The Impact of Rock Morphology on Gas Dispersion in Underground Hydrogen Storage

Fluid dispersion directly influences the transport, mixing, and efficiency of hydrogen storage in depleted gas reservoirs. Pore structure parameters, such as pore size, throat geometry, and connectivity, influence the complexity of flow pathways and the interplay between advective and diffusive tran...

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Main Authors: Tri Pham, Rouhi Farajzadeh, Quoc P. Nguyen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Energies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/14/3693
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author Tri Pham
Rouhi Farajzadeh
Quoc P. Nguyen
author_facet Tri Pham
Rouhi Farajzadeh
Quoc P. Nguyen
author_sort Tri Pham
collection DOAJ
description Fluid dispersion directly influences the transport, mixing, and efficiency of hydrogen storage in depleted gas reservoirs. Pore structure parameters, such as pore size, throat geometry, and connectivity, influence the complexity of flow pathways and the interplay between advective and diffusive transport mechanisms. Hence, these factors are critical for predicting and controlling flow behavior in the reservoirs. Despite its importance, the relationship between pore structure and dispersion remains poorly quantified, particularly under elevated flow conditions. To address this gap, this study employs pore network modeling (PNM) to investigate the influence of sandstone and carbonate structures on fluid flow properties at the micro-scale. Eleven rock samples, comprising seven sandstone and four carbonate, were analyzed. Pore network extraction from CT images was used to obtain detailed pore structure parameters and their statistical measures. Pore-scale simulations were conducted across 60 scenarios with varying average interstitial velocities and water as the injected fluid. Effluent hydrogen concentrations were measured to generate elution curves as a function of injected pore volumes (PV). This approach enables the assessment of the relationship between the dispersion coefficient and pore structure parameters across all rock samples at consistent average interstitial velocities. Additionally, dispersivity and n-exponent values were calculated and correlated with pore structure parameters.
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spelling doaj-art-6f04fb2adda74407832f31e20baaf1f02025-08-20T03:58:31ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-07-011814369310.3390/en18143693The Impact of Rock Morphology on Gas Dispersion in Underground Hydrogen StorageTri Pham0Rouhi Farajzadeh1Quoc P. Nguyen2Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystem Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USAFaculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The NetherlandsHildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystem Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USAFluid dispersion directly influences the transport, mixing, and efficiency of hydrogen storage in depleted gas reservoirs. Pore structure parameters, such as pore size, throat geometry, and connectivity, influence the complexity of flow pathways and the interplay between advective and diffusive transport mechanisms. Hence, these factors are critical for predicting and controlling flow behavior in the reservoirs. Despite its importance, the relationship between pore structure and dispersion remains poorly quantified, particularly under elevated flow conditions. To address this gap, this study employs pore network modeling (PNM) to investigate the influence of sandstone and carbonate structures on fluid flow properties at the micro-scale. Eleven rock samples, comprising seven sandstone and four carbonate, were analyzed. Pore network extraction from CT images was used to obtain detailed pore structure parameters and their statistical measures. Pore-scale simulations were conducted across 60 scenarios with varying average interstitial velocities and water as the injected fluid. Effluent hydrogen concentrations were measured to generate elution curves as a function of injected pore volumes (PV). This approach enables the assessment of the relationship between the dispersion coefficient and pore structure parameters across all rock samples at consistent average interstitial velocities. Additionally, dispersivity and n-exponent values were calculated and correlated with pore structure parameters.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/14/3693carbonatesandstonedispersionpore network modelinghydrogen storage
spellingShingle Tri Pham
Rouhi Farajzadeh
Quoc P. Nguyen
The Impact of Rock Morphology on Gas Dispersion in Underground Hydrogen Storage
Energies
carbonate
sandstone
dispersion
pore network modeling
hydrogen storage
title The Impact of Rock Morphology on Gas Dispersion in Underground Hydrogen Storage
title_full The Impact of Rock Morphology on Gas Dispersion in Underground Hydrogen Storage
title_fullStr The Impact of Rock Morphology on Gas Dispersion in Underground Hydrogen Storage
title_full_unstemmed The Impact of Rock Morphology on Gas Dispersion in Underground Hydrogen Storage
title_short The Impact of Rock Morphology on Gas Dispersion in Underground Hydrogen Storage
title_sort impact of rock morphology on gas dispersion in underground hydrogen storage
topic carbonate
sandstone
dispersion
pore network modeling
hydrogen storage
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/14/3693
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