Petrophysics of subsurface hydrogen storage
July 11, 2023
CSEE Webinar
Abstract:
Underground storage of hydrogen has the potential to act as a large battery that can be discharged on weekly, seasonal, or longer timescales. Storage in salt caverns is relatively well understood due to experience with storage of other fluids. Much larger volumes could be stored in saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas fields, but many questions need to be answered before these storage targets can be exploited practically. From a petrophysical perspective, hydrogen storage differs fundamentally from CO2 storage in that the hydrogen needs to be available to pump back out of the ground when it is needed. This requires understanding multiphase flow, injection/withdrawal hysteresis, and the implications of fluid-rock-microbe interactions. I will discuss the challenges associated with hydrogen storage in saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs and research avenues that are needed to make this storage feasible.
Bio:
Dr. Hugh Daigle is an Associate Professor in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and the Center for Subsurface Energy and the Environment at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a BA degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University and a PhD in Earth Science from Rice University. Dr. Daigle’s industry experience includes work as a wireline field engineer for Schlumberger, and as a petrophysicist for Schlumberger, Brigham Oil and Gas, and Chevron. His research interests include fluid flow in porous media, geohazards, gas hydrates, nanotechnology, and sustainable energy for the energy transition.
