Hydrogen storage in depleted subsurface reservoirs

R&D Focus Areas:
Underground storage

Lead Organisation:
University of Western Australia

Funding:
Future Energy Exports CRC (PhD Project)

Status:
Active

Start date:
2022

Completion date:
2025

Project summary description:
Underground hydrogen storage in porous media (UHSP), often utilising depleted natural gas reservoirs, is increasingly seen as a viable energy storage option to mitigate the intermittency of renewable energy sources. In these systems, a cushion gas (typically N₂, CH₄, or CO₂) is introduced to control pressure and volume during hydrogen injection and withdrawal and to prevent water contamination.

A significant challenge, however, is the potential for mixing between hydrogen and the cushion gas, which can result in unacceptable levels of hydrogen contamination, thereby necessitating costly surface purification. Therefore, the use of a cushion gas has potential economic implications and can affect the reservoir’s efficiency.

Accurate determination of this mixing requires reservoir simulations, which depend on dispersion coefficient (KL) data as an input parameter. Currently, such data for hydrogen under relevant reservoir conditions are not available in the literature. This project aims to measure KL for hydrogen with the three proposed cushion gases under reservoir conditions using a novel core-flooding apparatus.

Further information:
https://www.fenex.org.au/connect/

 

September 2024