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Numerical Modelling of Biological and Geochemical Reactions in Subsurface Hydrogen

Tue Oct 7th, 2025 Presenter: Ahmad Shojaee, Heriot Watt University (Final-year PhD candidate) Title and abstract for the October presentation: Numerical Study of Biological and Geochemical Reactions during Hydrogen Storage in Subsurface Porous Media “Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is a promising solution for large-scale, seasonal energy storage, but its success depends on a clear understanding of microbial and geochemical interactions in subsurface porous media. This study develops and applies a bio-geochemical reactive transport model that couples microbial metabolisms (methanogenesis, acetogenesis, sulfate reduction) with geochemical reactions including mineral dissolution and precipitation. Batch simulations illustrate how microbial H2 consumption drives pH evolution and mineral reactivity. Building on this, I have coupled the bio-geochemical batch model with a compositional reservoir simulator using an iterative approach, resulting in the UGFACT framework. UGFACT has been validated and verified against experimental data and benchmarked against commercial reservoir simulators (E300 and GEM). Results show that reservoir heterogeneity, brine chemistry, mineralogy, reaction kinetics, and geochemical behaviour strongly affect H2 cycling, purity, and buffering capacity. This integrated framework provides new insight into the complex interplay between biology and geochemistry in UHS and represents a step toward reliable simulation tools for safe and efficient hydrogen storage. In addition, the results suggest that in reservoirs where microbial reactions are likely to occur, the possibility of finding natural hydrogen accumulations becomes more unlikely”