Hydrogen degassing of the planet, analysis of volcanic structures. Eye of the Planet information and analytical portal. Features of hydrogen degassing

(State Unitary Enterprise Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug National Center of RN named after V.I. Shpilman)

In May 2002, the International Conference “Earth Degassing: Geodynamics, Geofluids, Oil and Gas” was held in Moscow, organized by Russian Academy Sciences with the support of the Russian Foundation basic research. Abstracts of reports have been published.

The conference discussed the global aspects of the Earth's degassing and its impact on processes in the near-surface layers, geodynamic factors, their role in the Earth's degassing, as well as issues related to the genesis of oil and gas, and new approaches to the search for oil and gas accumulations.

Numerous reports stated that life on Earth is under the complete control of deep degassing processes, the scale of which is enormous and several orders of magnitude higher than the “breathing” of oil and gas deposits discovered in the sedimentary cover. Planetary catastrophes in the biosphere are associated with deep degassing. The roots of global geodynamic processes have shifted from the level of the upper mantle to the Earth's core. Fluid migration channels associated with disjunctive deformations and injection structures (diapirs) were considered. In the mantle, the most important structures for discharging deep energy were plumes and superplumes. There has been progress in thermodynamic modeling of the state of hydrocarbons in the mantle and their transformation on the way to the sedimentary cover.

During the development of the Earth (4.5 billion years), the process of degassing Letnikov F.L. proposes to consider it as a monotonically fading planetary process with a characteristic depletion of fluid components in the upper horizons of the lithosphere, with periodic pulses of intense degassing against its background.

Fluids are based on gases and primarily hydrogen. There are two fundamentally different fluid systems: hydrogen-carbon and hydrogen-sulfur. They originate at different depths of the liquid core. The hydrogen-sulfur fluid system serves as the basis for the formation of accumulations of sulfides and sulfur-hydrogen sulfide systems in shallow volcanic complexes. The release of a gas accumulation beyond the liquid core into the mantle and its thermal effect on the lithosphere can last tens and even hundreds of millions of years. Gas flows of plumes, having a temperature of approximately 4000 0 C and a pressure of P ~ 1 million bar, burned through the mantle. Significantly hydrogen flows, interacting with the oxygen matrix, release heat, which allows the flows to reach the upper horizons of the lithosphere and influence the composition of the asthenosphere.

Marakushev A.A. in his report noted the different nature of the transformation of ascending fluid flows from earthquake sources:

17.5H 2 + C 7 H 5 (NO 2) 3 = 6H 2 O + 7CH 4 + 1.5NO

1.5H 2 + C 5 H 7 (NO 2) 3 = 4H 2 O + CO 2 + 1.5N 2 + 6C

C 5 H 7 (NO 2) 3 - compounds of hydrocarbons with oxides.

The amount of water released annually from the upper mantle, according to calculations by G. Hess, is 0.4·109 m 3 .

The scale of degassing. The amount of hydrocarbons received from the mantle during the Phanerozoic (over 570 million years) is estimated at 60·10 18 m 3, or n·10 16 t; part went to the serpentization of hypermafic rocks, and part to other processes, including the formation of oil and gas deposits.

The enormous scale of degassing of the Earth is evidenced by the reserves of gas hydrates - “combustible ice” on land and in the seas (report by V.A. Krayushkin). Methane reserves in the gas hydrates of our planet are estimated at 113 hundred quadrillion cubic meters. For comparison, geological fuel reserves - oil, gas, coal (according to the US Geological Survey, 1999) are estimated at 5 trillion tons. Gas hydrates are observed not only under permafrost in northern latitudes, but also in relatively southern regions (in Russia, for example, in the Orenburg region, the Caspian and Black Seas; in the USA - in the Gulf of California). The thickness of the gas hydrate layer reaches 1000-1500 m. On 90-95% of the area of ​​the World Ocean, hydrates of “combustible ice” are developed. This is an additional energy source in the future.

Many reports examined measurements and results of subsoil degassing in the Black and Caspian seas. The death of two sprat species in 2001 in the middle part of the sea was associated with degassing of the subsoil in the Caspian Sea (report by B. Golubov and D. Katulin). On the coastal part of the sea, the fish were not harmed. A study of the fish showed that the gills and muscles contained gaseous inclusions, and there were no diseases or technical reasons for extinction. Using satellite images, they determined the rise of deep waters into the surface layers, which underwent intense cooling. Thermal conditions were restored within two weeks. As hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical studies have shown, there was a sharp decline oxygen and the formation of H 2 S in the bottom layers, arsenic, H 2 S and CH 4 were observed in hydrothermal vents. The death of the sprat is probably related to this. Currently, the Caspian depression is experiencing ascending tectonic movements, the intensity of which exceeds the uplift of the Alps, Carpathians, and Balkans. The earth's crust under the bottom of the Middle Caspian Sea is fragmented by a dense network of seismically active faults in three directions - meridional, northwestern and northeastern, causing extensive zones of subsoil degassing. Bottom sediments are enriched with sulfides and covered with gas hydrates. The diffusion-filtration flow of gas from the depths of the Middle Caspian Sea is estimated at n10 6 -n10 7 m 3 /year. Adiabatic expansion during throttling of gas jets causes a sharp drop in temperature sea ​​water, which leads to the formation of crystalline hydrates.

In the area of ​​the Rakushechnaya structure, gryphons of high-pressure waters are observed. The discharge of groundwater and gases is accompanied by earthquakes. Hydrovolcanism is a typical phenomenon for the Caspian Sea.

The scale of subsoil degassing in the Black Sea was discussed in the report of V.I. Sozansky. 80 billion m3 of methane are dissolved in the waters of the Black Sea, and this is despite the fact that the waters of the inflowing rivers do not contain methane. The full cycle of water renewal takes 400-2000 years. All this indicates a powerful constant influx of hydrocarbons from the subsurface. As measurements off the coast of Georgia show, a flow of hydrocarbon gas rises from the bottom of the Black Sea with a flow rate of 172 thousand m 3 /day in an area of ​​S = 16 km 2. By laboratory tests the gas contains 94.5% CH4 and about 4.5% ethane. That is, millions of cubic meters of methane come from the bottom of the Black Sea per day.

Mud volcanoes and associated “depressed synclines” are widely developed in the Kerchin-Taman region. The formation of the latter requires many trillions of cubic meters of gas. Thick strata formed in these synclines iron ores with total reserves of about 2 billion tons. Of course, the problem of the genesis of mud volcanoes is debatable, and some experts (in particular, V. Lavrushko) believe that the roots of volcanoes are not associated with magma, but are located at depths of 5-9 km.

Below the bottom of both seas lie sedimentary rocks more than 10 km thick, which contain deposits of oil and gas. What is this? Deep degassing from the mantle or sedimentary cover? Possibly from different shells of the Earth, including from the core, as evidenced by iron reserves.

Origin of oil and gas. In reports on the genesis of oil and gas, much attention was paid to the processes of degassing of the Earth and the transformation of their composition along the path of movement from deep sources to the lithosphere. Several reports expressed thoughts about the mixed genesis of oil and gas, the formation of hydrocarbons as a result of the influence of biogenic OM, dispersed in sedimentary rocks, with H 2 or CH 4 coming from the mantle.

The problem of abiogenic origin of hydrocarbons was given a lot of attention at the meeting.

Kucherov V.G. and others reported on the results of the synthesis of hydrocarbons from inorganic components (ferrous oxide, calcium carbonate and water) at pressures up to 5 GPa and temperatures up to 1500 0 K, that is, conditions characteristic of the Earth's upper mantle. Mass spectra of gases released at 423, 573, 723 and 873 0 K were recorded.

IN general view the reaction is assumed to be as follows:

NCaCO 3 +(9n+3)FeO+(2n+1)H 2 O=nCa(OH) 2 +(3n+1)Fe 3 O 4 +CnH 2n+2.

The discovery of oil at depths of 6.5-7 km in Precambrian granites, in the ultra-deep Swedish well, was cited as evidence of the synthesis of hydrocarbons from minerals.

In the report Geptner A.R., Pikovsky Yu.I. and others considered polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in asphaltites occurring in the plateau basalts of Iceland. In asphaltite, using liquid chromatography, 7 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were identified: phenatrene, pyrene, benzaanthracene, chrysene, benzapyrene and benzperylene, the associations of which are typically hydrothermal in nature.

The problem of the contribution of deep hydrocarbon fluids to the formation of fields was considered in the report of M.V. Rodkin. It was noted that the contribution is assessed by many as insignificant. Why? The assessment is based on the calculation of mantle helium in the gases of hydrocarbon deposits and on the use of the relationship between the concentrations of methane and helium for typical mantle gases. The authors note that the error lies in the calculation technology.

In the last two decades, much attention has been paid to the bacterial model of hydrocarbon formation; a number of features of the life activity of bacteria have been discovered: an increase in temperature to 100 0 C and above, at which bacteria can live; the ability of bacteria to remain in a state of suspended animation for many millions of years was discovered; the mechanism of synthesis of various chemofossils by bacteria was discovered; interaction of bacteria with carbon gases and nutrition of bacteria with deep fluids and gases - CO 2, CO, CH 4, H 2 S; NH 3 coming through faults from the depths of the Earth. According to F. Kohn's calculations, a bacterium can produce offspring of 1036 individuals within four and a half days, which can fill the ocean; one diatom, as Ehrenberg showed, without encountering obstacles, in 8 days can give a mass of matter equal in volume to our planet, and a small ordinary ciliate in 5 years can give a mass of protoplasm in volume 104 times the volume of the Earth. Bacterial mass is a real source of hydrocarbons.

At the conference, deep degassing was considered as the cause of the anomalous bioproductivity of the World Ocean (report by V.L. Syvorotkin). Two anomalous zones were analyzed: the northern one, above the Mendana fault, and the southern one, above the Nazca ridge. In these zones, a huge amount of water enters the ocean water column. chemical compounds, including the elements of life - nitrogen, phosphorus and trace elements. The main volume of gas is CH 4, H 2 S, H 2, NH 4; The oxygen content in the water column is minimal. But the surface layer is rich in oxygen, phytoplankton develops rapidly here, and anchovies feed on it, which are eaten by birds. Very high bioproductivity in the Southern Kuril Islands occurs periodically, every 2-3, 6-7 years mass death biota. Death overtakes the entire community from phytoplankton to vertebrates, but after the death of the aerobic biota, the rapid development of unicellular red algae - dinoflagellates - begins. It was noted that the massive death of fish in the Arabian Sea was comparable to the annual catch in all waters of the globe.

At the conference, many reports were presented on the migration paths of gases, including hydrocarbons and H 2 from the mantle. Deep planetary faults and tectonic stress zones were considered as migration paths for juvenile oil and gases. The most favorable for vertical flows were the intersections of multidirectional stresses, ring structures identified from satellite images, and diapirs.

Many reports examined the influence of geodynamic factors on the location of hydrocarbon deposits; it was recommended to analyze lineaments, especially those traced over distances of more than 10 thousand km or more, and to widely use satellite images when identifying stressed zones. It was noted that in the Azov-Black Sea region, almost all hydrocarbon deposits are localized in such zones and this is taken into account during prospecting work.

At the conference were exposed criticize some evidence supporters organic hypothesis origin of oil and gas.

One of the reports critically examined the optical activity of oil as evidence of its organic origin. Filippi showed in 1977 that determining the optical properties of oil is generally meaningless. One sample may simultaneously contain levorotatory, dextrorotatory, and nonrotatory or optically inert components. The ability of oil to rotate the plane of polarization to the right is secondary and is due to the selective processing of levorotatory compounds by those bacteria that live in oil and feed on it, while the levorotatory components of oil are nothing more than the remains of the bacteria themselves. Hence the conclusion: it is impossible to use biogenic markers in oil that are identical to it in the carbon isotopic composition. Over time, optical hydrocarbon compounds become inert.

A number of reports were devoted to the ambiguity of conclusions in the study of the isotopic composition of carbon, its evolution in the processes of degassing and differentiation of the mantle. For example, M.I. Kucher argued that the value of the deep isotope δ 13 C changes depending on the redox conditions of the environment where it enters. Deep magmas contain lighter δ 13 C (with values ​​from -28 to -20-17‰), and in surface layers (that is, in a more oxidizing environment) the isotope can become heavier to -7-10‰.

The conference also addressed the issue of changes in C isotopes during abiogenic and biogenic cycles of formation of petroleum hydrocarbons. Attention was drawn to the fact that the values ​​of the ratios of δ 12 C to δ 13 C are determined both by the initial carbon and by the totality of all processes involved in the formation, transformation of hydrocarbons, their migration and accumulation. Photosynthesis during the biogenic cycle is accompanied by isotope fractionation. The dependence of variations in δ 13 C of carbon CO 2 in freely released gases of recent tectonomagmatic activity was noted. In active areas, δ 13 C from CO 2 was measured as lightened (up to –20-21‰), and in passive and damped areas, a heavier isotope was noted (up to –8-10‰).

A series of reports was devoted to spatial patterns in the distribution of oil and gas fields and other minerals. One of the reports substantiated the general mechanism of the cyclicity of ore and oil formation from a geodynamic point of view, as well as common features in their spatial location. The network was calculated in relation to certain poles at different geological times on the Earth's surface. The grid maps gas-oil-bearing meridians and parallels close to the oil and gas accumulation belts of A. Khain.

In the report of Smirnova M.N. ring structures - Urengoy, South Caspian, Grozny, South Barents Sea - were considered as centers and channels for the vertical migration of hydrocarbon fluids. The author associates their origin with the introduction of asthenolites. The height of the asthenolith, according to her data, in the Urengoy gas condensate and oil field is 70-74 km. Its penetration into the mantle has a diffusion-filtration effect and ultimately promotes oil and gas accumulation: the higher the asthenolite penetrates, the greater the extension and subsidence, the thicker the sedimentary cover and the more hydrocarbons accumulate.

Kochetkov O.S. considered the concentration of hydrocarbon accumulations in “critical” centers that arise at the intersections of meridians and parallels, where maximum deformations occur earth's crust during the rotary rotation of the Earth (California and other centers).

Shpilman A.V. in his report he noted the wave nature of the distribution of oil and gas fields in the largest West Siberian oil and gas province. Bembel R.M. and other authors drew attention to the connection between the location of fields with a high density of hydrocarbon reserves and subvertical zones of destruction in Western Siberia.

At the conference, new technologies for prospecting and assessing oil and gas prospects were proposed. Reiner G.I. et al. recommended assessing oil and gas potential using two independent methodological approaches: studying the structural features of the crust using a complex of geological and geophysical data and a specialized approach to processing satellite images to identify tectonic fragmentation of the earth’s crust (using the example of the territory of the Republic of Dagestan).

The technology for assessing prospects is as follows: the parameters of the deep structure are studied - the thickness of the earth's crust, relief heights, their contrast, gravity anomalies, heat flow, thickness of the sedimentary cover. The territory is divided into cells measuring 20’·30’, with parameters indicated for each cell. Cluster analysis is used for processing; it allows, in a multi-attribute space, to combine cells that are similar in their geological and geophysical characteristics into one cluster. On the territory of Dagestan, 147 elementary cells were identified, which were combined into 95 clusters. “Teachers” were selected - cells on the territory of Dagestan and the surrounding area with actually discovered oil and gas fields. A “Catalog of teacher cells” was compiled and a comparison of teacher cells with predicted cells was carried out. The ratio was 1:2. Deciphering space images was reduced to total deciphering, identifying all linear elements of the earth's surface and creating a lineament network. Using a special program, tectonic fragmentation at various depths was calculated. Next, the lineament network was superimposed on the map, where cells predicted as promising based on the parameters of the deep structure were identified. Promising cells intersected by lineaments were identified as priority cells for oil and gas exploration.

At the conference, the problem was raised about the possible replenishment of oil and gas reserves in developed fields due to large discrepancies in final production from the calculated initial reserves. It should be noted that there is no evidence that the initial inventory estimates are correct. The renewability of oil resources was considered using the example of the Tatar arch (report by R.Kh. Muslimov) and other regions of Russia (report by V.I. Korchagin and others). The speakers noted that small oil and gas fields are being exploited long time and in the later stages of development, the production level, having decreased to 10-20%, stabilizes: there are wells with accumulated oil production of several tens of millions of tons and maintaining high flow rates for a long time. The speakers associate the production of oil from the basement, much deeper than its roof, and the identification of numerous zones of permeable rocks in the basement (up to 60 in well 20009 of the Romashkinskoye field) with juvenile deep fluids and degassing of the Earth.

Some reports examined traces of Earth degassing in rocks identified during the study of the lithology of sections. Kolokoltsev V.G., analyzing the “cone-in-cone” textures in carbonate lenses, came to the conclusion that their appearance is associated with the material composition of heat and mass flows and the dynamics of the medium. The speaker notes that the bases of the cones always face the direction of low temperature. Non-carbonate analogues of similar textures—zircon-leucoxene–quartz and quartz cones—have a similar origin. Textural indicators in rocks are fluid tubes, which differ from bioturbite textures by the relics of the original sedimentary rocks preserved in them with undisturbed primary structural and textural features, and fluid polyhedra of silica composition, found in various sedimentary rocks from the Ordovician to the Devonian inclusive, for example in the Middle Timan, often in paragenesis with native gold and diamonds. Kropotkin P.N. previously noted “sulfide columns” in sections of the sedimentary cover, carrying a mantle association of metals and tracing gas migration channels.

Concluding the consideration of the main problems and issues related to the degassing of the Earth, I would like to once again emphasize the main idea of ​​the discussed reports. Today, given the enormous scale of degassing of the Earth, it is impossible to study the genesis and search for oil and gas deposits without taking into account the possible abiogenic synthesis of hydrocarbons. Analysis of the migration paths of deep fluids and deep energy discharge zones will make it possible to develop a new strategy for searching for oil and gas deposits and to take a non-standard approach to estimating hydrocarbon reserves.

It is important that at the conference, when discussing reports, a convergence of organic and inorganic concepts of the genesis of oil and gas was noted. The consideration of two sources of hydrocarbon systems was met with approval among conference participants.

09:50 12.05.2019

Today I want to talk about such a phenomenon as the degassing of hydrogen from the bowels of the Earth. I will not go deep into the definitions of hydrogen; everyone should know this from a school chemistry course. I will not delve into the question: “Where does hydrogen come from in the bowels of the Earth, in space, in the Sun, etc.” These are well-known and indisputable facts! And in order not to burden the reader with redundant information, I will skip these basics and leave those interested in self-education.

Before returning to the main topic of the article, I want to separately highlight the group of scientists V.N. Larin. and Larina N.V. In the 80s Larin V.N. developed a theory of the initially hydride structure of the Earth, defended his doctoral dissertation. Imagine the level of methodological and evidence base in order to receive the title of Doctor of Science in the USSR based on an unpopular theory. This is not the current reality, when every deputy is a doctor of science... But let’s return to theory. It implies the formation of our planet, and other bodies in space, with a high hydrogen content. You can read more about this in the book by V.N. Larin. "Our Land".

Book by Vladimir Larin “Our Earth”

Let's return to hydrogen degassing.

The Larins have been researching this issue for more than 30 years. A fundamental evidence base has been developed that hydrogen degassing of the planet is taking place and is accelerating. It makes no sense to describe in detail in this resource. This will turn out to be a purely profiled article and of little interest to anyone. Therefore, I propose to leave this question for self-education by reading two articles:

1. Hydrogen degassing was discovered in the central regions of the Russian Platform.
2. Hydrogen degassing on the Russian platform, its pros and cons .

So what are the risks of hydrogen degassing?

I will answer briefly and list the main points!

1) Formation of failures and funnels.

While ground subsidence can still be diagnosed in advance, explosion craters like the Sasovo explosion are impossible to predict without special equipment.

The sinkhole is east of the village. Korsakovo, Perevozsky district

Proval (July 2018) near the village. Neledino, Shatkovsky district.

View of the Neledinsky failure from a quadcopter (photo taken August 2018)

The village of Neledino, Shchatkovsky district, karst failure:

Here are a couple more failures:

A giant sinkhole “devours” a city in the USA:

2) Negative impact on the soil (destruction of humus).

The image from space clearly shows young ring-shaped subsidence structures formed at the exits of hydrogen jets.

Soil subsidence at the site where hydrogen jets emerge. Lipetsk, Sselki.

3) Negative impact on underground engineering communications and reinforced concrete foundations of buildings, which leads to embrittlement and subsequent destruction.

In finishing this material, I would like to pay attention to the works of V.L. Syvorotkin. “Causes of natural fires” as well as a series of articles devoted to the impact of degassing on the climate.

Be sure to watch the film “Destruction of the ozone layer by hydrogen degassing”:

To summarize, I want to say that modern civilization has encountered this problem for the first time!

P.S.: What does Primorsky Krai have to do with it?

The fact is that this year I discovered all the signs of hydrogen degassing over very large areas. According to the most conservative estimate, this is 15-17 thousand square kilometers. More precisely, this is the area where I went, dug, took photos and videos, etc. What I found from satellite images is another 12-15 thousand square kilometers. I handed over all the footage to Nikolai Vladimirovich Larin, and from him I received confirmation that this is very similar to hydrogen degassing. Further confirmation must be carried out based on field studies and measurements of hydrogen content in the subsoil layer. We don’t yet know how this will happen. Either we will be able to invite the Larins to the Primorsky Territory, or we will buy equipment.

Vladimir Nikolaevich Larin

The author of the alternative metal hydride theory of the structure of the Earth, Vladimir Nikolaevich Larin, visited Prague in December. One of the main practical conclusions of his research: since the Earth has a hydrogen structure, we will not face a shortage of oil and gas under any circumstances.

The scientist spoke about this and other possibilities for the use of hydrogen by humanity to the editor of the Prague Telegraph, Alexandra Baranova, during a break between his lectures at the Czech Technical University.

What processes lead to the constant release of hydrogen?

The release occurs in cycles and is not constant. The current cycle, I suspect, began to manifest itself 150 years ago. A good proof of this is the well-known phenomenon of noctilucent clouds, consisting of tiny pieces of ice. Clouds appeared in 1885. They are formed in the mesopause zone, where the air temperature is from -80 to -100 degrees Celsius. Water cannot penetrate there.

The question is, where do the ice crystals come from? Scientists use meteorites and other things to explain. And if there is a process of hydrogen degassing on the planet, please, solar radiation provokes the combination of hydrogen with oxygen, and water is obtained. The water immediately forms crystals - it’s cold at the top. Noctilucent clouds are one of the reasons why we believe that the current cycle of hydrogen degassing began to appear on the Earth's surface approximately 150 years ago.

Why else produce hydrogen, besides the fact that it will help prevent negative impacts on the surrounding flora?

Each car manufacturer has already released its own hydrogen car. It is based on a fuel cell and exhausts only distilled water. It should be noted that we thought that we would be the first to cut a hydrogen well, but this has already been done before us. Last year, a plant was launched in Mali, Africa, on a shallow well that contained 96% hydrogen. The installation generates electricity for the local village. The future is not far off when we will produce hydrogen, fuel it and drive hydrogen cars.

In addition, as I already said, thanks to the presence of a huge amount of hydrogen in the Earth, reserves of oil and natural gas continue to be replenished.

Hence the conclusion: hydrogen degassing is a global phenomenon. Finally, and most importantly, there is enough hydrogen for everyone.

What is the rate of renewal of oil fields and do oil companies take this into account?

The average rate of regeneration of the field is 12-15 years. Of course, oil workers know about this, but they try not to advertise it, because... this affects the price of oil.

Is there some objective method that would allow us to measure the amount of hydrogen emitted from the Earth's surface, for example using spacecraft?

Direct methods are unknown, but a hydrogen plume trails behind our planet in space, like a comet. There are indirect ways to roughly estimate the extent of degassing. For example, our colleague Vladimir Syvorotkin studies the ozone field on Earth. When hydrogen reacts with ozone, it creates water, oxygen and the ozone hole.

Instruments that measure ozone exist. The most powerful ozone holes are located over Iceland, the Red Sea, Antarctica, the Hawaiian Islands, and near Tasmania (Australia). Where there is a maximum outflow of hydrogen from the Earth, there is a maximum drop in the concentration of stratospheric ozone.

How many times do the costs of producing hydrogen differ compared to the costs of producing coal and oil?

I don’t have data about the latter, but I think that the price of hydrogen production is comparable to gas production. At first, of course, you will need to create a lot from scratch. Suppose we drilled a well for hydrogen and extracted it, but we still need to use it somehow. There are no hydrogen gas stations, there are cars, but for now this is a small-scale production. So at first, hydrogen will be more expensive than methane.

Is the production technology fundamentally different?

The technology is the same as that of methane. Colleagues in Kansas, however, somehow encountered the problem that the plug in the well did not want to be cemented. I am not aware of any other differences or difficulties.

How deep should a hydrogen well be?

It depends on geological conditions. That well in Mali that I mentioned was drilled for water, so its depth is only 20 m. In Oman, bubbles of pure hydrogen are released right on the surface. Sometimes wells can reach 12 km.

A good search sign is those structures that we have already talked about above (circular “depressions” of the relief - author’s note). If you have such structures, you will no longer need to pay for the services of geophysicists; you can immediately start drilling. In this sense, hydrogen production is even cheaper than methane. In addition, in any case, we will not be a loser - we will get something (oil, gas, methane, hydrogen).

How can hydrogen be isolated from the extracted gas mixture and how can the safety of the well be ensured? There is also oxygen present, which is known to be explosive.

Hydrogen passes through metals easily. The simplest thing is that if you have some kind of container, you divide it with a heated metal film, through which you pass the gas mixture. In one part you will receive a mixture of gases without hydrogen, while the other part will gradually be filled with pure hydrogen, because only hydrogen is able to diffuse through hot metals. Now there are ceramic-based filters that only allow hydrogen to pass through.

Regarding safety. Hydrogen is a common associated gas in oil and gas fields. 20% hydrogen in a gas mixture is normal; oil and gas workers have learned to cope with this successfully, so there is no need to conduct special safety studies for production.

If we touch on the topic of hydrogen cars, they are safer than gasoline cars.

According to your theory, it turns out that we still have enough fossil energy sources, but today a large-scale business is being done on renewable energy sources (RES). You and your theory are thus crossing the road. Doesn't this create certain difficulties for you?

It's always been that way. Someone is crossing someone's path. So what? True, we don’t make much noise, we don’t go to the press or on television, but we get down to business, we work. The main thing is that there are funds for research. Once, however, we sent letters to the government stating that it was possible to organize a decentralized energy supply, thanks to the presence of hydrogen structures in the regions, but there was no response to this.

It turns out, in an amicable way, that the regional monitoring system should also include the item “Inspection of the territory for the occurrence of hydrogen structures”?

Of course, it will even be useful. The fact is that hydrogen is everywhere, and in some places it can accumulate at depth, blocking its exit. It forms water, and the water that is formed at depth in this way is acidified, since hydrogen drags sulfur, chlorine, etc. with it, mineralization accumulates, eats up all the carbonates. In those areas where the pressure is low, the water flow releases mineralization and closes with a kind of cap of hydrothermal minerals.

Under the hood, the pressure of hydrogen begins to increase, it accumulates, makes its way out, a funnel appears, in the atmosphere hydrogen mixes with oxygen, and an explosive gas is obtained. The result is an explosion. The city of Sasovo in the Ryazan region once suffered from such an explosion. Thank God, there were no casualties, but the city was badly damaged. In half the houses, even sealed jars of pickles burst.

However, you nevertheless claim that there is no need for special precautions when extracting hydrogen?

Indeed, no. Firstly, experienced drillers know the safety rules; they are the same for everyone. Secondly, when you open hydrogen, it starts to ooze out little by little. It is very unlikely that you will end up with a boiler that has closed itself. This happens with gas.

Are there hydrogen structures in the Czech Republic?

Need to check. We have not worked in the Czech Republic yet. In addition, in each region it looks different, so you need to get your eye on it, get used to a specific area, so to speak.

You said that the largest ozone holes are located precisely in the places of maximum natural hydrogen emission from the surface of the planet. It turns out that this slightly contradicts the classical theory of climate warming, which is based on the assertion that humans are to blame for natural changes (industrial development, increased emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, etc.) Would you comment on this?

The easiest way to create an ozone hole is to release hydrogen into the atmosphere. But I will not undertake to comment on the environmental component of the issue, since I am not an expert in this matter.

What are your future plans? Do you want to cooperate with investors, oil and gas companies?

After years of searching, we have an investor who is now funding our research. But we are open and ready for further cooperation with interested people.

The metal hydride theory of the Earth's structure can be found at hydrogen-future.com/larin.

After 2000, media interest in the problem of ozone layer depletion fell sharply. One might even say it disappeared completely. However, the problem of ozone layer destruction itself has not gone away. Its destruction is more intense than ever, and ozone holes are simply “dancing” across the planet. They especially fell in love with Europe: in terms of the frequency of occurrence of deep (up to 50-60% ozone loss) holes, Western Europe now ranks second in the world after Antarctica! Interestingly, holes often “choose” holiday dates to appear. On the first day of 1998, the ozone layer over the Baltics thinned by almost 70%, and on the last Catholic Christmas it was clearly lacking in Sweden and Norway.

It is obvious that, in addition to the “freon” hypothesis, which was awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize, strictly adapted to Antarctic conditions, it is necessary to look for and discuss other theories that can explain the cause of the occurrence of ozone holes in Europe. At least one such theory already exists - this is the hydrogen concept of ozone layer destruction. It is based on the assumption that the main enemy of stratospheric ozone is the deep gases of the Earth - hydrogen and methane.

Hydrogen is the enemy of ozone

The mechanism of hydrogen decomposition of ozone was discovered back in 1965 and has now been well studied. The key role in them belongs to the hydroxyl group OH -, formed by the interaction of hydrogen, methane and water molecules with atomic oxygen. These ions quite actively “break apart” ozone molecules, acting as a catalyst for the hydrogen cycle of ozone decomposition, which can be represented by the following reactions:

OH + O 3 = HO 2 + O 2,
HO 2 + O 3 = OH + 2 O 2,
Result: 2 O 3 = 3 O 2.

In total, the cycle has more than forty reactions and is always interrupted by the formation of water according to the scheme

OH + HO 2 = H 2 O + O 2,
OH + OH = H 2 O + O.

Where hydrogen comes from in the atmosphere is also quite clear: the release of this gas and methane from the depths of the Earth is a phenomenon well known to geologists who study planetary degassing. But for some reason this phenomenon was never taken into account by specialists in the field of atmospheric chemistry when considering possible reasons destruction of the ozone layer.

Light gases hydrogen and methane, released from the depths to the earth's surface, quickly rise to stratospheric heights, where they actively react with ozone. The water resulting from this reaction freezes at stratospheric altitudes to form stratospheric clouds. The presence of flows of hydrogen, methane, as well as many other gases coming from underground, has long been confirmed by multiple instrumental measurements. In the 80s of the last century, academician Alexey Aleksandrovich Marakushev formulated a hypothesis that the main repository of the planetary hydrogen supply is the liquid core of the Earth. The process of crystallization of the solid inner core leads to the distillation of hydrogen into the outer outer zone of the liquid core, to the boundary with the mantle.

The same instrumental measurements also made it possible to detect an important feature of deep degassing. The outflow of gases is uneven in time and occurs mainly (hundreds of times more than in other areas of the planets) in rift zones located on the crests of mid-ocean ridges. The apparent coincidence of the major ozone anomalies and rift zones provides a strong argument in favor of the hydrogen concept.

Danger zones

Everyone knows that the ozone layer experiences the most severe and frequent destruction over the Antarctic. But it is here that the mid-ocean ridges (rifts) come as close as possible and merge into a single Circum-Antarctic rift - merge (note this Special attention!) by its southern segments, where, according to geophysical studies, the mantle is the most heated and degassing is most active. Thus, Antarctica is the area of ​​the planet over which the most abundant flows of reducing fluids accumulate, and the atmosphere is subject to the maximum blowing of natural ozone-depleting gases under terrestrial conditions. That is why the effect of ozone layer destruction is most pronounced here.

The above is confirmed by the “stellar” shape of ozone anomalies over Antarctica. Anomaly maps obtained by orbital observatories clearly show that the rays of “ozone stars” are projected onto the southern ends of the ocean rift zones. So far there is no other theory that can explain this phenomenon. It cannot be dismissed as an accident, since Antarctic “ozone stars” have been recorded more than once. They usually appear in late October - early November.

Fundamentally important results for the hydrogen concept regarding ozone anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere were obtained at the Central Aerological Observatory of Roshydromet. Here, all observation series of the global ground-based network of ozonometric stations were analyzed in order to identify those where reduced TO values ​​were most often recorded. As a result of the research, the three most stable ozone lows in the Northern Hemisphere were established - o. Iceland, Red Sea, Hawaiian Islands. It is easy to notice that all these points are as far as possible from industrial areas, but are active centers of volcanism. They are distinguished by intense modern volcanic activity, which is accompanied by flows of ozone-depleting gases. An important feature of these centers is the extremely high ratio of helium isotopes 3 He/4 He, which indicates the deep nature of the gas flows.

Even more indicative is the distribution of ozone anomalies over the territory of Russia. The map of centers of ozone anomalies that occurred over Russia and adjacent territories from November 1991 to 2000 shows the centers of such anomalies. They are grouped into several clearly distinguishable clusters - the Ural-Caspian, West Siberian, East Siberian, Sakhalin-Indigirsky... One of them is located above the north-west of the European part of Russia and it could be called the White Sea-Baltic or Scandinavian. I note that to compile this map, more than a hundred maps of the average monthly TO deficiency, compiled by the Central Administrative District of Roshydromet, were used.

In addition, it is impossible not to notice that in each of the groups the centers are distributed along the meridian. Why this happens will also immediately become clear if you superimpose another one on this map - which shows areas where at different times and different methods increased flows of deep gases were recorded. These areas are located along the so-called submeridional faults, and hydrogen-methane sources were discovered near each of them - on the Kola Peninsula, around Lake. Baikal, in kimberlite pipes of Yakutia, in the Urals, in the Caspian region, on the Ustyurt plateau...

The geological addresses of ozone anomalies in Western Europe are equally obvious. They often occur over the Rhine-Libyan Rift Zone, which extends from the Oslo Graben in Sweden to North Africa. But the centers of the “New Year’s” anomaly of 1998 and the “Christmas” anomaly of 2007 presented above may be associated with the rift zone of the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea.

Time factor

There is also an explanation for the unevenness of gas emissions into the atmosphere and over time. But their power can at times increase millions of times! The reason is seismic activity or cosmic “influences”. The latter refers, first of all, to the gravitational influence of the Moon and the Sun, which reduces the pressure on the liquid core, the main planetary reservoir of hydrogen, and also causes the internally solid core inside the liquid to “move,” which also contributes to increased degassing.

The generally accepted “freon” hypothesis associates ozone anomalies with the change of seasons in Antarctica. She suggests the following sequence of events. In winter, due to extreme cold, polar stratospheric clouds form in the stratosphere of Antarctica. Chlorine-containing freons, which got here as a result of the general mixing of atmospheric air, are destroyed on ice particles and release free chlorine, which freezes into micro-ice. In spring (north of the equator it is autumn at this time), with the arrival of sunlight and heat, stratospheric clouds melt, releasing chlorine, which intensively destroys ozone. The thinning of the ozone layer over Antarctica indeed reveals such a pattern. In this sense, the prediction of the Freon theory is correct. But an analysis of thousands of satellite maps of the planetary TO field shows that increased destruction of the ozone layer in late autumn and early winter occurs almost synchronously across the entire planet. The Nobel hypothesis can no longer explain this in principle.

But it is the temporal heterogeneity that shows the predictive power of the alternative hypothesis. A continuous series of five-minute records of maximum per-second measurements of the subsoil hydrogen concentration in the Khibiny massif, carried out in 2007 with the assistance of researchers from the Geological Institute of the Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the city of Apatity, showed periodicity in its change. The main period turned out to be associated with the daily rotation of the Earth (that is, it was close to 24 hours). Periods of 7.2 and 13.9 days were clearly revealed, occurring at the moments of changes in the lunar phases. The discovered temporal patterns of degassing directly indicate the dependence of this process on the gravitational influence of the space environment on the Earth. From this point of view, the autumn planetary synchrony in the destruction of the ozonosphere in different places on the globe means an increase in deep degassing associated with the Earth’s approach to the perihelion point in the solar orbit.

An obvious weakness?

The hydrogen concept of ozone layer destruction, in turn, has its weaknesses. The main ones are expressed in the form of two questions: 1) Can sufficient quantities of ozone-depleting gases be released from geological structures to explain all the observed phenomena? 2) Can these gases rise into the stratosphere, where ozone concentration is highest?

In fact, two years ago, a paper by Dr. Frank Keppler was published in the journal Nature that caused quite a stir. It proved that the share of biogenic atmospheric methane significantly exceeds the share of technogenic methane. He estimates that methane produced on the surface of swamps and rice fields, in the stomachs of livestock and termite dwellings is emitted in the amount of 500 Tg annually (1 Tg = 10 9 g = 10 6 t). But the most conservative estimates of the endogenous (deep) component of the hydrogen-methane flux into the atmosphere based on carbon isotope ratios give 2500–3000 Tg/year, a value 5–6 times greater. High, close to the indicated estimates of deep methane fluxes are also given by calculations carried out at the academic institutes of Physics of the Earth and Dynamics of Geospheres.

However, it is not enough for methane and hydrogen to simply appear above the surface of the earth - for the described phenomena to occur, they need to reach the lower layers of the stratosphere, where the main reserves of ozone are concentrated. Many researchers believe that this is impossible, because gases are strongly disturbed by wind currents when rising. In addition, some opponents of the hydrogen concept believe that the breakthrough of any gases into the stratosphere outside the intertropical zone is impossible. In modern scientific literature, there are various numerical calculations and model constructions that answer these questions in different ways.

Experimentation was to play a decisive role. This problem could well be solved by monitoring the release of hydrogen in known degassing centers in order to establish a correlation between the release of hydrogen and the drop in ozone content over a given area. The synchronicity of these processes - an increase in hydrogen degassing and a decrease in the total ozone content should mean that the hydrogen concept is correct. It took several years to organize such a check.

The goal of the experiment was achieved in 2005. A hydrogen sensor installed with the help of Kola geologists in the Khibiny Mountains, long known for intense emissions of methane and hydrogen, showed significant peaks in hydrogen concentration on the full moon of April 26-27 (see: Syvorotkin V. L. Experimental confirmation of the hydrogen concept of destruction of the Earth’s ozone layer // Planet Earth System. Materials of the XIII scientific seminar. M., 2005. pp. 265–267). On the same days, a significant decrease in TO was recorded at the Murmansk ozonometric station. The same ozone anomaly over the Kola Peninsula was also “seen” by the American space satellite EarthProbe. From a methodological point of view, this means that it was in April 2005 that the “hydrogen” hypothesis of ozone layer destruction became a theory.