Lab-Based Investigation on the Effect of Water-Based Mud Additive, Nano Silica, on Cap Rock Wettability in Contact with Hydrogen Gas

As non-renewable energy sources, oil and gas reserves are projected to meet the world’s energy needs for less than ۱۵۰ years. Recently, hydrogen gas has emerged as a promising clean energy alternative to fossil fuels, garnering global attention. However, the large-scale implementation of a hydrogen economy faces challenges due to hydrogen’s volatility and density, complicating its storage in large volumes and for extended periods. Potential sites for hydrogen storage include deep aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, underground salt caverns and domes, coal seams, and other subsurface structures. This process is referred to as Hydrogen Storage" href="https://civilica.com/search/paper/k-Underground%20Hydrogen%20Storage/">Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS). This study focuses on measuring the contact angle of an anhydrite cap rock sample from the anhydrite facies of the Qom formation in the Sarajeh gas field. The sample, impregnated with water-based drilling mud in the presence of H۲ gas, provides insights into the rock’s wettability. Wettability is crucial in gas production processes as it influences initial fluid distribution, cap rock sealing capability, integrity, hydrogen recovery, and the chemical interactions between the cap rock and hydrogen. The contact angles measured by the captive bubble method showed that the raw samples exhibited increased hydrophilicity with increasing pressure. The aged samples with base mud showed increased hydrophobicity over time and with increasing pressure, which may be due to chemical reactions between the mud and the surface of the anhydrite rock samples. The aged samples with nano-silica modified mud exhibited greater hydrophilicity, indicating improved surface properties of the samples.

کلیدواژه ها:

Underground Hydrogen Storage ، Drilling Fluid ، Wettability ، Nano-Silica ، Fuel ، Hydrogen