METHANE GAS COLLECTING DEVICE AND COLLECTING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collecting device and a method for collecting methane gas from a wide, and thin layer of the sea bottom. SOLUTION: A cylinder body 1 made of concrete is partitioned to provide an excavating chamber 2, a suction chamber 3 and a sediment storage chamber 4. The suction chamber 3 has permeation ports 31 opened toward the outside of the cylinder body 1. The excavating chamber 2 is open on one side at the tip of the cylinder body 1 and provided with jet ports 22 of jet water and a cutting edge 21 formed around the jet ports. The excavating chamber 2 and the sediment storage chamber 4 are connected by mud feed pipes 43, and the suction chamber 3 and the outside of the cylinder body 1 are connected by a collecting duct 32. After installing the cylinder body 1 in a methane hydrate layer, methane gas collected in the suction chamber 3 is fed to an external working base through the collecting duct 32. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI