Authors; Dr Ahmed Yaseri¹, Dr Ahmed Fatah¹

Affiliation; ¹King Fahd University Of Petroleum And Minerals

Summary; This work mainly aims to evaluate gas flow behavior in sandstone for different gas types and enhance the understanding of the role of capillary pressure and gas displacement efficiency during underground storage. With this motive, we conducted a series of gas core-flooding experiments into brine-saturated sandstone core samples using three different gases (CO2, CH4, and H2), at ambient temperature. We integrated an X-ray scanning technique to detect the gas residual after the core-flooding experiment. We mainly report that:
1- Gas core-flooding experiments showed that CO2 exhibited slightly the highest average gas saturation by ≈ 40%, while the average gas saturation for H2 and CH4 were almost similar ranging between 25-30%. However, the gas residuals in the sample were zero for all gases. These outcomes suggest that the gas residuals in this sandstone sample are unaffected by the gas type, indicating the high potential for gas recovery (especially for hydrogen during withdrawal cycles), and the high displacement efficiency in sandstone rocks.
2- The calculated capillary numbers at constant flowrate (2 cc/min) were in very low values (×10-8), suggesting that all gases entered the pores immediately during the injection, and acted as a non-wetting phase. 

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Author; Dr Arnout Everts¹

Affiliation; ¹AEGeo Sdn Bhd

Summary; This paper proposes a broad classification of natural hydrogen occurrences from a viewpoint of not only exploration geology but also technical potential and ability to meet current levels of commercial need. From a conceptual point of view, working subsurface “hydrogen systems” comprise the same key elements as their “petroleum system” counterparts namely: Source, Reservoir, Trap and Seal. Considering success or failure on these “hydrogen system” elements and consequences for technical development-potential, this paper categorizes hydrogen “finds” and prospects into three “hydrogen play types”: 1) “Focus Areas of Natural Seepage” where there is an active hydrogen source but limited (if any) subsurface trapping of gaseous hydrogen. Elevated hydrogen concentrations in such plays reflect localized migration pathways, mostly of dissolved hydrogen. 2) “Coal-Bed Hydrogen” plays where hydrogen is adsorbed on a molecular scale in coals. 3) “Reservoir-Trap-Seal” configurations with gaseous hydrogen trapped at excess pressure, like in a conventional gas field. Based on review of actual field examples of each play type, Reservoir-Trap-Seal” configurations appear to be the only type of hydrogen plays that can potentially meet the supply needs of large industrial facilities.

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Authors; Mr Rod Harris¹, Jacqueline Sutton¹, Dr Jonathan Ennis-King², Mr Peter Ryan¹, Dr Se Gong², Dr Mihaela Grigore², Dr Samuel Jackson², Dr David Midgely², Dr Nai Tran-Dinh², Ms Carla Mariani², Dr Richard Schinteie², Dr Stephanie Vialle³

Affiliations; ¹ Lochard Energy, ²CSIRO, ³Curtin University

Summary; Lochard Energy aims to use depleted sandstone natural gas reservoirs in the Otway Basin, Victoria, Australia for underground hydrogen storage (UHS). Renewable hydrogen would be generated during times of surplus renewable energy production and stored in the underground sandstone reservoirs. The stored hydrogen can be used to generate electricity during periods of high demand or to supply hydrogen for clean fuels production. The staged project aims to complete the feasibility phase by late 2025, prior to developing a demonstration pilot project. Assuming success and the necessary approvals, commercial stage 1 would support up to 500MW of electrolysis and 500MW of electricity generation, with further expansion to stage 2 to provide a reliable hydrogen feed stream for additional firming and downstream users. This abstract will discuss the approach to, and selected learnings from the pre-feasibility and feasibility phases, while providing context on the non-technical challenges for this Australian project.

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Authors; Mr Henrique Serratt UNISINOS¹, Dr Tiago Girelli¹, Mr Matheus Cruz¹, Mr José Cupertino¹, Dr Claudia Teixeira¹, Mr Helder Oliveira¹, Dr Ilana Lehn¹, Ms Monique Rizzi¹, Mr Adolpho Augustin¹, Mr Juliano Bonato¹, Dr Farid Chemale Junior¹

Affiliation; ¹UNISINOS

Summary; The study investigates natural hydrogen gas (H₂) as a clean energy source in the Paraná Basin, Brazil. While some H₂ was found in wells, the source remains unknown. Understanding the source is key to move from exploration to production.

The research proposes a new methodology to find the H₂ source using existing data and free gas in groundwater wells. Which is cheaper than drilling new wells.

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Author; Dr Leonid Surguchev¹

Affiliation; ¹Hydrogen Source AS

Summary; An innovative process of Hydrogen Generation from Hydrocarbons Sub-terrain (HGHS) is a unique solution to the problem of emission free Clean Hydrogen production and storage in hydrocarbon fields without greenhouse emissions. HGHS allows to convert depleted, stranded and noncommercial fields into storage of environmentally Clean Hydrogen, that can be produced at low cost and with zero carbon footprint. Recently performed experimental and modelling studies addressing mechanisms and processes of HGHS are presented in this paper.

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Author; Dr Shogo Masaya¹

Affiliation; ¹INPEX

Summary; Hydrogen has the potential to play a significant role in energy transition with decarbonization because it can be produced by renewable energy sources and only emits water vapor as fuel cells. Hydrogen is also a versatile energy carrier that can be employed to store and deliver energy generated from other sources. In the energy carrier, underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is a crucial technology to realize large-scale energy storage with safety (e.g., [1]).

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Authors; MS Justin Fink¹, Dr Siroos Azizmohammadi¹, Dr Holger Ott¹, MS Gerald Kulhanek²

Affiliations; ¹Montanuniversität Leoben, ² ILF Consulting Engineers

Summary; The transition to a low-carbon future necessitates the exploration of alternative energy carriers, and hydrogen has emerged as a promising solution. However, establishing a fully functional hydrogen economy is a complex undertaking full of challenges. One significant obstacle to achieving the European Union's sustainability goals is the limited infrastructure, particularly regarding storage capacity and integration into the anticipated hydrogen network. Merely relying on underground storage is insufficient – instead, the development of hydrogen transmission and distribution networks is crucial for effective transportation and utilization of hydrogen. Thermal turbomachinery, including compressors and turbines, is a key component in hydrogen distribution networks. These components are responsible for compressing hydrogen for efficient transmission and play a critical role in maintaining the pressure and flow of hydrogen within the network, ensuring its safe and reliable transport. Therefore, investigating the performance and efficiency of integrated systems that combine underground hydrogen storage with thermal turbomachinery is essential. This study aims to address the technological challenge of designing and optimizing hydrogen distribution networks to enhance efficiency and sustainability. The research examines the integration of underground hydrogen storage and thermal turbomachinery within hydrogen networks to gain valuable insights into system performance.

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Author; Dr Pedro Pereira¹², Prof Júlio Carneiro¹³, Prof Paulo Canhoto¹⁴, Prof Jorge Pedro¹³, Dr Karwan Khudhur², Mr Augusto Mazezo³

Affiliation; ¹Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Évora, ²Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, ³Geosciences Department, School of Sciencies and Technology, University of Évora, ⁴Mechatronics Engineering Department, School of Sciencies and Technology, University of Évora 

Summary; The urgency in mitigating the climate change effects and the expecting rise of energy consumption in the coming decades will require zero-carbon sources like renewables, fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage, and sustainable storage solutions like underground gas storage. Hydrogen geological storage in porous rock formations is expected to play a major role for sustainable energy systems, offering large-scale storage in subsurface reservoirs for grid stability and cost-effective integration of renewable hydrogen production. This work explores hydrogen geological storage in saline aquifers, focusing on reservoir simulation under varying structural and geological conditions. To address renewable energy fluctuations, hydrogen injection and withdrawal cycles were conducted in complex heterogeneous reservoirs. Key aspects include the evaluation of different well configurations, such as separate injection and withdrawal wells, dual-purpose wells, and a hybrid of both, and the role of cushion gas in enhancing reservoir efficiency. The work highlights that dual-purpose well configurations offer higher efficiency, making the use of cushion gas less critical. However, optimising cushion gas usage is essential due to its significant impact on operational costs. The study also emphasizes the importance of addressing reservoir heterogeneity, as it greatly influences the efficiency of hydrogen injection and withdrawal cycles.

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Authors; Ms Tessa Bosch¹, Ms Marit Sprenkeling¹, Mr Serge Van Gessel¹

Affiliation; ¹TNO

Summary; Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is expected to play a key role in the future energy system of the Netherlands. UHS can be deployed in salt caverns and porous formation yet the technology is still under development and requires further verification in pilot and demonstration projects. While the technological maturation is progressing, it is essential to also consider the development of social aspects at an early stage of technical development in order to ensure a proper societal embedding of UHS and prevent delays and hurdles when the technology is ready for commercial deployment. This paper presents the results on the application of the Societal Embeddedness methodology to UHS and uses this framework to evaluate the status of social aspects of UHS in the Dutch context.

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Authors; Mr Bastiaan Jaarsma¹, Mrs Silke van Klaveren¹, Dr Germonda Reijnen-Mooij¹, Mr Michiel Damoiseaux¹, Mrs Marloes Kortekaas¹, Mrs Annemiek Asschert¹

Affiliation; ¹EBN B.V.

Summary; Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) will become important in the Netherlands, to balance demand and supply in the future hydrogen chain. It will also balance the energy system where wind and solar power are becoming major, albeit intermittent sources of sustainable energy. Furthermore, timely availability of hydrogen storage will enable increased energy security. As the Dutch state company in energy production and storage and advisor to the government, EBN initiated a programme to develop and disseminate public knowledge on UHS. The goal is to enable timely development of UHS in a safe and sustainable manner. Results show that the Dutch subsurface offers great potential for UHS in gas fields and salt caverns. Results from screening on technical and non-technical parameters support decision making on where and how much potential can be realized in the Netherlands. The results of reservoir simulations on representative fields are input to feasibility studies and to the design of pilot and commercial scale projects. A generic parametric UHS cost model facilitates techno-economic analyses and decision making on and the design of UHS (pilot) projects. These results and additional public information related to UHS are made available, amongst others via the GEODE Atlas.

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