In 2017, UT Austin geoscientists led the first U.S. university-based expedition to the Gulf of Mexico in search of methane hydrates. Today, they are at the forefront of research to understand this possible new energy source. A UT News exclusive by Tracy Zhang.
Pressure Coring Technology One Step Closer to Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Test
By Constantino Panagopulos It’s mid-March on the Texas prairie outside the city of Cameron. Peter Flemings, a professor at the Jackson School of Geosciences, watches the rig hands lower the prototype sensor into the well. The counter still reads 1,000 feet from bottom when the thick steel cable suddenly goes slack. Moments later a dull… Continue Reading Pressure Coring Technology One Step Closer to Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Test
Computer Model Solves Mystery of How Gas Bubbles Build Big Methane Hydrate Deposits
New research from The University of Texas at Austin has explained an important mystery about natural gas hydrate formations and, in doing so, advanced scientists’ understanding of how gas hydrates could contribute to climate change and energy security. The research used a computer model of gas bubbles flowing through hydrate deposits, a common phenomenon which… Continue Reading Computer Model Solves Mystery of How Gas Bubbles Build Big Methane Hydrate Deposits
Complex Geology Contributed to Deepwater Horizon Disaster, New Study Finds
A study from The University of Texas at Austin is the first published in a scientific journal to take an in-depth look at the challenging geologic conditions faced by the crew of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and the role those conditions played in the 2010 disaster. The well blowout killed 11 people and spewed… Continue Reading Complex Geology Contributed to Deepwater Horizon Disaster, New Study Finds