HOME Contact Kivu lake Physico-chemical study of lake kivu Origins of methane gas Waters structure Conductivity measurements Dissolved gas concentration (CH4, CO2) Density contour of the water Hydrogen sulphide content Measurement field trip : Contrat ECHO 2002 Publications Methane Gas Extraction Methane Gas Extraction The ex-solution and auto-siphon phenomenon The Cape Ribona pilot station Working principle of the pilot station Comparison of different methods envisaged Diagram of the entire extraction plant Description of the column Washing Command and control system of the column Deployment of the column Objectives and productivity European union contract. Results of the campaign of 2002 Putting methane to work Putting the methane gas to work Rwanda's energy supply problem Evaluation of methane gas deposit Supply to the Bralirwa brewery Supply by gas pipeline to the Cimerwa cementworks Problem of electricity Supplying the Pfunda tea factory Road transport of compressed gas Methane as vehicle motor fuel Chemical applications Other applications being studied Natural hazards Natural hazards Hazard of gas explosion Valuation of hazard The Lake Nyos Gas Explosion, cameroon 1986 After the 2002 eruption of Nyiragongo Volcanic risks and the nyiragongo volcano The eruption of the 17th january 2002 Pictures of the eruption Measurement field trip : ECHO contract Mission CONCORDE 2002

GAS EXPLOSION HAZARD. PROBLEMATIC. Lake Kivu, between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo is unique in the world : its deep waters contain an enormous quantity of dissolved gas (3/4 carbon dioxide, � methane). When static, this highly stratified lake, is stable and benign. A powerful disturbance caused by the volcanic activity of Nyiragongo, situated on the north shore of the lake, could cause an upsurge of deep water charged with dissolved gas. These waters would release, either through localised and limited emanations or through a cataclysmic explosion involving a large part of the lake, a large quantity of suffocating gas which would threaten the safety of neighbouring populations. Remember that Lake Nyos, in Cameroon, was the site of a gas explosion in 1986 which caused the death by suffocation of 1800 people in an area of 30 km around the lake. Lake Kivu contains 1000 times more gas than Lake Nyos and there are millions of people living under threat. W e decided to conduct a multidisciplinary study of the physico-chemical properties of Lake Kivu with the aim of evaluating the risk of gas explosion in various scenarios involving the activity of Nyiragongo (eruption or sub-lacustrine magmatic intrusion, effusion of lava during a fissural eruption,as occurred in January 2002). Lahmeyer& OSAE. Bathymetric Survey of Lake Kivu Previous page Site map Next page