Hydrogen in Australian natural gas  

Authors / CoAuthors

Boreham, C.J. | Edwards, D. | Czado, K. | Rollet, N. | Wang, L. | VanDerWielen, S. | Champion, D. | Blewett, R. | Feitz, A. | Henson, P.

Abstract

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

Product Type

document

eCat Id

144550

Contact for the resource

Keywords

theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf

• EARTH SCIENCES

( Discipline )

• Hydrogen

( Discipline )

• natural gas

( Discipline )

• resource potential

• Published_External

Publication Date

2021-07-15T05:54:04

Creation Date

Security Constraints

Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem    

Classification - unclassified

Legal Constraints

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

Access - license

Use - license

Status

completed

Purpose

APPEA 2021 full paper

Maintenance Information

asNeeded

Topic Category

geoscientificInformation

Series Information

APPEA Publications

Lineage

Parent Information

Extents

[-39.7322, -11.3054, 112.4048, 153.7567]

Reference System

Spatial Resolution

Wells with hydrogen gas data

Service Information

Associations

Downloads and Links

Link to The APPEA Journal paper  

Source Information