Underground Hydrogen Storage in Rocks: Pore-to-core Scale Flow Processes, X-ray Imaging and Modelling
Course Description
With the growing importance of hydrogen (H2) as a sustainable energy source, underground hydrogen storage (UHS) in porous rocks is emerging as a critical technology for storing large volumes of hydrogen. This course is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the key physical and microbial processes occurring at the pore-to-core scale during UHS in rocks. Participants will first go through basic concepts related to porous media and flow processes, followed by an examination of multiphase flow in rocks and wettability concepts. The course will then focus on applying this knowledge to UHS processes. Recent advances in UHS research, including challenges associated with cyclic injection, H2 entrapment, dissolution and microbial interactions will be discussed in detail. Additionally, the course will introduce 3D and 4D (i.e., time-resolved 3D) X-ray imaging and pore-scale modelling techniques, and their applications to UHS processes. Participants will be introduced to image processing tools and engage in tutorials on multiphase flow phenomena related to UHS in rocks.
Course Outline
- Introduction to underground hydrogen storage (UHS) in porous rocks (30 min)
- Hydrogen economy and significance of UHS in porous rocks
- Comparison with other storage facilities
- Outstanding challenges of UHS in rocks: trapping, dissolution and microbial interactions
- General concepts related to porous media and single-phase flow (1 hr)
- Multiphase flow in porous media and UHS (2 hr)
- Drainage, imbibition, invasion percolation, flow patterns and wettability
- Capillary pressure and relative-permeability curves
- Multiphase flow for UHS in rocks and comparison with other gases
- X-ray imaging of H2 injection and storage in rocks (2 hr)
- Introduction to 3D and 4D X-ray imaging and image processing, and their use in characterising multiphase flow properties
- Recent research on 3D imaging of cyclic injection of H2 in rocks
- Challenges associated with studying microbial interactions and dissolution using X-rays and potential solutions
- Multiscale modelling of multiphase flow processes and its applications in UHS (1 hr)
- Summary and key messages (30 min)
Participants’ Profile
The course is suitable for individuals with a background in physics, engineering, geology, or geosciences. It is designed for participants ranging from master’s to postdoctoral level, and will also enrich the knowledge base of researchers and technical staff from the industry.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of porous media and flow processes is desirable but not required, as these fundamentals will be developed from basic to intermediate levels during the course.
About the Instructor
Kamaljit Singh is an Associate Professor at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University (UK). He obtained his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Punjab Technical University (India), a master’s in Environmental Engineering from Panjab University (India), and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of New South Wales (Australia). He has held postdoctoral positions at the Max-Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in collaboration with Saarland University (Germany), the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (France), and Imperial College London (UK). His research focuses on pore-to-core scale X-ray imaging and modelling of multiphase flow in porous media, with applications to subsurface H2 and CO2 storage. Additionally, he has applied these imaging and modelling techniques to investigate other topics such as termite mounds with the motivation to design energy-efficient buildings. He is the founding member of the YouTube channel “Porous Media Tea Time Talks”, which promotes early career researchers working on diverse porous media related topics. He is also a member of the board of directors of the InterPore foundation.
Kamaljit Singh is the course leader for the MSc course "Reservoir Engineering" and teaches the undergraduate course "Introduction to Petroleum Engineering" at Heriot-Watt University. He, along with colleagues from Heriot-Watt University, recently developed a short course "Digital analysis of flow processes in porous materials for geo-energy applications", which was delivered at the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (India).