Toward Economic and Seismic-Safe Geologic Hydrogen
A Warren Distinguished Lecture with
Mengsu Hu
Energy Geosciences Division
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
This lecture is a joint presentation with the center on Geo-processes in Mineral Carbon Storage (GMCS) housed at the University of Minnesota.
ABSTRACT
Geologic hydrogen, including both naturally occurring and stimulated hydrogen, is a promising primary energy resource. The production of geologic hydrogen involves the creation of fractures, H2 generation through water-rock reactions, and H2 extraction, all of which impact both economic viability and seismic stability. Understanding and managing these processes requires close collaboration across multiple scientific and engineering disciplines. In this talk, Mengsu Hu shares state-of-the-art research that combines laboratory experiments with numerical modeling to predict and control H2 generation and extraction more effectively. Hu shows H2 generation at different temperatures, with different structural features, and over different length scales. She discusses the key processes and properties that govern the H2 generation via serpentinization and its economic potential at the reservoir scale. She provides strategies for improving H2 extraction governed by the interplay between two-phase flow and fracture geometry. A novel cyclic injection approach that enhances H2 extraction from the core to the field scale will be introduced. In addition, she discusses the processes that influence seismic stability during every stage of geologic hydrogen production. This presentation underscores the economic potential of geologic hydrogen, identifies key areas where interdisciplinary research is most needed, and outlines future pathways toward the success of geologic hydrogen.
