Invited by the School of Marine Science and Engineering at Nanjing Normal University and the Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Land-Sea Environmental Evolution and Ecological Construction, Researcher Li Yanlong from Laoshan National Laboratory delivered a special academic report titled "Discussion on Several Key Scientific and Technological Issues in the Exploitation of Marine Natural Gas Hydrates" to the faculty and students of the college on April 22, 2026. The report was chaired by Vice Dean Professor Yang Yang, and was attended by numerous faculty members and graduate students.

Researcher Li Yanlong began by highlighting the strategic significance of marine natural gas hydrates, pointing out that their safe and efficient development is a major strategic necessity for ensuring national energy security and promoting advancements in marine engineering technology. However, the exploitation of natural gas hydrates faces multiple bottlenecks, including the susceptibility of unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs to sand production, the ultra-low permeability of tight gas/shale reservoirs, the difficulty of heavy oil flow in viscous oil reservoirs, and the challenges of water control in conventional gas well exploitation. These issues make the exploitation process far more dependent on solutions to engineering geological problems than the extraction of other fossil fuels. Subsequently, he systematically elaborated on the core concept of "integrated geological-engineering-environmental regulation," emphasizing that finding a balance among the efficiency and safety of exploration and development activities, and the geological environmental carrying capacity of the hydrate system, is an inevitable requirement for achieving sustainable development of marine hydrate resources. Building on this, Researcher Li Yanlong also introduced multi-scale characterization methods for the mechanical behavior of hydrate-bearing sediments and the mechanisms and methods for controlling sand production during hydrate exploitation. Finally, he pointed out that the industrialization process of hydrate exploitation must inevitably follow the path of "integrated geological-engineering-environmental regulation." China's natural gas hydrate endeavors are currently at the forefront internationally, facing challenges such as a lack of precedent to follow, social public opinion pressures, and economic, technical, and engineering hurdles, marking a critical crossroads.

After the report, the attending faculty and students engaged in in-depth discussions with Researcher Li Yanlong on topics including submarine geological disasters, mineral resource distribution, monitoring technology and equipment, and multi-scale experimental methods. This lecture provided a valuable learning platform for the faculty and students, not only deepening their understanding of cutting-edge scientific issues in marine natural gas hydrate energy development but also offering significant inspiration for future research in interdisciplinary fields such as marine geological engineering and deep-sea resource development.

Li Yanlong is a researcher at Laoshan National Laboratory, who has long been engaged in fundamental theories and technology development for marine natural gas hydrate energy extraction. He has successively led key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and projects under the National Key R&D Program of China. He has authored over 40 academic papers and received academic awards including the Special Gold Medal with the Commendation of the Jury at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions and the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from Shandong Province.

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