Impact of Pore Clogging by Bacteria on Underground Hydrogen Storage

The idea of underground storage of hydrogen exists today in several forms. One of the most promising methods is the option of underground methanation, which consists of injecting H-2 and CO2 into an underground porous reservoir (aquifer) and converting them into methane by means of methanogenic bacteria that initiate the methanation reaction. However, due to their activities, the high accumulation of bacteria in the pore walls causes pore-clogging (microbial-induced clogging); one of the main problems that can become an obstacle to the implementation of this idea. In this paper, we develop a conceptual model of bio-clogging, which consists of several stages of attachment to pore walls, detachment from the walls and pore plugging by the biomass growth. This model was built into the numerical model of multicomponent two-phase flow. The effect of bio-clogging on gas movement in the storage was analyzed numerically. It has been found that bio-clogging reduces vertical rise of hydrogen and results in more uniform radial gas penetration into the reservoir.

Automated summary

One promising method for underground hydrogen storage involves converting H-2 and CO2 into methane with methanogenic bacteria. However, the accumulation of bacteria on pore walls can cause pore-clogging, which hinders the implementation of this idea.