Publications Details
Investigation of mechanochemical interactions of hydrogen with earth materials in a subsurface gas storage
Ho, Tuan A.; Paul, Matthew J.; Wang, Yifeng; Xu, Guangping; Choudhary, Aditya
The goal of this project is to investigate the molecular interactions of H2 with earth materials (EMs) that may potentially affect economics and safety of H2 geological storage (HGS). We investigated (1) the H2 intercalation into interlayers of phyllosilicates, (2) the competitive adsorption of H2/CH4 onto porous materials, and (3) solubility of H2 in interfacial and confined hydrocarbons. Our results indicate that (i) H2 intercalation into hydrated interlayers is thermodynamically unfavorable and H2 solubility in hydrated clay interlayers is in the same order of magnitude as that in bulk water, (ii) CH4 outcompetes H2 in adsorption onto kerogen, due to stronger CH4-kerogen interactions than H2-kerogen interactions, (iii) H2 tends to dissolve more in oil than in water, and the introduction of CO2 as a cushion gas reduces H2 partitioning near the kaolinite surfaces. The outcomes provide foundational knowledge for preparing the USA for future storage site selection and storage system design, supporting DOE missions in clean and secured energy.