Gold (hydrogen) rush: risks and uncertainties in exploring for naturally occurring hydrogen
Linda Stalker A * , Asrar Talukder A , Julian Strand A , Matthew Josh A and Mohinudeen Faiz BA CSIRO, ARRC, 26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia.
B CSIRO, QCAT, 1 Technology Court, Pullenvale, Qld 4069, Australia.
The APPEA Journal 62(1) 361-380 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ21130
Submitted: 31 December 2021 Accepted: 28 January 2022 Published: 13 May 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.
Abstract
Interest in hydrogen (H2) energy has exploded in the last few years. Much of the interest comes from transitioning to a decarbonised energy future, through the use of renewables, to convert hydrogen-rich materials (methane, water) to pure hydrogen gas streams. Each of these methods have their own challenges, such as the need for carbon capture and storage to manage carbon emissions or perspectives on the use of fresh water. At the same time as this engineered approach to generating hydrogen, there has been a quiet but exponential upsurge in research surrounding the origins and fate of naturally occurring hydrogen. Sometimes referred to as ‘gold’ or ‘white’ hydrogen, geological forms of hydrogen have been recognised for thousands of years. While already present as H2, hydrogen may exist with other gases, such as methane, helium, hydrogen sulfide and/or nitrogen. But is it real? Is it volumetrically significant, discoverable, predictable or exploitable? Early work suggests that we can begin to characterise potential sources of hydrogen, the depth ranges they may be generated from, the migration mechanisms that are relevant, and how they might be retained or lost in relation to the discovery and exploitation of this gas. However, existing publicly available data is constrained by a lack of analysis and limited evidence. While there are increased reports of seeps containing hydrogen, there is an absence of evidence of more significant finds and a lack of major analogues and case studies to date. We explore these risks and uncertainties and provide a roadmap for reducing the evidence gap.
Keywords: analysis, Australia, basement, exploration, halite, migration, natural hydrogen, proxy species, radiolysis, serpentinisation, source, trapping.
Dr Linda Stalker obtained a BSc (Hons) in Applied Geology (University of Strathclyde, Scotland) in 1990. Her PhD on petroleum geochemistry and carbon dioxide (CO2) generation was gained at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In 1994 she joined the University of Oklahoma (USA) on a Department of Energy sponsored post doctoral study into organosulfur compounds trapped in coals. From 1996, she worked in petroleum exploration and production (E&P) at Statoil, Norway, including 2 years on the Sleipner Field. She joined CSIRO in 2000 and has held numerous positions while maintaining research expertise in hydrocarbon E&P and carbon storage research. She is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and the Geochemical Society. Linda has also held the roles of Science Director for the National Geosequestration Laboratory and Acting-CEO of the Western Australian Energy Research Alliance. She is currently a Senior Principal Research Scientist and the Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance State Leader for WA, SA and Vic. https://people.csiro.au/S/L/Linda-Stalker. |
Dr Asrar Talukder is a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO. He completed his PhD at the University of Granada in Spain in 2003. From 2004 to 2007, he worked as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research at Kiel, Germany. During his postdoctoral work, Asrar worked on the gas hydrate deposit mechanisms on the Pacific margin, offshore Centre America. In late 2007, he joined CSIRO Energy based in Perth. Asrar’s main research interests are submarine natural seep plumbing systems; seabed processes associated with the seeps, including submarine landslides; and how hydrocarbons migrate from seeping points on the seabed to the sea surface. |
Dr Julian Strand is a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO Energy. He is primarily working on structural geology and issues related to incorporating structural geology into reservoir basin models and applying this to hydrogen and CO2 storage. Julian has been based in Perth since 2005, and he was part of the Fault Analysis Group for 9 years at the University of Liverpool and later at the University College Dublin (Ireland). He attended the University of Liverpool and Imperial College, London. |
Dr Matthew Josh is currently employed at CSIRO to develop methods of broadband rock electrical properties characterisation. Matthew’s primary field of training is in electrical engineering and physics, and he specialises in experimental electromagnetic instrumentation and methods. He graduated with a PhD in geophysics from the University of Sydney in 2004, investigating the development of novel borehole dielectric logging tools for use in the geotechnical and extractive industries. Prior to this, he was working with Cooperative Research Centre Mining and CSIRO industrial physics, where he was involved in the development of ground probing radar to assist in fault and dyke detection in coal mining operations and for agricultural purposes, such as identifying wetting fronts during crop irrigation to improve water management. |
Mohinudeen Faiz is a Petroleum Geoscientist with ~30 years of experience in operational and research and development projects. Faiz holds PhD and MSc degrees from the University of Wollongong and a BSc (Hons) from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He is currently a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Energy, where he focuses on integrated petroleum systems analyses for both conventional and unconventional reservoirs. Previously, Faiz worked at Origin Energy, where he modelled organic geochemistry and petroleum systems for small and medium enterprises, and he contributed to various exploration and development projects in Australia and overseas. He is a member of AAPG, PESA and the International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology. |
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