Given the fact that it has natural gas as its source of energy. Why can’t it simply by any method be used to produce energy?
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It *can*, it’s just not worth it. The Darwaza crater isn’t actually putting out that much gas; Turkeminstan has tons of good natural gas wells, it’s not worth trying to tap a low pressure/high area vent like the crater.
A working natural gas well puts pure gas out nicely in a pipe. The Darwaza crater gas is large and diluted…to capture that gas you’d have to somehow cap the whole thing with an airtight cover. Why bother?
I have a certain level of expertise on this. I led a National Geographic expedition to go down inside it back in 2013. (Long story, but super-amazing expedition)
The amount of heat produced is not worth harnessing directly, it would not be profitable to build a generating station there. However, the government does have plans to tap into the existing reservoir of natural gas beneath the crater. For years they’ve been talking about extinguishing the fire and extracting the gas, but it has not happened yet. In the meantime, the “Doorway To Hell” has become Turkmenistan’s #1 tourist attraction.
It *can*, it’s just not worth it. The Darwaza crater isn’t actually putting out that much gas; Turkeminstan has tons of good natural gas wells, it’s not worth trying to tap a low pressure/high area vent like the crater.
A working natural gas well puts pure gas out nicely in a pipe. The Darwaza crater gas is large and diluted…to capture that gas you’d have to somehow cap the whole thing with an airtight cover. Why bother?
It *can*, it’s just not worth it. The Darwaza crater isn’t actually putting out that much gas; Turkeminstan has tons of good natural gas wells, it’s not worth trying to tap a low pressure/high area vent like the crater.
A working natural gas well puts pure gas out nicely in a pipe. The Darwaza crater gas is large and diluted…to capture that gas you’d have to somehow cap the whole thing with an airtight cover. Why bother?
I have a certain level of expertise on this. I led a National Geographic expedition to go down inside it back in 2013. (Long story, but super-amazing expedition)
The amount of heat produced is not worth harnessing directly, it would not be profitable to build a generating station there. However, the government does have plans to tap into the existing reservoir of natural gas beneath the crater. For years they’ve been talking about extinguishing the fire and extracting the gas, but it has not happened yet. In the meantime, the “Doorway To Hell” has become Turkmenistan’s #1 tourist attraction.
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