EDMONTON — A petroleum engineering researcher is exploring the possibility of storing large quantities of hydrogen in underground salt caverns, capable of holding more than 2,000 tonnes of the compressed gas, as the province aims to scale up production of the fuel.
“To the best of my knowledge, we will be the first lab in Canada testing salt rocks for hydrogen storage,” says Hassan Dehghanpour. If all goes well in the lab, field trials will begin in a couple of years, he adds, with storage caverns going into operation in about five years.
For the past 50 years, more than 100 salt caverns in Alberta have already been used to store natural gas and other hydrocarbons, but hydrogen presents unique challenges, says Dehghanpour. Its molecules are smaller — the smallest of all elements — making it potentially more capable of penetrating cavern walls, and the gas is more explosive.
After spending years in the hydraulic fracturing industry, Dehghanpour says he and his industry partners are confident natural gas caverns can be repurposed for hydrogen. With the transition to large-scale hydrogen production, a major goal of Alberta’s Hydrogen Road Map, sufficient storage capacity will be crucial to hedge against fluctuations in supply and demand.
“If down the road we convert green electricity from wind and solar to hydrogen, we probably won’t need that much for residential heating during the summer — the excess has to go somewhere.”
According to the Hydrogen Roadmap, the worldwide market for hydrogen is estimated to be worth more than $2.5 trillion per year by 2050, especially in North America, the Asia Pacific region and Europe.
Dehghanpour estimates the initial cost of each salt cavern at about $20 million, with minimal costs once they are operational.
“Right now, we have only small-scale, surface storage tanks used by refineries for their own purposes,” he says.
“Compared to those, salt caverns are massive, and safer if operated properly. If anything happens, it’s underground with less oxygen for flammability, so I believe it's the best solution for large-scale hydrogen storage.”
To read the full story, click here. To speak with Hassan Dehghanpour about his research, please contact:
Debra Clark
U of A communications associate
debra.clark@ualberta.ca