April 2024: Challenges and Opportunities with Geologic Hydrogen
Channel: Texas CSEE
Date: 10/04/2024

Abstract
Hydrogen is a carbon-free fuel that produces only water when energy is extracted from it. Decarbonization of our energy supplies can be accomplished in part by including hydrogen as an energy source, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors like steel and cement manufacturing. Nearly all the hydrogen used today is produced by splitting water or methane in chemical plants. However, there are natural processes that generate hydrogen in the subsurface, and some recent studies suggest that it could be present at an abundance that is relevant to future needs. This geologic hydrogen could be exploitable, but many challenges, both known and unknown, remain to be overcome. These include finding where hydrogen is produced and where it accumulates, how to prospect for hydrogen accumulations, and how to drill and recover subsurface hydrogen. I will present a research roadmap to help overcome these challenges and help us determine the best ways toward using geologic hydrogen.

Bio
Hugh Daigle is an associate professor in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and Director of the Center for Subsurface Energy and the Environment at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a BA magna cum laude in Earth and Planetary Science from Harvard University and a PhD in Earth Science from Rice University. Prior to joining the PGE faculty in 2013, he worked as a petrophysicist at Chevron. Hugh’s research interests include gas hydrates, submarine geohazards, sustainable energy, and uses of nanotechnology in oil and gas production.