The Development of Clathrate Hydrate Science

Clathrate hydrates are extremely important in the area of energy and fuels as both potential hydrocarbon resources and nuisances or hazards in the oil and gas industry. They are ubiquitous in nature, occurring in many places on Earth and probably many more extraterrestrial bodies. They have potential for the storage and transport of hydrocarbons, as a storage medium for hydrogen for fuel cells, and for cold energy storage. Other possible applications include CO 2 sequestration, desalination, gas separations and isolation of unstable species. This review will cover the development of the science of clathrate hydrates over its roughly 200 year history and is framed initially around several milestones, which are then placed in the context of discoveries and new techniques in other areas that made them possible.