4D X-ray Imaging for Multi-scale Characterisation of H2 Storage in Heterogenous Carbonate Rocks

H2 energy is expected to play a major role in the energy transition towards net-zero with storage in abandoned gas fields under consideration due to the savings arising from the reuse of legacy facilities. However, research on underground storage is biased towards sandstones which is problematic given that most reservoirs are carbonates. Hydrogen storage in carbonate rocks presents unique challenges that must be addressed to accelerate the energy transition, including the effect of heterogeneity, microporosity, wettability (hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity), and the dynamic interaction of H2 between micropores and macropores during its injection and withdrawal. Most of the research on flow dynamics use proxy fluids such as CO2 or N2 which cannot be directly extrapolated to H2 systems. There is a lack of research on the understanding of H2 flow dynamics in multi-scale carbonates, which will be addressed in this project. This knowledge is key to the validation of multiphase flow models.