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The subsurface offers great potential for gas storage. In addition to conventional natural gas storage, depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and aquifers can be used to store or convert various gases for different applications: Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS), Underground Energy Storage (UES), Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS, CCUS), and Underground Methanation Reactors (UMR).
The injection and storage of these substances, which do not necessarily occur naturally in the reservoir, are investigated in this research focus. Activities include, but are not limited to:
• Fluid dynamics in porous media
•Geochemical reactions
•Microbiological reactions
•Integrity of the
overburden
•Integrity of storage wells
Our research is based on laboratory experiments, analytical methods, and numerical modeling. Our laboratories are equipped with conventional instruments for rock characterization. In addition, we have a core-flow setup that allows us to conduct two-phase flow experiments with any gas mixture under in-situ conditions, as well as two autoclaves for conducting long-term static experiments. Our laboratories are equipped with the necessary safety equipment to work with flammable gases, such as hydrogen, at any concentration.
The numerical modeling is largely based on the open-source simulator DuMux. We have adapted the code for simulating gas storage cycles in simplified two-dimensional as well as realistic 3D grid models. The numerical model accounts for the growth of microorganisms and the associated biochemical conversion of the storage gas.