天然气水合物即俗称的可燃冰是甲烷和水在特定的高压和低温条件下结合而成的物质。这些条件在海床上形成，在那里天然气水合物在沉积物的孔隙空间内不断生长积聚。随着逐渐分解，沉积物的强度呈减弱趋势，孔隙空间逐渐增大，从而使沉积物内部出现脆弱区域，更严重时甚至会引发海底滑坡。
可燃冰是近20年来在海洋和冻土带发现的新型洁净能源，可以作为传统能源如石油、碳等的替代品。据估算，世界上可燃冰所含有机碳的总资源量相当于全球已知煤、石油和天然气的2倍。
但是对于可燃冰的开采技术尚未成熟，如果在开采过程中出现意外，可燃冰被扰动并且释放到大气中将会导致严重的环境问题，所以必须提前对可燃冰进行深入的科学研究。
英国GDS很早就介入了可燃冰三轴测试技术领域，在多年前就给英国南安普敦大学提供了专门用于可燃冰研究的低温、高压共振柱测试系统。
GDS最新开发了一系统天然气水合物测试系统，又称为可燃冰测试系统，系统包括三轴仪及共振柱。所有系统都能实现在高压下(最高可达25MPa)对气态反压进行控制，例如甲烷，二氧化碳或氮，同时温度可控制到零下20度。这是在实验室内培养及测试可燃冰的必要温度，下面是使用GDS可燃冰系统所做科学研究的相关论文。
GDS可燃冰测试系统相关文献：
| Priest, J.A. Clayton, C.R.I. and Rees, E.V.L. (2014) | "Potential impact of gas hydrate and its dissociation on the strength of host sediment in the Krishna-Godavari Basin" Marine and Petroleum Geology |
| Best, A.I., Priest, J.A., Clayton, C.R.I. and Rees, E.V.L. (2013) | "The effect of methane hydrate morphology and water saturation on seismic wave attenuation in sand under shallow sub-seafloor conditions" Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 27 February 2013 |
| Rees E.V.L, Priest J. A., Clayton C. R. I., (2011) | "The structure of methane gas hydrate bearing sediments from the Krishna-Godavari Basin as seen from micro-CT scanning" Marine and Petroleum Geology, 28, 1283-1293 |
| Clayton, C.R.I. (2011) | "Stiffness at small strain: research and practice" 50th Rankine Lecture, Geotechnique, 61, 1, 5-30 |
| Best, A.I., Priest, J.A. & Clayton, C.R.I. (2010) | "A resonant column study of the seismic properties of methane-hydrate bearing sand" In "Geophysical Characterization of Gas Hydrates” (Ed. Riedal, M., Willoughby, E.C., and Chopra, S.), Section 4 (Laboratory Studies), Chapter 24, pp. 337-346. SEG Geophysical Developments Series No. 14. |
| Sultaniya A, Clayton C. R. I., and Priest J. A., (2010) | "Assessing Cross Anisotropy of Small-Strain Stiffness using the Resonant Column Apparatus" 5th Int. Conf. on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics, May 24th-29th May, San Diego, USA, Paper No. 1.14b |
| Clayton C. R. I., Priest J. A., Rees E.V.L, (2010) | "The effects of hydrate cement on the stiffness of some sands" Géotechnique, 60, 6, 435-455. DOI: 10.1680/geot.2010.60.5.435 |
| Priest, J. A., Rees, E. V. L. and Clayton, C. R. I. (2009) | "Influence of gas hydrate morphology on the seismic velocities of sands" J. Geophys. Res., 114, B11205. doi:10.1029/2009JB006284 |
| Clayton, C. R. I., Priest, J.A., Bui, M., Zervos, A. and Kim S. G. (2009) | "The Stokoe resonant column apparatus: effects of stiffness, mass and specimen fixity" Geotechnique, 59, 5, 429-438. doi: 10.1680/geot.2007.00096 |
| Wojtowitz, G., Zervos, A. and Clayton, C.R.I. (2008) | "A new method for the detection and quantification of deep-ocean methane hydrates using seismics" 6th Int. Conf. on Gas Hydrates, Vancouver, 2008, on CD and at https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/1022 |
| Kingston, E.V.L.K., Priest, J.A., Clayton, C.R.I. and Best, A.I. (2008) | "Gas hydrate growth morphologies and their effect on the stiffness and damping of a hydrate bearing sand" 6th Int. Conf. on Gas Hydrates, Vancouver, on CD and at https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/1022 Publication identifier http://hdl.handle.net/2429/1738 |
| Priest, J.A., Kingston, E.V.L.K., Clayton, C.R.I., Schultheiss, P., Druce, M. and NGHP Expedition 01 Scientific Party (2008) | "The structure of hydrate bearing fine grained marine sediments" 6th Int. Conf. on Gas Hydrates, Vancouver, on CD and at https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/1022 Publication identifier http://hdl.handle.net/2429/1796 |
| Clayton, C.R.I., Kingston, E., Priest, J.A., and Schultheiss, P. (2008) | "Testing of pressurised cores containing gas hydrate from deep ocean sediments 6th Int. Conf. on Gas Hydrates, Vancouver" CD and at https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/1022 Publication identifier http://hdl.handle.net/2429/1795 |
| Kingston, E.V.L.K., Priest, J.A., Clayton, C.R.I. and Best, A.I. (2008) | "Effect of grain characteristics on the behaviour of disseminated methane hydrate bearing sediments" 6th Int. Conf. on Gas Hydrates, Vancouver, on CD and at https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/1022 Publication identifier http://hdl.handle.net/2429/1794 |
| Chand S, Minshull TA, Priest J. A., Best A.I., Clayton C. R. I., Waite W, (2006) | "An effective medium inversion algorithm for gas hydrate quantification and its application to laboratory and borehole measurements of gas hydrate-bearing sediments" Geophysical Journal International, 166, 2, 543-552 |
| Priest J.A., Best A., Clayton C.R.I., (2006) | "Attenuation of seismic waves in methane gas hydrate-bearing sand" Geophysical Journal International, 164, 149-159 |
| Priest, J.A., Clayton, C.R.I. and Best, A.I. (2005) | "Gas hydrates and their potential effects on deep water exploration activities" Proc. International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics, Perth, Western Australia, (ed. Gourvenec, S. and Cassidy, M.J.), pp. 889-895 |
| Clayton, C.R.I., Priest, J.A. and Best, A.I. (2005) | ‘The effects of disseminated methane hydrate on the dynamic stiffness and damping of a sand’ Geotechnique, 55, 6, 423-434 |
| Priest, J.A., Best, A.I. and Clayton, C.R.I. (2005) | ‘A laboratory investigation into the seismic velocities of methane gas hydrate-bearing sand’ Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth, vol. 110, paper B04102. |
| Priest, J., Best, A., Clayton, C., and Watson, E. (2005) | "Seismic properties of methane gas hydrate-bearing sand" Fifth International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH 5), Trondheim, Norway, June 13-16, vol. 2, pp.440-447. |
GDS可燃冰研究设备包括：
ETAS – 环境自动三轴系统
环境自动三轴系统基于标准自动三轴仪GDSTAS系统，带高压三轴压力室和加热/冷却系统。温控系统同传统常规三轴系统一样通过软件控制，三轴测试软件全量程均适用于HPETAS系统。升级选项同样可以特别指定，包括增加弯曲元件测试系统，增加非饱和土测试硬件，及位移应变传感器等。
ETTS – 高压环境三轴实验系统
高压环境三轴测试系统基于标准应力路径三轴测试系统GDSTTS，带高压Bishop & Wesley型压力室及加热/冷却系统。温控系统同传统常规三轴系统一样通过软件控制，三轴测试软件全量程均适用于ETTS系统。升级选项同样可以特别指定，包括增加弯曲元件测试系统，增加非饱和土测试硬件，及位移应变传感器等。
