Role of Relative Permeability Hysteresis in Numerical Simulations for Hydrogen Geostorage
Hydrogen (H2) is increasingly being seen as a viable way to transport excess energy generated by renewable sources, preventing imbalances in energy supply. H2 storage is the barrier that we must overcome because current surface facilities are unable to meet the large-scale storage demands. Undergrou...
| Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repository: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/364228 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/364228 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Hydrogen Geostorage http://metadata.un.org/sdg/7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all |
| Summary: | Hydrogen (H2) is increasingly being seen as a viable way to transport excess energy generated by renewable sources, preventing imbalances in energy supply. H2 storage is the barrier that we must overcome because current surface facilities are unable to meet the large-scale storage demands. Underground porous media such as confined seem to be the most feasible option to store H2. Our contribution to underground hydrogen storage is related to the modeling of multiphase flow in porous media. In the present work, we focus on the processes of capillary trapping and spatial heterogeneities in the hydraulic properties of the porous medium. To evaluate the spreading of the saturation front due to spatial heterogeneities, we model the immiscible displacement of brine by hydrogen. We simulate multiple cycles of H2 injection/production in a test volume, incorporating hysteresis in the relative permeability to study how this condition impacts hydrogen dissolution, purity, and recoverability. We compare cases with and without hysteresis to investigate the role of viscous forces and heterogeneities alone. These cycles also help us understand the balance between fingering stability and gravity override. Finally, we perform a dynamic reservoir simulation on a realistic reservoir geometry, taking into consideration the elements already discussed. |
|---|