InterPore2025

Storage Criteria Evaluation for Underground Hydrogen Storage in Heterogeneous Aquifers

20 May 2025, 12:05

15m

Oral Presentation (MS23) Advances in Experimental, Computational, and Analytical Approaches for Underground Hydrogen Storage MS23

Speaker

Mohammad Zamehrian (Louisiana State University)

Description

Hydrogen has been recognized as a crucial energy carrier to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the transition to a sustainable energy future. However, meeting the fluctuating energy demands solely through hydrogen production is not always feasible, necessitating the development of reliable storage solutions. Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) offers a promising approach to balance energy supply and consumption while ensuring energy security. Despite its potential, UHS is an emerging field of study with limited investigations, particularly on aquifer structural conditions that influence storage performance in heterogeneous aquifers.
In this study, underground hydrogen storage was numerically simulated in heterogeneous aquifers. First the important role of micro-scale heterogeneity on UHS performance was evaluated as micro-scale heterogeneity is often unaccounted for in reservoir-scale models. Then, aquifer thickness, dip angles and different boundary conditions were investigated as screening criteria for hydrogen injection and withdrawal during UHS in heterogeneous aquifers as different structural and boundary conditions can results in different UHS performance. Advancing research on these parameters will enable a more comprehensive understanding of storage dynamics and associated risks.
Results indicate that micro-scale heterogeneity significantly impacts hydrogen withdrawal during UHS. It creates a more complex flow regime and enhances localized hydrogen trapping in the aquifer. Variations in porosity and permeability at small distances exacerbate hydrogen immobilization, reducing overall recovery efficiency. This phenomenon underscores the critical need to incorporate detailed heterogeneity metrics in modeling and designing effective hydrogen storage systems, as neglecting these could lead to overestimations of storage capacity and recovery performance. Numerical simulation techniques can predict these effects, demonstrating the pronounced influence of micro-heterogeneities on hydrogen-brine displacement dynamics and residual gas trapping during operational cycles under different conditions including different thicknesses, dip angles and boundary conditions.