What's the deal with Natural Hydrogen?

What is natural hydrogen?

Natural hydrogen is hydrogen that accumulates underground. In places where it accumulates in high enough concentrations, it can be produced and used as a renewable and non-polluting source of energy. When hydrogen is combusted (burnt) for energy, the byproduct is water vapour, making natural hydrogen a true zero-carbon fuel.

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How is natural hydrogen formed?

Natural hydrogen is thought to form in places where groundwater interacts with minerals in rocks deep beneath the ground. The generation of hydrogen may occur through different chemical reactions that results in the splitting of hydrogen molecules from more complex chemical compounds. The underground conditions must be just right for natural hydrogen to first be formed and then to be trapped in underground accumulations.

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Are there already known occurrences of natural hydrogen accumulations around the world?

Accumulations of natural hydrogen are widespread around the world. One of the most well-known is the Bourakebougou Field in Mali, Africa where 98% Natural Hydrogen is produced from a shallow reservoir and is used as a renewable and clean energy source to generate electricity for a local village. Natural hydrogen accumulations are known to occur in most Australian states and territories.

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How do you find, develop and produce natural hydrogen?

Typically, exploration for natural hydrogen will start with low impact methods such as soil gas sampling, airborne surveys and passive seismic surveys, which use sensitive magnets to pick up background vibration under the ground. Once the area of interest is narrowed down using these techniques, a well is drilled to identify high concentrations of natural hydrogen. Exploration wells will be shallow (<1,000 m deep) and have surface infrastructure similar to a large water bore. If concentrations of natural hydrogen are high enough to be commercial, the hydrogen from the wells will be produced for consumers. Equipment needed to produce the hydrogen includes separators, pipes, and compressors before it is transported by road or pipeline networks.

 

Is fracking required for commercial natural hydrogen production?

No. Fracking is not required to produce natural hydrogen.

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How is natural hydrogen different from manufactured forms of hydrogen such as green or blue?

The different colours of hydrogen refer to how the hydrogen is made. Green and blue hydrogen are manufactured using industrial processes like electrolysis (separation of water molecules using electricity) and steam methane reforming which refers to the separation of methane into hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO₂) with the CO2 captured and stored underground.

As natural hydrogen does not need to be manufactured and does not external energy sources as an input, natural hydrogen has the lowest carbon footprint compared to other forms of hydrogen. If found in commercial quantities, natural hydrogen is also likely to be the cheapest with a price comparable to natural gas.

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Why is natural hydrogen sold as per kilograms rather than by volume?

Hydrogen is typically supplied as a compressed gas. As the volume of a gas changes based on temperature and pressure, weight is the most reliable measure for hydrogen and kilogram units will continue to be the preferred method of measurement for hydrogen.

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Is natural hydrogen dangerous or poisonous?

Hydrogen is colourless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic but highly combustible. Because it is highly combustible, hydrogen must be handled carefully to make sure it is safe. The hydrogen industry uses similar techniques to those used in the oil and gas industry for the safe storage and handling of hydrogen.

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How is hydrogen stored and transported?

Hydrogen is most commonly stored in steel tanks under pressure. In the future as the world decarbonises and the hydrogen industry gets bigger, hydrogen will likely be transported via steel pipelines and stored in large steel pressure vessels or tanks, or underground.  The technology for storing and transporting hydrogen is advancing rapidly to support the move to a low carbon future.

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Are ground water and water tables at risk of contamination due to the development and production of natural hydrogen discoveries?

Extraction of naturally occurring hydrogen can be done using slimline wellbores. When a well is drilled, steel casing is installed, and high strength cement is pumped into the well bore around the steel casing to seal the well bore and prevent any leaks.  The steel casing and cementing isolates any water table or aquifer that may be intersected during drilling.

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What land area is required for drilling and ongoing well operations?

When drilling, a well pad of approximately 100 m x 100 m is required. After the drilling finishes and the well is put on production, the area around the well is rehabilitated back to an area that is approx. 5 m x 5 m.