T26 Carbon and Hydrogen Storage in Geologic Systems (Posters)

Sunday, 15 October 2023
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Hall B

BIOGEOCHEMICAL MODELING OF UNDERGROUND HYDROGEN STORAGE IN ILLINOIS BASIN SANDSTONES

Paper number: T26-12
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

Hydrogen (H2) is an energy carrier that provides an opportunity for the energy sector to accelerate large-scale decarbonization. When coupled with other renewable energy, H2 serves as a battery analog through power-to-gas technology, where surplus electricity is used to produce H2 gas via electrolysis. Then, the gas can be stored in the subsurface and recovered during high energy demand. H2 has been successfully stored in salt caverns in the U.S. since the 1980s, however, the feasibility of H2 underground storage in siliciclastic formations requires assessment. Recent findings indicate that injecting H2 into a sandstone reservoir might trigger biogeochemical reactions that could consume H2, leading to commodity and energy loss. Laboratory experimental studies show that the risk of H2 loss due to abiotic geochemical reactions is negligible in sandstone reservoirs under 100℃; however, biotic geochemical reactions involving microbes (e.g., methanogens, acetogens, etc.) are likely to consume H2 and generate byproducts under conditions amenable to microbial growth.

Here, we investigate the potential for reservoir biogeochemical reactions to consume H2 through thermodynamic and kinetic modeling of two reservoirs in the Illinois Basin using the software, Geochemist’s Workbench (GWB). The studied reservoirs are depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Aux Vases and Cypress Sandstones, which have been converted to underground natural gas storage facilities. Water chemistry, mineralogy, and reservoir parameters (e.g., temperature, pressure) used in this modeling were sourced from literature and available databases for the Illinois Basin. By using biogeochemical modeling, we initially assess (i.e., ahead of laboratory experiments) the extent to which H2 may be consumed by microbial activity under reservoir conditions. Furthermore, we are evaluating the kinetics of H2-consuming reactions to better determine the importance and rate of these reactions. Simulating H2 reactivity in the subsurface provides insights into the viability and potential issues associated with utilizing candidate reservoirs for subsurface H2 storage.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 55, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2023AM-392400

© Copyright 2023 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.