Natural gas hydrates are increasingly being viewed by more and more countries as a potential alternative energy source to oil and natural gas.

　　After nearly 20 years of relentless efforts, China has achieved a major breakthrough in the exploration of natural gas hydrate resources. The timetable for fully advancing the development of offshore natural gas hydrate resources has now become clear—according to a statement made by a relevant official from the China Geological Survey at the 8th International Conference on Natural Gas Hydrates held in 2014, China plans to conduct its first pilot extraction of natural gas hydrates in the South China Sea in 2017.

　　Compared to conventional oil and gas resources, the exploitation of natural gas hydrates faces numerous technical, cost-related, and environmental challenges. Today, at the Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology under the China Geological Survey, Deputy Director Wu Nengyou and his research team are working tirelessly to achieve the target of commercially viable offshore natural gas hydrate extraction as scheduled. On October 25, Wu Nengyou was awarded the title of “Li Siguang Scholar” by the China Geological Survey—a recognition given to urgently needed, high-level talents in critical fields.

　　Overcame multiple technical challenges in exploration and achieved breakthroughs in the survey and evaluation of offshore natural gas hydrates.

　　Wu Nengyou has been involved with natural gas hydrates for over a decade. In his research, he has focused on tackling key scientific challenges through independent innovation, achieving several major breakthroughs in natural gas hydrate detection technology.

　　The national “863” Program project he led and completed, titled “Natural Gas Hydrate Detection Technology,” focused on developing rapid detection methods and effective identification techniques for natural gas hydrates. Targeting cutting-edge international technologies, the project fostered innovation and organized the development of more than ten key technologies with independent intellectual property rights owned by China. This effort has resulted in a comprehensive suite of technologies for seismic identification of natural gas hydrates, geochemical exploration, integrated resource assessment, and faithful sampling. Under the leadership of Wu Nengyou, the first-ever discovery of massive carbonate rocks formed by “cold seep” vents in the South China Sea confirmed the presence of natural gas hydrates in the shallow layers of the northern continental slope of the South China Sea, marking a breakthrough in China’s survey and evaluation of natural gas hydrate resources in its maritime areas.

　　While assisting in the organization and implementation of the 2007 natural gas hydrate drilling expedition, Wu Nengyou continuously refined his research approach and pioneered the application of domestically developed natural gas hydrate detection technology to actual hydrate resource exploration and evaluation. This significantly improved data accuracy, expanded the potential scope of resources, narrowed down the exploration target areas, and enabled the first-ever successful drilling to obtain physical samples of hydrates.

　　In his scientific research, Wu Nengyou places great emphasis on strengthening innovation in fundamental theories and investigative techniques. Building on the research achievements of his predecessors, he creatively proposed the theory of hydrate accumulation and migration systems and applied it to the study of controlling factors and accumulation mechanisms of hydrates on the northern continental slope of the South China Sea. This theory guided the selection of optimal drilling targets in 2013 and played a pivotal role in the 2013 natural gas hydrate drilling expedition.

　　Wu Nengyou and his team conducted, for the first time, hydrate exploitation experiments and numerical simulations based on the actual reservoir characteristics of the northern South China Sea. Under new well design conditions, they carried out a comprehensive study—using natural gas hydrate dissociation efficiency and gas production capacity as absolute criteria, and water production rate and gas-to-water volume ratio as relative criteria—to evaluate the exploitation potential and economic feasibility of natural gas hydrates via single vertical and horizontal wells employing pressure reduction, thermal injection, and thermal huff-and-puff methods. They also proposed geological indicators for evaluating the exploitation potential of natural gas hydrates, providing a scientific basis for the optimal selection of exploitation methods in the northern South China Sea.

　　Focusing on basic theoretical research and technological innovation, we will build a core team dedicated to tackling key challenges in natural gas hydrates.

　　Wu Nengyou has successively led national key science and technology programs under the “863” and “973” initiatives, as well as international cooperation projects, and more than 30 provincial- and ministerial-level research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, the Ministry of Land and Resources, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Guangdong Province. He has organized and participated in numerous oceanographic geological and geophysical survey cruises and has published over 260 academic papers.

　　Wu Nengyou places great importance on building a talented team and emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of research teams as well as optimizing their hierarchical structure. In just seven years, he has assembled a multidisciplinary, hierarchically organized, multi-scale integrated research team of 42 members specializing in natural gas hydrates. This team covers all aspects of natural gas hydrate research—from fundamental physical properties and reservoir formation and evaluation to extraction technologies and application techniques—and has been developed into one of the core forces driving basic theoretical research and technological innovation in China’s natural gas hydrate field.

　　With his strong promotion, among the team members, one person has received the National Outstanding Youth Fund, three have been selected for the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ “Hundred Talents Program,” one has won the CAS Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, two have received the CAS President’s Special Award, and two have received the CAS President’s Excellence Award.

　　Aiming at the commercial exploitation of natural gas hydrates, we are focusing on providing theoretical foundations and technical support.

　　As the chief expert of the China Geological Survey’s pilot project for offshore natural gas hydrate resource extraction, Wu Nengyou has the critical responsibility of leading his research team to establish an integrated “exploration and production” R&D mechanism for natural gas hydrates. Building on a comprehensive analysis of advanced foreign technologies and drawing on conventional oil and gas development techniques and experience, he will conduct indoor experimental simulations focusing on the physical properties and reservoir characteristics of offshore natural gas hydrates—from storage conditions and basic physical properties to extraction technologies—thus developing a series of new pilot extraction techniques and methods. On this basis, he will further refine the implementation plan for the pilot extraction, develop key technologies and equipment for pilot extraction engineering design, construction, installation, commissioning, and process safety monitoring, and carry out offshore installation and joint commissioning of drilling and pilot extraction equipment. The pilot extraction project will then be implemented in selected areas with high concentrations of natural gas hydrates. At the same time, he will comprehensively evaluate the technical, economic, and environmental impacts of the pilot extraction, thereby accumulating valuable technical expertise and experience for the commercial development and utilization of natural gas hydrates.

　　To develop safe and efficient mid- to long-term technologies and methods for natural gas hydrate exploitation, Wu Nengyou and his research team will carry out comprehensive experimental research and development on natural gas hydrate exploitation simulation and process monitoring systems, conduct experimental simulations of challenges such as sand production and pipeline blockages caused by produced water, perform experimental simulations of hydrate exploitation process monitoring technologies, explore techniques for exploiting hydrates in the sedimentary layers of China’s South China Sea, simulate the mechanical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments, and evaluate the safety of hydrate exploitation wells and reservoir formations. These efforts will provide the theoretical foundation and technical support for the commercial exploitation of natural gas hydrates in China.

　　Being selected as one of the first “Li Siguang Scholars” by the China Geological Survey—highly sought-after, urgently needed, and top-tier talent—is not only an honor but also a profound responsibility. Wu Nengyou stated that, standing at this new starting point, he will adopt a highly conscious sense of the bigger picture and an extremely responsible attitude, combining rigor with practicality, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to his duties, and making greater contributions to serving the central work of land and resource management and advancing China’s marine geological survey endeavors.