June 1, 2022 – June 1, 2024

Prof. Dr. Leonhard Ganzer

Underground hydrogen storage is attracting growing interest as a means of storing renewable energy in large quantities on a seasonal and sustainable basis. Initial field tests have been launched in recent years to investigate its technical feasibility. Since 2023, Uniper Energy Storage GmbH has been storing hydrogen intermittently at the Bierwang site as part of the 'HySTORAGE' research project to test the suitability and integrity of porous reservoirs for use as underground hydrogen storage facilities

At the Institute of Subsurface Energy Systems, the work is accompanied by numerical simulations to characterize the mixing behavior of the stored hydrogen with the original natural gas. Additionally, the potential effects of microbiological reactions on the operation of the storage facility are simulated. A specially developed two-phase, multi-component transport model, implemented in the open-source simulator DuMu, is used for these activities. The simulation model, calibrated through comparison with field data, is intended to enable better predictions for large-scale underground hydrogen storage scenarios. 

Strobel, G., Kosack, C., Bombach, P., Fischer, A., Hagemann, B., & Hogeweg, S. (May 31, 2023). HySTORAGE: Preliminary investigations of possible hydrogen losses with a focus on a planned hydrogen storage field test in Bierwang. DGMK/ÖGEW Spring Conference 2023, Celle, Germany