【雙語(yǔ)閱讀】日本成功分離可燃冰 或化解能源危機(jī).

　　日本成功分離可燃冰 或化解能源危機(jī)

　　Japan extracts &aposfire ice&apos gas from seabed

　　Japan said Tuesday it had successfully extractedmethane hydrate, known as "fire ice", from its seabed, possibly unlocking many years&apos worth of gas for the resource-starved country.

　　In what they are claiming as a world first, aconsortium is drilling for the hydrate, a fossil fuel that looks like ice but consists of very densely-packed methane surrounded by water molecules, one kilometre (3,300 feet) below sea level.

　　The solid white substance burns with a pale flame, leaving nothing but water. One of it is estimated to contain many times the equivalent volume of methane in gas form.

　　The consortium, led by Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, began initial work in February last year and on Tuesday started a two-week experimental production, an economy, trade and industry ministry official said.

　　"It is the world&aposs first offshore experiment producing gas from methane hydrate," the official said, adding that the team successfully collected methane gas extracted from the half-frozen substance.

　　Under the government-led project, the consortium is to separate methane -- the primary component of natural gas -- from the solid clathrate compound under the seabed using the high pressures available at depth, officials said.

　　A huge layer of methane hydrate containing 1.1 trillion cubic metres (38.5 trillion cubic feet) in natural gas -- equivalent to Japan&aposs consumption of the gas for 11 years -- is believed to lie in the ocean floor off the coast of Shikoku island, western Japan, the officials said.

　　"We aim to establish methane hydrate production technologies for practical use by the fiscal 2018 year" ending March 2019, a consortium official said.

　　"We want to consolidate technologies for its commercialisation," economy, trade and industry minister Toshimitsu Motegi also told a news conference, according to Jiji Press.

　　"I hope we can make use of resources surrounding our country as soon as possible by clearing hurdles one by one," he added.

　　The move comes as resource-poor Japan has struck out in search of new energy supplies after it shut down its stable of nuclear reactors in the wake of 2011&aposs tsunami-sparked nuclear crisis.

　　日本周二宣布，已經(jīng)成功地從日本海底提取出甲烷水合物，俗稱“可燃冰”，此舉可能將給這個(gè)資源貧乏的國(guó)家開(kāi)啟可延續(xù)多年的燃?xì)赓Y源寶藏。

　　一個(gè)開(kāi)采聯(lián)盟從海平面下1公里處(3300英尺)鉆探出這種甲烷水合物，這是一種外表像冰但含有被水分子包圍的結(jié)構(gòu)十分緊密的甲烷的一種礦物燃料。據(jù)稱這是世界上首次提取出這種燃料。

　　這種白色固體物質(zhì)燃燒時(shí)發(fā)出蒼白色的火焰，燃盡后只留下水。據(jù)估計(jì)1立方米的可燃冰含有數(shù)倍于同體積甲烷氣體的能量。

　　經(jīng)濟(jì)、貿(mào)易和工業(yè)部的一名官員稱，由日本石油天然氣金屬礦產(chǎn)資源機(jī)構(gòu)帶領(lǐng)的這一聯(lián)盟于去年二月份開(kāi)始前期工作，本周二開(kāi)始進(jìn)行為期兩周的試驗(yàn)性生產(chǎn)。

　　該官員稱：“這是世界上首個(gè)從甲烷水合物中提取天然氣的離岸實(shí)驗(yàn)?！彼€說(shuō)，該團(tuán)隊(duì)成功地收集了從這一半冰凍狀態(tài)的物質(zhì)中提取出的甲烷氣體。

　　據(jù)官員稱，在這一政府領(lǐng)頭的工程中，該聯(lián)盟將把甲烷(天然氣的主要成分)通過(guò)在海洋深處才能達(dá)到的高壓從海底的固體水合物中分離出來(lái)。

　　官員稱，據(jù)認(rèn)為日本西部四國(guó)島海岸附近的大洋底部有一片面積巨大的甲烷水合物，這些甲烷水合物中含有1.1萬(wàn)億立方米(38.5萬(wàn)億立方英尺)天然氣——相當(dāng)于日本11年的天然氣消費(fèi)量。

　　聯(lián)盟的一名官員說(shuō)：“我們的目標(biāo)是在2018財(cái)政年度結(jié)束前研發(fā)出可供實(shí)際應(yīng)用的甲烷水合物生產(chǎn)技術(shù)?！?018財(cái)政年度截止于2019年3月。

　　時(shí)事通訊社的消息稱，日本經(jīng)濟(jì)、貿(mào)易和工業(yè)部部長(zhǎng)茂木敏充還在新聞發(fā)布會(huì)上表示：“我們要加強(qiáng)以商業(yè)化為目的的技術(shù)?！?/p>

　　他還說(shuō)：“我希望我們能一個(gè)一個(gè)地掃清障礙，從而盡快實(shí)現(xiàn)對(duì)我國(guó)周邊地區(qū)資源的利用?！?/p>

　　2011年海嘯引發(fā)核危機(jī)之后日本就關(guān)閉了核電站，從那以后資源貧乏的日本就一直在奮力尋求新的能源供給來(lái)源。