Geological storage of hydrogen in deep aquifers – an experimental multidisciplinary study (original) (raw)
Related papers
Hydrogen in Rocks: An Energy Source for Deep Microbial Communities
Astrobiology, 2002
To survive in deep subsurface environments, lithotrophic microbial communities require a sustainable energy source such as hydrogen. Though H 2 can be produced when water reacts with fresh mineral surfaces and oxidizes ferrous iron, this reaction is unreliable since it depends upon the exposure of fresh rock surfaces via the episodic opening of cracks and fissures. A more reliable and potentially more voluminous H 2 source exists in nominally anhydrous minerals of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Our experimental results indicate that H 2 molecules can be derived from small amounts of H 2 O dissolved in minerals in the form of hydroxyl, OH 2 or O 3 Si-OH, whenever such minerals crystallized in an H 2 O-laden environment. Two types of experiments were conducted. Single crystal fracture experiments indicated that hydroxyl pairs undergo an in situ redox conversion to H 2 molecules plus peroxy links, O 3 Si/ OO \SiO 3 . While the peroxy links become part of the mineral structure, the H 2 molecules diffused out of the freshly fractured mineral surfaces. If such a mechanism occurred in natural settings, the entire rock column would become a volume source of H 2 . Crushing experiments to facilitate the outdiffusion of H 2 were conducted with common crustal igneous rocks such as granite, andesite, and labradorite. At least 70 nmol of H 2 /g diffused out of coarsely crushed andesite, equivalent at standard pressure and temperature to 5,000 cm 3 of H 2 /m 3 of rock. In the water-saturated, biologically relevant upper portion of the rock column, the diffusion of H 2 out of the minerals will be buffered by H 2 saturation of the intergranular water film. Key Words: Hydrogen in rocks-Deep microbial communities-Solute water in minerals-Redox conversion of hydroxyl pairs-Peroxy in minerals. Astrobiology 2, 83-92. 83 HYDROGEN IN ROCKS 89 FIG. 3. Crushing experiments with andesite, granite, and labradorite, using an epoxy crushing device. Upon crushing, at time t 5 0, H 2 was released. Since each sample crushed differently the amounts of H 2 released varied from run to run. H 2 partial pressures that increased with time suggest slow H 2 release from the sample. H 2 partial pressures that decreased with time were due to leaky O-ring seals. HYDROGEN IN ROCKS 91
Subseafloor Biosphere Linked to Hydrothermal Systems, 2014
Hydrogen generated in hydrothermal and fault systems has recently received considerable attention as a potential energy source for hydrogen-based microbial activity such as methanogenesis. Laboratory experiments that have reproduced conditions for the serpentinization of ultramafic rocks such as peridotite and komatiite have clarified the chemical and petrological processes of H 2 production. In a frictional experimental study, we recently showed that abundant H 2 can also be generated in a simulated fault system. This result suggests that microbial ecosystems might exist in subseafloor fault systems. Here we review the experimental constraints on hydrogen production in hydrothermal and fault systems.
Energy Procedia, 2013
The H2STORE collaborative project investigates potential geohydraulic, petrophysical, mineralogical, microbiological and geochemical interactions induced by the injection of hydrogen into depleted gas reservoirs and CO 2-and town gas storage sites. In this context the University of Jena performs mineralogical and geochemical investigations on reservoir and cap rocks to evaluate the relevance of preferential sedimentological features, which will control fluid (hydrogen) pathways, thus provoking fluid-rock interactions and related variations in porosity and permeability. Thereby reservoir sand-and sealing mudstones of different composition, sampled from distinct depths (different: pressure/temperature conditions) of five German locations are analysed. In combination with laboratory experiments the results will enable the characterization of specific mineral reactions at different physico-chemical conditions and geological settings.
Subsurface Microbial Hydrogen Cycling: Natural Occurrence and Implications for Industry
Microorganisms
Hydrogen is a key energy source for subsurface microbial processes, particularly in subsurface environments with limited alternative electron donors, and environments that are not well connected to the surface. In addition to consumption of hydrogen, microbial processes such as fermentation and nitrogen fixation produce hydrogen. Hydrogen is also produced by a number of abiotic processes including radiolysis, serpentinization, graphitization, and cataclasis of silicate minerals. Both biotic and abiotically generated hydrogen may become available for consumption by microorganisms, but biotic production and consumption are usually tightly coupled. Understanding the microbiology of hydrogen cycling is relevant to subsurface engineered environments where hydrogen-cycling microorganisms are implicated in gas consumption and production and corrosion in a number of industries including carbon capture and storage, energy gas storage, and radioactive waste disposal. The same hydrogen-cycling...
Hydrogen storage in saline aquifers: The role of cushion gas for injection and production
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2021
Hydrogen stored on a large scale in porous rocks helps alleviate the main drawbacks of intermittent renewable energy generation and will play a significant role as a fuel substitute to limit global warming. This study discusses the injection, storage and production of hydrogen in an open saline aquifer anticline using industry standard reservoir engineering software, and investigates the role of cushion gas, one of the main cost uncertainties of hydrogen storage in porous media. The results show that one well can inject and reproduce enough hydrogen in a saline aquifer anticline to cover 25% of the annual hydrogen energy required to decarbonise the domestic heating of East Anglia (UK). Cushion gas plays an important role and its injection in saline aquifers is dominated by brine displacement and accompanied by high pressures. The required ratio of cushion gas to working gas depends strongly on geological parameters including reservoir depth, the shape of the trap, and reservoir permeability, which are investigated in this study. Generally, deeper reservoirs with high permeability are favoured. The study shows that the volume of cushion gas directly determines the working gas injection and production performance. It is concluded that a thorough investigation into the cushion gas requirement, taking into account cushion gas costs as well as the cost-benefit of cushion gas in place, should be an integral part of a hydrogen storage development plan in saline aquifers.
Extremophiles, 2004
Subsurface microbial communities supported by geologically and abiologically derived hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the Earth's interior are of great interest, not only with regard to the nature of primitive life on Earth, but as potential analogs for extraterrestrial life. Here, for the first time, we present geochemical and microbiological evidence pointing to the existence of hyperthermophilic subsurface lithoautotrophic microbial ecosystem (HyperSLiME) dominated by hyperthermophilic methanogens beneath an active deep-sea hydrothermal field in the Central Indian Ridge. Geochemical and isotopic analyses of gaseous components in the hydrothermal fluids revealed heterogeneity of both concentration and carbon isotopic compositions of methane between the main hydrothermal vent (0.08 mM and)13.8& PDB, respectively) and the adjacent divergent vent site (0.2 mM and)18.5& PDB, respectively), representing potential subsurface microbial methanogenesis, at least in the divergent vent emitting more 13 C-depleted methane. Extremely high abundance of magmatic energy sources such as hydrogen (2.5 mM) in the fluids also encourages a hydrogen-based, lithoautotrophic microbial activity. Both cultivation and cultivation independent molecular analyses suggested the predominance of Methanococcales members in the superheated hydrothermal emissions and chimney interiors along with the other major microbial components of Thermococcales members. These results imply that a HyperSLiME, consisting of methanogens and fermenters, occurs in this tectonically active subsurface zone, strongly supporting the existence of hydrogen-driven subsurface microbial communities.
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2018
Fluctuating energy production by renewables is one of the main issues in transition times of energy production from conventional power plants to an energy production by renewables. Using excess produced electricity (windy/sunny periods) to convert water to oxygen and hydrogen and storing the hydrogen in depleted oil-, gas fields or sedimentary aquifer structures would provide the option to recover and convert hydrogen to electricity in periods with an energy demand. Research focus is here the pore space in the geological underground where still few studies exist. In static batch experiments up to six weeks long, under different reservoir-specific conditions; regarding pressure, temperature and formation fluid salinity, sandstones were exposed to 100% hydrogen. Before and after these experiments microscopic, petrophysical and computer tomography analyses are conducted. The preliminary results from different scales (mm to cm) and dimensions (2D and 3D) of 21 samples indicate that hydrogen underground storage is likely possible.
Astrobiology, 2007
Dissolved H 2 concentrations up to the mM range and H 2 levels up to 9-58% by volume in the free gas phase are reported for groundwaters at sites in the Precambrian shields of Canada and Finland. Along with previously reported dissolved H 2 concentrations up to 7.4 mM for groundwaters from the Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa, these findings indicate that deep Precambrian Shield fracture waters contain some of the highest levels of dissolved H 2 ever reported and represent a potentially important energy-rich environment for subsurface microbial life. The ␦ 2 H isotope signatures of H 2 gas from Canada, Finland, and South Africa are consistent with a range of H 2 -producing water-rock reactions, depending on the geologic setting, which include both serpentinization and radiolysis. In Canada and Finland, several of the sites are in Archean greenstone belts characterized by ultramafic rocks that have undergone serpentinization and may be ancient analogues for serpentinite-hosted gases recently reported at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field and other hydrothermal seafloor deposits. The hydrogeologically isolated nature of these fracture-controlled groundwater systems provides a mechanism whereby the products of water-rock interaction accumulate over geologic timescales, which produces correlations between high H 2 levels, abiogenic hydrocarbon signatures, and the high salinities and highly altered ␦ 18 O and ␦ 2 H values of these groundwaters. A conceptual model is presented that demonstrates how periodic opening of fractures and resultant mixing control the distribution and supply of H 2 and support a microbial community of H 2 -utilizing sulfate reducers and methanogens.
Proceedings of the 2022 Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, 2022
Hydrogen has been recently gaining global popularity for being a great potential low-carbon energy carrier, essentially considered for eco-friendly transportation, power, and heating. However, storage has been an issue due to the material’s low density which suggests greater volumetric capacity compared to other gases such as CH4, and lower temperatures to accommodate storage facilities. This has called for exploring alternatives such as underground hydrogen storage in porous media (UHSP), essentially considered in saline aquifers and depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs. Across the U.S., many depleted shale reservoirs hold large volumetric capacities possibly suitable for hydrogen storage. Studying the effect of reservoir rock and fluid exposure to hydrogen would help explore this possibility. Experimental work has been done on conventional rock, which begs the question of the effect on abundant unconventional shale. Exposure of shale samples to compressed hydrogen gas at in-situ conditions would help determine changes in wettability, permeability, and porosity. Sample properties are measured before and after exposure. Another interest is the effect of hydrogen exposure on fluid properties, such as interfacial tension between oil and water. Also, gas flooding techniques can be used to estimate the effect of hydrogen on oil recovery, to better understand the interaction with reservoir fluids. Moreover, exploring the interaction between hydrogen and CH4 would give an idea about the effect of natural gas presence. Any significant chemical reaction would be noted in the process. An increase in permeability and porosity would suggest better storage. Change in wettability would define what fluids could accompany hydrogen when extracted after storage, and could help estimate hydrogen extraction rates. A change from oil-wet to water-wet can lead to oil production. Primary experiments have not shown a significant effect on wettability, but changes in temperature and pressure could prove otherwise. If hydrogen flooding shows decent oil recovery, that could imply more space for hydrogen to be stored in. Hydrocarbon production during storage and extraction could attract operators to look more into UHSP. It should be noted that hydrogen can always react with fluid or rock to generate toxic acid gases. It is intriguing to see how those gases affect reservoir behavior. The recent exponential rise of hydrocarbon production from unconventional formations has led to the depletion of many reservoirs that could serve as potential resources for hydrogen storage. Studies have been done to optimize carbon sequestration and natural gas storage in such formations. Similarly, investigating the possibility of hydrogen storage would also prove to be useful.
Hydrogen Storage in Geological Formations—The Potential of Salt Caverns
Energies
Hydrogen-based technologies are among the most promising solutions to fulfill the zero-emission scenario and ensure the energy independence of many countries. Hydrogen is considered a green energy carrier, which can be utilized in the energy, transport, and chemical sectors. However, efficient and safe large-scale hydrogen storage is still challenging. The most frequently used hydrogen storage solutions in industry, i.e., compression and liquefaction, are highly energy-consuming. Underground hydrogen storage is considered the most economical and safe option for large-scale utilization at various time scales. Among underground geological formations, salt caverns are the most promising for hydrogen storage, due to their suitable physicochemical and mechanical properties that ensure safe and efficient storage even at high pressures. In this paper, recent advances in underground storage with a particular emphasis on salt cavern utilization in Europe are presented. The initial experience...