Utility-scale subsurface hydrogen storage: UK perspectives and technology

Wallace, Rick L.; Cai, Zuansi; Zhang, Hexin; Zhang, Keni; Guo, Chaobin

doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.05.034

Cited by 74 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Surface hydrogen storage facilities, such as pipelines or tanks have limited storage and discharge capacity (MWh; hours-days). By contrast, to supply energy in the GWh/TWh-range over weeks to months, subsurface storage of hydrogen in salt caverns, depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and saline aquifers is needed (Matos et al, 2021, Wallace et al, 2021, Heinemann et al, 2018. Salt caverns have been used for hydrogen storage at Teeside (UK) and at the US Gulf Coast (European Commission, 2015;Panfilov, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogen storage in saline aquifers: The role of cushion gas for injection and production

Heinemann

Scafidi

Pickup

et al. 2021

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

126

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogen storage in saline aquifers: The role of cushion gas for injection and production

Heinemann

Scafidi

Pickup

et al. 2021

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

126

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“…Neither source can be ramped up to match fluctuations in energy demand, so some means must be found to balance supply and demand (Heinemann et al, 2021). The issue of curtailment and intermittency of renewable energy is a costly one and a major obstacle to deploying renewable energy solutions at scale, in the United Kingdom alone wind energy intermittency cost the government £274 million in 2020 (Wallace et al, 2021). One solution is to find a way to store renewable-sourced power in the form of potential energy that can be released on demand.…”

Section: Salt Caverns and The Emerging Hydrogen Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite these data limitations, it is estimated that salt caverns might be ideal for hydrogen storage as: i) up to 10 cycles of injection and withdrawal per year might be possible at fast injection and withdrawal rates, meaning the approach is ideal for shortand medium-term storage (e.g. Tarkowski, 2019); ii) cavern shape and size can be customised, and can be stable for significant periods of time (Lord et al, 2014;Crotogino, 2022) iii) hydrogen loss by leakage is estimated to be minimal, due to the sealing nature of evaporites (low permeability to gas) even though this might be variable depending on specific characteristics of the salt formation (Crotogino et al, 2010;Lord et al, 2014;Warren, 2017;Matos et al, 2019); iv) the injection rate of hydrogen into salt caverns is not strongly dependent of complex multiphase flow phenomena (Wallace et al, 2021); salt is typically inert to hydrogen (although impurities in salt may not be and this aspect needs further research) and conversion of any water to brine reduces potential for bacterial activity (e.g. Bunger et al, 2016;Wallace et al, 2021;Crotogino, 2022); and vi) the proportion of cushion gas required is moderate compared to reservoir storage (Bunger et al, 2016).…”

Section: Salt Caverns and The Emerging Hydrogen Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tarkowski, 2019); ii) cavern shape and size can be customised, and can be stable for significant periods of time (Lord et al, 2014;Crotogino, 2022) iii) hydrogen loss by leakage is estimated to be minimal, due to the sealing nature of evaporites (low permeability to gas) even though this might be variable depending on specific characteristics of the salt formation (Crotogino et al, 2010;Lord et al, 2014;Warren, 2017;Matos et al, 2019); iv) the injection rate of hydrogen into salt caverns is not strongly dependent of complex multiphase flow phenomena (Wallace et al, 2021); salt is typically inert to hydrogen (although impurities in salt may not be and this aspect needs further research) and conversion of any water to brine reduces potential for bacterial activity (e.g. Bunger et al, 2016;Wallace et al, 2021;Crotogino, 2022); and vi) the proportion of cushion gas required is moderate compared to reservoir storage (Bunger et al, 2016). One of the main drawbacks to salt cavern storage is finding an economic and ecologically-friendly way to utilise or dispose of the brines extracted during leaching (e.g.…”

Section: Salt Caverns and The Emerging Hydrogen Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Salt Tectonics in the Energy Transition: An Overview and Future Challenges

Duffy¹,

Hudec²,

Peel³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The fundamental properties of salt have long been exploited in the search for hydrocarbons, as they influence many of the hydrocarbon play elements. This industrial application has driven the pursuit of salt tectonic knowledge over the last century and led to major conceptual advances in the field. However, the current need, and social-political demand, to decarbonize suggests that the applicability of salt tectonic knowledge will expand to other aspects of the subsurface that are relevant to the energy transition. The pace of this change leaves the field of salt tectonics grappling with a fundamental question – what role does salt tectonics have as part of the energy transition? Here, we discuss the role salt tectonics can play in a number of key energy transition technologies, namely, energy storage as gas in salt caverns (e.g. hydrogen and compressed air), CO2 storage, and geothermal energy. For each of these technologies we explore: i) fundamental concepts and driving forces; ii) how and why the properties of salt are of importance; and iii) the key salt-related technical challenges, potential future research directions, and technical approaches needed for large-scale development. We highlight how salt basins offer vast potential for development throughout the energy transition including, but not limited to: i) the likely demand for thousands of new hydrogen storage caverns inside salt bodies by 2050; ii) a likely early focus for porous media CO2 storage sites in basins strongly influenced by salt tectonics; and iii) enhanced geothermal energy potential in and around salt bodies. Effective exploitation of these resources will require a deeper understanding of the internal composition, geometry, and evolution of salt structures and their surrounding sediments, and potentially the development of more predictive models of salt tectonic behaviour. Critically, we see the need to integrate learnings of salt tectonics gained in the academic, mining, solution mining, and oil and gas communities, and apply a fresh perspective to answer research questions of relevance to the energy transition. Developing this new understanding will help optimise design, reduce geotechnical risk, and improve efficiency for energy transition technologies, thus indicating a strong future demand for salt tectonic research.

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“…Evidence suggests that UHS is also feasible in porous and permeable reservoirs (Bauer et al., 2015; Pudlo et al., 2013). However, research into the storage feasibility of UHS in salt caverns, depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, brine aquifers, and hard rock caverns is ongoing (Heinemann et al., 2021; Muhammed et al., 2022; Pudlo et al., 2013; Tarkowski, 2019; Wallace et al., 2021; Zivar et al., 2021) (Figure S1 of Supporting Information ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing Hydrogen Storage Potential in U.S. Underground Gas Storage Facilities

Lackey

Freeman

Buscheck

et al. 2023

Geophysical Research Letters

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Hydrogen is a high energy content fuel that can be produced with low or zero greenhouse gas emissions from water and other chemicals. Creating hydrogen during periods of energy surplus and storing it underground is one long-duration, low-emission, energy storage option that can balance supply and demand for an entire electric grid. In the United States (U.S.), existing underground gas storage (UGS) facilities are a logical first place to consider subsurface hydrogen storage, because their geology has proven favorable for storing natural gas. We estimated that existing UGS facilities can store 327 TW-h (9.8 million metric tons) of pure hydrogen. Transitioning from natural gas to pure hydrogen storage would reduce the total energy stored in existing UGS facilities by ∼75%. Storing hydrogen-natural gas mixtures also reduces energy storage potential, but most (73.2%) UGS facilities can meet current energy demands with a 20% hydrogen blend. U.S. UGS facilities can store 23.9%-44.6% of the projected high and low hydrogen demand for 2050, respectively, suggesting that a partial transition of UGS infrastructure could reduce the need for new hydrogen storage facilities. These findings motivate research that explores the technical feasibility of underground hydrogen storage in natural gas storage reservoirs. LACKEY ET AL.

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Utility-scale subsurface hydrogen storage: UK perspectives and technology

Cited by 74 publications

References 63 publications

Hydrogen storage in saline aquifers: The role of cushion gas for injection and production

Hydrogen storage in saline aquifers: The role of cushion gas for injection and production

The Role of Salt Tectonics in the Energy Transition: An Overview and Future Challenges

Characterizing Hydrogen Storage Potential in U.S. Underground Gas Storage Facilities

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