QASR-H2: Accelerating the Energy Transition for a Sustainable Energy Future in Qatar

Project: Applied Research

Project Details

Abstract

As the global focus shifts from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources, natural gas can serve as a crucial bridge in this transition. It is predicted that by 2030, the world's production of liquefied natural gas will reach 500 million tons per annum where Qatar will contribute to more than a fourth of that production. Hydrogen, particularly blue hydrogen, can play a significant role in this process. Blue hydrogen refers to hydrogen produced from natural gas while capturing and storing the CO2 emissions. As hydrogen production increases, the demand for storage solutions will become essential. Underground geological storage has been safely used for decades to store large volumes of fluids, including water, hydrocarbons, and CO2. Qatar is a leader in this technology, currently storing approximately 2 million tons of CO2 per year in aquifers above hydrocarbon fields with plans to increase this to at least 5 million tons per year. In this proposal, we aim to create a pioneering numerical and experimental simulation framework to help design safe underground hydrogen storage. This framework will enable the industry to plan their storage requirements, such as location, capacity, risk of leakage and sustainability. The project has two parts: characterization of hydrogen behavior in the subsurface and computational modeling. For hydrogen fluid and rock characterization, we will make use of the cutting-edge facilities of Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage Research Centre (QCCSRC) at Imperial College London (Imperial). We will investigate H2-brine interactions, hydrogen trapping, rock wettability alteration, and storage longevity. QCCSRC's state-of-the-art equipment, including X-ray instruments, microfluidics devices, and sophisticated analysis and modeling software, can be adapted to study hydrogen's behavior when injected into porous rock. For computational modeling, we will use the QASR reservoir simulator developed by Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), which was designed specifically for large-scale CO2 underground storage applications. We will enhance this platform to account for an accurate hydrogen equation of state and H2 fluid and rock interactions derived from the project's first part. Moreover, we will incorporate machine learning and reinforced learning methods to further optimize the coupling and accuracy. This will aid in the precise and safe prediction of H2 storage and make it the world's first reservoir simulator with such innovative and important capabilities. Our multidisciplinary team comprises experts in their fields. HBKU's LPI focuses on subsurface modeling and simulation, having developed a unique reservoir simulator for modeling large subsurface reservoirs. Imperial’s PI is an authority in multiphase flow in porous media, having revolutionized high-resolution imaging for oil recovery and gas storage. HBKU's PI is an expert in energy transition and hydrogen technology, boasting extensive knowledge in energy solutions.

Submitting Institute Name

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)
Sponsor's Award NumberARG01-0502-230056
Proposal IDEX-QNRF-ARG-71
StatusActive
Effective start/end date1/04/241/04/27

Collaborative partners

Primary Theme

  • None

Primary Subtheme

  • None

Secondary Theme

  • None

Secondary Subtheme

  • None

Keywords

  • Hydrogen,Energy Transtion,Co2,Machine learning,Reservoir Management and Simulation
  • None

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