Icy crystals heat up

Houston engineer says he

Wickrema Singhe, a Houston-based engineer and project consultant to some of the world’s biggest oil companies, has wrestled with the same problem. And recently, he’s developed a technology he believes could provide at least part of the answer.

The technology involves using low-energy microwaves to melt the icy structures and unlock the gas, in contrast to leading industry methods that Singhe says use far more energy or are too costly for commercial production.

The concept has attracted interest from oil companies including BP and Chevron Corp., as well as Japanese oil and gas firms.

Houston Chronicle