PROGRESS OF OFFSHORE NATURAL GAS HYDRATE PRODUCTION TESTS IN JAPAN AND IMPLICATIONS

Natural gas hydrate research and development (R & D) have entered a phase of onshore and offshore field tests. Offshore hydrate production tests, however, are only performed by Japan and China. Through comprehensive summarization of two hydrate production testing cases in Japan and the careful study of Japan's industrialization plan, we found that Japan is rich in gas hydrate resources. Even though a great deal of manpower, materials and financial have been inputted into the R & D, but technology assuring stable gas production remains to be developed. Therefore, the hydrate industrialization will be a relatively long process. Before successful industrialization, they still have to do more on resource survey, demonstration and systematism of technology and equipment, making production test, and development of specifications and regulations.