A comparative study for H2-CH4 mixture wettability in sandstone porous rocks relevant to underground hydrogen storage

Characterizing the wettability of hydrogen (H-2)-methane (CH4) mixtures in subsurface reservoirs is the first step towards understanding containment and transport properties for underground hydrogen storage (UHS). In this study, we investigate the static contact angles of H-2-CH4 mixtures, in contact with brine and Bentheimer sandstone rock using a captive-bubble cell device at different pressures, temperatures and brine salinity values. It is found that, under the studied conditions, H-2 and CH4 show comparable wettability behaviour with contact angles ranging between [25 degrees-45 degrees]; and consequently their mixtures behave similar to the pure gas systems, independent of composition, pressure, temperature and salinity. For the system at rest, the acting buoyancy and surface forces allow for theoretical sensitivity analysis for the captive-bubble cell approach to characterize the wettability. Moreover, it is theoretically validated that under similar Bond numbers and similar bubble sizes, the contact angles of H-2 and CH4 bubbles and their mixtures are indeed comparable. Consequently, in large-scale subsurface storage systems where buoyancy and capillary are the main acting forces, H-2, CH4 and their mixtures will have similar wettability characteristics.

Automated summary

This study characterizes the wettability of hydrogen and methane, as well as their mixtures, in subsurface reservoirs. The findings show that the wettability behavior of hydrogen and methane is similar, and their mixtures exhibit similar behavior to pure gas systems. The study also validates that under similar conditions, the contact angles of hydrogen and methane bubbles and their mixtures are comparable. This has implications for large-scale subsurface storage systems where buoyancy and capillary forces are the main factors affecting wettability.