir characteristics are similar to conventional gas. The majority of gas hydrates around the world occurs in shales and mudstones, where production is very complicated because the low permeability.
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