Expectations for energy storage are high but large-scale underground hydrogen storage in porous media (UHSP) remains largely untested. This article identifies and discusses the scientific challenges of hydrogen storage in porous media for safe and efficient large-scale energy storage to enable a global hydrogen economy. To facilitate hydrogen supply on the scales required for a zero-carbon future, it must be stored in porous geological formations, such as saline aquifers and depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs. Large-scale UHSP offers the much-needed capacity to balance inter-seasonal discrepancies between demand and supply, decouple energy generation from demand and decarbonise heating and transport, supporting decarbonisation of the entire energy system. Despite the vast opportunity provided by UHSP, the maturity is considered low and as such UHSP is associated with several uncertainties and challenges. Here, the safety and economic impacts triggered by poorly understood key processes are identified, such as the formation of corrosive hydrogen sulfide gas, hydrogen loss due to the activity of microbes or permeability changes due to geochemical interactions impacting on the predictability of hydrogen flow through porous media. The wide range of scientific challenges facing UHSP are outlined to improve procedures and workflows for the hydrogen storage cycle, from site selection to storage site operation. Multidisciplinary research, including reservoir engineering, chemistry, geology and microbiology, more complex than required for CH₄ or CO₂ storage is required in order to implement the safe, efficient and much needed large-scale commercial deployment of UHSP.

中文翻译：

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在多孔介质中实现大规模氢存储–科学挑战

储能的期望很高，但在多孔介质（UHSP）中大规模地下储氢仍未经过测试。本文确定并讨论了在多孔介质中储氢对于安全有效地大规模储能以实现全球氢经济所面临的科学挑战。为了促进零碳未来所需规模的氢气供应，必须将其存储在多孔的地质构造中，例如盐水层和枯竭的碳氢化合物储层。大型UHSP提供了急需的能力，以平衡供需之间的季节间差异，使能源产生与需求脱钩以及对供热和运输进行脱碳，从而支持整个能源系统的脱碳。尽管UHSP提供了巨大的机会，该期限被认为很低，因此，UHSP伴随着一些不确定性和挑战。在此，我们确定了由于对关键过程了解不足而引发的安全和经济影响，例如腐蚀性硫化氢气体的形成，微生物活动引起的氢损失或地球化学相互作用导致的渗透率变化，影响了通过多孔氢流的可预测性媒体。概述了UHSP面临的广泛科学挑战，以改善从选址到储藏地点运营的氢储存周期的程序和工作流程。多学科研究，包括储层工程，化学，地质和微生物学，比CH所需的过程更为复杂 识别出由于对关键过程的了解不充分而引发的安全和经济影响，例如腐蚀性硫化氢气体的形成，微生物活动引起的氢损失或地球化学相互作用导致的渗透率变化，从而影响通过多孔介质的氢的可预测性。概述了UHSP面临的广泛科学挑战，以改善从选址到储藏地点运营的氢储存周期的程序和工作流程。多学科研究，包括储层工程，化学，地质和微生物学，比CH所需的过程更为复杂 识别出由于对关键过程的了解不充分而引发的安全和经济影响，例如腐蚀性硫化氢气体的形成，微生物活动引起的氢损失或地球化学相互作用导致的渗透率变化，从而影响通过多孔介质的氢的可预测性。概述了UHSP面临的广泛科学挑战，以改善从选址到储藏地点运营的氢储存周期的程序和工作流程。多学科研究，包括储层工程，化学，地质和微生物学，比CH所需的过程更为复杂 由于微生物活动引起的氢损失或由于地球化学相互作用而导致的渗透率变化会影响通过多孔介质的氢流量的可预测性。概述了UHSP面临的广泛科学挑战，以改善从选址到储藏地点运营的氢储存周期的程序和工作流程。多学科研究，包括储层工程，化学，地质和微生物学，比CH所需的过程更为复杂 由于微生物活动引起的氢损失或由于地球化学相互作用而导致的渗透率变化会影响通过多孔介质的氢流量的可预测性。概述了UHSP面临的广泛科学挑战，以改善从选址到储藏地点运营的氢储存周期的程序和工作流程。多学科研究，包括储层工程，化学，地质和微生物学，比CH所需的过程更为复杂为了实现UHSP的安全，高效和急需的大规模商业部署，需要₄或CO _2的存储。