Underground hydrogen storage

Geological structures are well known for retaining very large volumes of petroleum liquids and gases and have been demonstrated to store carbon dioxide as part of CCS. These structures could also provide a means for the low-cost storage of very large volumes of hydrogen thus avoiding costly surface storage infrastructure required for storing hydrogen by liquefaction or compression. This could be particularly beneficial where large volumes need to be gradually accumulated such as would be required for transport by shipping.  

There are several research questions with regards to underground hydrogen storage which we seek to address. These include the mechanisms by which the gas is retained in the subsurface, the impact of microbial activity on the stored H2, the movement of H2 in the reservoir in the presence of pore water, and the purity of the H2 produced from the reservoir over time.