Hydrogen in Australian natural gas
Natural or native molecular hydrogen (H2) can be a major component in natural gas, and yet its role in the global energy sector’s usage as a clean energy carrier is not normally considered. Here, we update the scarce reporting of hydrogen in Australian natural gas with new compositional and isotopic analyses of H2 undertaken at Geoscience Australia. The dataset involves ~1000 natural gas samples from 470 wells in both sedimentary and non-sedimentary basins with reservoir rock age ranging from the Neoarchean to Cenozoic. Pathways to H2 formation can involve either organic matter intermediates and its association with biogenic natural gas or chemical synthesis and its presence in abiogenic natural gas. The latter reaction pathway generally leads to H2-rich (>10 mol% H2) gas in non-sedimentary rocks. Abiogenic H2 petroleum systems are described within concepts of source-migration-reservoir-seal but exploration approaches are different to biogenic natural gas. Rates of abiogenic H2 generation are governed by the availability of specific rock types and different mineral catalysts, and through chemical reactions and radiolysis of accessible water. Hydrogen can be differently trapped compared to hydrocarbon gases; for example, pore space can be created in fractured basement during abiogenic reactions, and clay minerals and evaporites can act as effective adsorbents, traps and seals. Underground storage of H2 within evaporites (specifically halite) and in depleted petroleum reservoirs will also have a role to play in the commercial exploitation of H2. Estimated H2 production rates from water radiolysis in mafic-ultramafic and granitic rocks and serpentinisation of ultramafic-mafic rocks gives a H2 inferred resource potential between ~1.6 to ~58 MMm3 y-1 for onshore Australia down to a depth of 1 km. The prediction and subsequent identification of subsurface H2 that can be exploited remains enigmatic and awaits robust exploration guidelines and targeted drilling for proof of concept.
Appeared in The APPEA Journal 61(1) 163-191, 2 July 2021
Simple
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- 2021-07-15T05:54:04
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Identifier
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Digital Object Identifier
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Author Boreham, C.J.
Author Edwards, D.
MEG Internal Contact Author Czado, K.
External Contact Author Rollet, N.
MEG Internal Contact Author Wang, L.
MEG Internal Contact Author VanDerWielen, S.
MEG Internal Contact Author Champion, D.
MEG Internal Contact Author Blewett, R.
External Contact Author Feitz, A.
MEG Internal Contact Author Henson, P.
MEG Internal Contact
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APPEA Publications
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APPEA 2021 full paper
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Publisher Journal of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA)
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MEG Internal Contact Resource provider Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division
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Wells with hydrogen gas data
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))
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Product data repository: Various Formats
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Data Store directory containing the digital product files
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EARTH SCIENCES
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Hydrogen
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natural gas
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resource potential
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Published_External
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CC-BY
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4.0
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GA publication: External publication
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Geoscience Australia - short identifier for metadata record with
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Metadata standard
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AU/NZS ISO 19115-1:2014
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ISO 19115-1:2014
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ISO 19115-3
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Geoscience Australia Community Metadata Profile of ISO 19115-1:2014
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Version 2.0, September 2018
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