FLOATING AUTOMATED FACTORY SYSTEM FOR EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF SEABED RESOURCES AND REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Abstract

Japan has the sixth-largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering approximately 4.47 million square kilometers. Methane hydrate is known to exist under the seafloor, with approximately 100 times the amount of Japan’s annual natural gas consumption. To minimize the cost from extraction to the processing of such seabed resources, the installation of facilities that can generate electricity directly above the sea area where the resources are located is considered the most efficient strategy for the extraction and conversion to energy. Furthermore, methane gas can be converted to hydrogen gas through a steam reforming process, thereby minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. By arranging various factories around the facility as floating structures, it will be possible to reduce the costs from product processing to the manufacturing of finished products. Further, floating factories can minimize tsunami damage when compared with factories on reclaimed land in the coastal areas. To effectively utilize energy resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we propose a floating structure that can consolidate the respective movements of people, products, and logistics from the seafloor to the sea and its surroundings.