Hydrogen Underground Storage

and Methanation

March 2017

An experience underway in Patagonia

CONTENTS

• Company Profile

• Hychico’s Facilities

• Hydrogen Underground Storage

• Underground Controlled Methanogenesis

• Conclusions

Oil: 1,900 m3d

CapexAgua del Cajón Site Capsa

Diadema & other Sites

Power

Plant

LPG

Plant

Gas & Oil

Wells

Gas

Sales

- Gas: 1,500 Mm3d

- Oil + Gasoline: 200 m3d

- LPG: 100 Tn/day

- Power Generation: 672 MW (ISO)

Hychico S.A.

Group Profile

Chubut

Buenos

Aires

Ne

uq

ué

n

Wind Park

6.3 MW

National

Wholesale

Electric

Market

Hydrogen Plant

120 Nm3/h

Headquarters

Hychico’s Facilities

4

H2:120 Nm3/h

O2: 60 Nm3/h

Power: 1.4 MW

Since 2009

Hydrogen Plant

7 Wind Turbines

Nominal Power: 6.3 MW

Capacity Factor: 50.2%

Since 2011

Diadema Wind Park

Well F-160

Hydrogen Underground Storage

Hydrogen Underground Storage

In 2010 Hychico began geological and installation studies.

The depleted F-160 well was chosen for a pilot test

Project Milestones

• Environmental Impact

Assessment and Public

Hearing approved in 2014.

• Hydrogen pipeline built in

2015

• Massive H2 injection started

in January 2016

2.3 km long H2

polymeric pipeline

Reservoir Characteristics• Glauconitic type.

• Depth: 815 m below wellhead level.

• Porosity: 25 %

• Pore Volume: 102,000 m3

• Area: 16 Has

• Permeability (abs.): 300-500 mD

• Temperature: 55 °C

Original Conditions• Static Pressure: 25 bar

• Water Saturation: 55 %

• Gas Saturation: 45 %

Project Stages

Monitoring Programs

Ground Surface: 0-10 ppm

Surrounding Wells: 50-500 ppm

Hydrogen Content

Chemical Composition

Operational conditions:

Pressure, temperature, flowrate

Reservoir Parameters:

H2 Detector

sensitivity: 0.5 ppm

Monitoring Materials Program

Stainless Steel: 304 L, 306 L

Oil & Gas materials: tubing (J55),

casing (K55), pipeline (X42)

Polymeric materials: polyethylene

Cement

Mechanical Properties:

– Tension Testing (ASTM E8/E8M)

– Charpy Impact Testing (ASTM E23)

– SEM microscopy

Hydrogen permeation

Leakages rates

Materials

Tests

Energy Storage by means of Hydrogen

Vision

Power generation: fuel

based on H2 and natural

gas mixtures

Storage: peak shaving

applications.

Methanation: methane

production by biological

processes using injected

H2 and CO2

Similar Projects world around

Towards "Green Methane" Production

Why looking for methane production?

– Methane can be used at higher rate than hydrogen

– Handling and storing methane in geological reservoirs is

well-known and therefore easier than for hydrogen

But…

– Usual methane production from hydrogen and CO2 with

existing technologies (e.g. methanation) may be relatively

expensive and devoted to small volumes

The project is aiming at :

– Assessing the potential of gas depleted reservoirs to sustain

biological methanogenesis H2 and CO2 in order to perform

large and economical gas transformation

Tests in « real » conditions: use of

high pressures bioreactor and cells

Follow and interpret what is

occurring during hydrogen injection

in the pilot site

Assess and predict the

geochemistry of the system in

different conditions

Establish the foundations for a new

process based on that technology

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Underground Controlled Methanogenesis Project

UCM Project

The French geological survey, BRGM, has been chosen as

technological partner.

Well sampling and analysis were performed in 2016

Different tests underway:

– Microbial diversity

– Growth tests regarding different conditions

– Surface effects measurements (adsorption, redox)

The efforts include the site’s biological characterization,

identification and optimization of both operational and

reservoir parameters.

The purpose is to model the behavior of the reservoir and

have a “green methane” production feasibility study by mid

2018.> 12

HyUnder project: Assessing the potential, actors and business

models of large scale underground Hydrogen storage in Europe.

R&D Centres: H2 underground storage in depleted gas

reservoirs (France, Germany).

International background

Infrastructure: polymeric pipeline (Rehau - Germany)

Companies: RAG (Austria)

Underground Controlled Methanogenesis

Project : BRGM (France)

Conclusions

• Hychico will keep acquiring experience in Hydrogen

production, storage and use with state of the art technologies.

• Hychico is working together with Strategic partners involving

wind turbines, electrolysers, H2 infraestructure and R&D

Centres.

• The Hydrogen Underground Storage has been tested and the

production of “green methane” is under investigation.

• A natural gas - hydrogen mixture as fuel in turbines or

gensets to supply Electric System's demand at peak hours,

will be one of Hychico's goal in the medium term.

• Hychico’s long-term goal is to provide future regional and

international markets with “green hydrogen”, produced from

Renewable Energies, and also with “green methane”, by

using hydrogen as raw material and a sustainable source of

carbon dioxide.

Thank You!

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