2024 RTP round - Hydrogen-Brine-Minerals Interactions on Micro-Scale Fracture Mechanics and Their Implications on Underground Hydrogen Storage Integrity

Status: Closed

Applications open: 7/07/2023
Applications close: 25/08/2023

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About this scholarship
Description/Applicant information

Hydrogen energy appears to play an important role in energy transition as an energy carrier in Australia. Moreover, Australia has great opportunities from hydrogen export given its geographical and natural resources’ strengths. Australia could export over three million tons hydrogen to meet the global hydrogen demand by 2040, worth up to $10 billion each year to the economy by that time.
However, the volumetric inferior calorific values in kWh/m3 of hydrogen is the lowest (530kWh/m3) compared with other fuels although its energy density is the highest in mass (33.3 kWh/kg). Therefore, hydrogen storage particularly the scalable, large-scale and long-term storage system is becoming the centre of attention to underpin the hydrogen economy supply chain in Australia.
In this context, large-scale hydrogen storage in porous media has been proposed for example in existing salt caverns, depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers. Compared to surface hydrogen storage, underground hydrogen storage has benefits of safety brought by the solid caprock sealing, huge storage space, lower cost than surface tanks, high availability in existing underground storage sites. However, given that salt caverns may not be widely available for hydrogen storage in Australia in particular along the coastal line, saline aquifers and depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs in particular gas reservoirs have been widely considered for large-scale and long-term hydrogen storage.
While the expectations on large-scale hydrogen storage in porous media is high, the feasibility and potential risks remain untested and unquantified. In particular, few research have been carried out to understand the impact of hydrogen-brine-rock interactions on hydrogen conversion and contamination, and fewer have looked beyond these processes on storage integrity. This presents tremendous impediments to manage and predict the large-scale hydrogen storage in porous media. In this context, this project aims to reveal the controlling factor(s) behind the hydrogen conversion and contamination due to the geochemical reactions, and its implications on fracture mechanics which is a fundamental to storage integrity. To achieve the objectives, a combination of multi-scale experimental, analytical and numerical approaches would be applied to de-risk the underground hydrogen storage. 

This project aims to deliver the following outcomes to benefit the region and the nation as a whole. 
First, establishing a robust experimental and computational framework and then develop design guidelines that enables large-scale long-term hydrogen storage in a technically feasible and socially acceptable way. 
Second, this project aims to position Australia at the forefront of large-scale long-term hydrogen underground storage technology, and make the development of the hydrogen technology supply chain more globally competitive. 
Third, this project also aims to clarify the role of H2 in undercover iron deposit exploration for iron ore and natural hydrogen reservoirs exploration through the identification of the geochemical reaction process of hydrogen-brine-rock system, which reveals the oxidation of ferrous sediments into ferric sediment. 

1. Identification of geochemical reaction processes and thermodynamics of the hydrogen-brine-rock system with various minerals at reservoir pressure and temperature to quantify the hydrogen conversion and contamination.
2. Quantification of the impact of hydrogen-brine-rock interactions on fracture mechanics to de-risk the storage integrity.
3. Development of a technical screening tool to assist industry to evaluate the potential risks of hydrogen storage integrity due to hydrogen-brine-rock interactions.               4. Supporting policy makers (state government and federal government) in understanding the large-scale hydrogen storage viable resources to develop relevant strategies for decarbonisation. 
5. Enabling hydrogen storage capacity of 80 PJ (22.2 TWh) using the existing underground gas storage facilities in Australia. 
6. Identifying over 10 PJ hydrogen storage capacity in Dongara in WA, underpinning the hydrogen export in WA. 

This project may provide an internship opportunity. The candidate has opportunities to work in CSIRO labs and also our industry partner Beach Energy in WA.

Student type

• Future Students

Faculty

• Faculty of Science & Engineering
  • Western Australian School of Mines (WASM)

Course type

• Higher Degree by Research

Citizenship

• Australian Citizen
• Australian Permanent Resident
• New Zealand Citizen
• Permanent Humanitarian Visa

Scholarship base

• Merit Based

Value

The annual scholarship package (stipend and tuition fees) is approx. $60,000 - $70,000 p.a.

Successful HDR applicants for admission will receive a 100% fee offset for up to 4 years, stipend scholarships at the 2023 RTP rate valued at $32,250 p.a. for up to a maximum of 3 years, with a possible 6-month completion scholarship. Applicants are determined via a competitive selection process and will be notified of the scholarship outcome in November 2023. 

For detailed information, visit: Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships | Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

Scholarship Details
Maximum number awarded

1

Eligible courses

All applicable HDR courses

Eligibility criteria

We are seeking a self-motivated PhD candidate with excellent organisation, problem-solving and project management skills.

• Candidate who has qualifications or experience in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Chemistry Science, or Material Science will be desirable.
• Candidate who has essential RESEARCH skills and RESEARCH experience (study or work) in the field of energy storage and conversion technologies (e.g., battery, supercapacitor, fuel cell) or electrochemistry will be prioritised.
• Candidate must meet minimum English language requirements and must be eligible to enrol in PhD programs at Curtin University. 

Application process

If this project excites you, and your research skills and experience are a good fit for this specific project, you should contact the Project Lead (listed below in the enquires section) via the Expression of Interest (EOI) form. ahead of the closing date. Please note you should apply as soon as possible, as once a suitable candidate has been identified this opportunity will no longer be available to receive an EOI.

Enrolment Requirements

Eligible to enrol in a Higher Degree by Research Course at Curtin University by March 2024.

Recipients must complete their milestone 1 within 6 months of enrolment and remain enrolled on a full-time basis for the duration of the scholarship.

Enquiries

To enquire about this project opportunity that includes a scholarship application, contact the Project lead Sam Xie via the EOI form above.

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