A preliminary site selection system for underground hydrogen storage in salt caverns and its application in Pingdingshan,China

Large‐scale underground hydrogen storage(UHS)provides a promising method for increasing the role of hydrogen in the process of carbon neutrality and energy transition.Of all the existing storage deposits,salt caverns are recognized as ideal sites for pure hydrogen storage.Evaluation and optimization of site selection for hydrogen storage facilities in salt caverns have become significant issues.In this article,the software CiteSpace is used to analyze and filter hot topics in published research.Based on a detailed classification and analysis,a“four‐factor”model for the site selection of salt cavern hydrogen storage is proposed,encompassing the dynamic demands of hydrogen energy,geological,hydrological,and ground factors of salt mines.Subsequently,20 basic indicators for comprehensive suitability grading of the target site were screened using the analytic hierarchy process and expert survey methods were adopted,which provided a preliminary site selection system for salt cavern hydrogen storage.Ultimately,the developed system was applied for the evaluation of salt cavern hydrogen storage sites in the salt mines of Pingdingshan City,Henan Province,thereby confirming its rationality and effectiveness.This research provides a feasible method and theoretical basis for the site selection of UHS in salt caverns in China.

Spatiotemporal mapping of(ultra‐)mafic magmatic mine areas:Implications of economic and political realities in China

The spatiotemporal extension/expansion of mine areas is affected by multiple factors.So far,very little has been done to examine the interaction between mine areas and political or economic realities.The(ultra‐)mafic magmatic mines in China played a specific role in supporting national development and providing an ideal research subject for monitoring their interrelationship.In this study,remote sensing and mining‐related GIS data were used to identify and analyze 1233(ultra‐)mafic magmatic mine area polygons in China,which covered approximately 322.96 km2 of land and included a V–Ti–Fe mine,a copper–nickel mine,a chromite mine,an asbestos mine,and a diamond mine.It was found that(1)the areal expansion of mines is significantly related to the mine types,perimeter,topography,and population density.(2)The mine area variation also reflects market and policy realities.The temporal expansion of the mine area from 2010 to 2020 followed an S‐shaped pattern(with the turning point occurring in 2014),closely related to iron overcapacity and tightened mining policies.(3)The complexity(D)of the mine area may reflect mine design and excavation practices.To be specific,lower D indicates early‐stage or artisanal/small‐scale mining,whereas higher D represents large‐scale mining.This study demonstrates that the detailed mapping of mine land can serve as an indicator to implement miningrelated market and policy changes.The(ultra‐)mafic mines area data set can be accessed at https://zenodo.org/record/7636616#.Y-p0uXaZOa0.

Gleaning insights from German energy transition and large-scale underground energy storage for China’s carbon neutrality

The global energy transition is a widespread phenomenon that requires international exchange of experiences and mutual learning.Germany’s success in its first phase of energy transition can be attributed to its adoption of smart energy technology and implementation of electricity futures and spot marketization,which enabled the achievement of multiple energy spatial–temporal complementarities and overall grid balance through energy conversion and reconversion technologies.While China can draw from Germany’s experience to inform its own energy transition efforts,its 11-fold higher annual electricity consumption requires a distinct approach.We recommend a clean energy system based on smart sector coupling(ENSYSCO)as a suitable pathway for achieving sustainable energy in China,given that renewable energy is expected to guarantee 85%of China’s energy production by 2060,requiring significant future electricity storage capacity.Nonetheless,renewable energy storage remains a significant challenge.We propose four large-scale underground energy storage methods based on ENSYSCO to address this challenge,while considering China’s national conditions.These proposals have culminated in pilot projects for large-scale underground energy storage in China,which we believe is a necessary choice for achieving carbon neutrality in China and enabling efficient and safe grid integration of renewable energy within the framework of ENSYSCO.

Large-Scale Underground Storage of Renewable Energy Coupled with Power-to-X:Challenges,Trends,and Potentials in China

1.Introduction Promoting the green and low-carbon transition of energy systems and constructing a new renewable-dominated power system is essential to achieving carbon neutrality in China[1,2].Furthermore,implementing electrification and hydrogenation strategies to address energy consumption is necessary for a successful energy transition.China’s share of electricity in its total energy consumption is estimated to increase from 26%in 2021 to more than 70%by 2060.

Numerical simulations of supercritical carbon dioxide fracturing:A review

As an emerging waterless fracturing technology,supercritical carbon dioxide(SC-CO_(2))fracturing can reduce reservoir damage and dependence on water resources,and can also promote the reservoir stimulation and geological storage of carbon dioxide(CO_(2)).It is vital to figure out the laws in SC-CO_(2)fracturing for the large-scale field implementation of this technology.This paper reviews the numerical simulations of wellbore flow and heat transfer,fracture initiation and propagation,and proppant transport in SC-CO_(2)fracturing,including the numerical approaches and the obtained findings.It shows that the variations of wellbore temperature and pressure are complex and strongly transient.The wellhead pressure can be reduced by tubing and annulus co-injection or adding drag reducers into the fracturing fluid.Increasing the temperature of CO_(2)with wellhead heating can promote CO_(2)to reach the well bottom in the supercritical state.Compared with hydraulic fracturing,SC-CO_(2)fracturing has a lower fracture initiation pressure and can form a more complex fracture network,but the fracture width is narrower.The technology of SC-CO_(2)fracturing followed by thickened SC-CO_(2)fracturing,which combines with high injection rates and ultra-light proppants,can improve the placement effect of proppants while improving the complexity and width of fractures.The follow-up research is required to get a deeper insight into the SC-CO_(2)fracturing mechanisms and develop cost-effective drag reducers,thickeners,and ultra-light proppants.This paper can guide further research and promote the field application of SC-CO_(2)fracturing technology.

Chemical weathering profile in the V–Ti–Fe mine tailings pond:a basalt-weathering analog

The(ultra-)mafic mine tailings pond revealed a weathering discrepancy in the tailings profile,which provided a valuable analog to assess the role of carbonate and silicate weathering of the basalt.In this study,drill-cores samples were selected from the Wanniangou V–Ti–Fe mine tailings pond(Sichuan province,China)to investigate the mineralogicand geochemical characteristics in the tailings profile.The results reveal(1)the tailings pond profile consist of upper and lower layers.The upper layer is composed of carbonate weathering(1.4%),which was formed in the initial stages of tailings exposure and represented a minimal weathering degree.(2)The lower layer was primarily observed at the aquifer zone of the tailings pond,and was consistent with 0.45%carbonate weathering and 48.4%silicate weathering.(3)The weathering discrepancy in the tailings profile could be due to the sulfide oxidation and aerobic/flowing aquifer,which facilitate the water-tailings reactions.The tailings profile provides an analog to studying basalt weathering,as it spans both carbonate and silicate weathering.This research reinforces the idea that silicate weathering is predominant in basaltic areas and plays a crucial role in regulating atmospheric CO_(2)(carbon dioxide)levels on Earth.

Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical simulation of CO2 enhanced gas recovery with an extended equation of state module for TOUGH2MP-FLAC3D

As one of the most important ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emission,carbon dioxide（CO2）enhanced gas recovery（CO2-EGR） is attractive since the gas recovery can be enhanced simultaneously with CO2sequestration.Based on the existing equation of state（EOS） module of TOUGH2 MP,extEOS7C is developed to calculate the phase partition of H2O-CO2-CH4-NaCl mixtures accurately with consideration of dissolved NaCI and brine properties at high pressure and temperature conditions.Verifications show that it can be applied up to the pressure of 100 MPa and temperature of 150℃.The module was implemented in the linked simulator TOUGH2MP-FLAC3 D for the coupled hydro-mechanical simulations.A simplified three-dimensional（3D）1/4 model（2.2 km×1 km×1 km） which consists of the whole reservoir,caprock and baserock was generated based on the geological conditions of a gas field in the North German Basin.The simulation results show that,under an injection rate of 200,000 t/yr and production rate of 200,000 sm3/d,CO2breakthrough occurred in the case with the initial reservoir pressure of 5 MPa but did not occur in the case of 42 MPa.Under low pressure conditions,the pressure driven horizontal transport is the dominant process;while under high pressure conditions,the density driven vertical flow is dominant.Under the considered conditions,the CO2-EGR caused only small pressure changes.The largest pore pressure increase（2 MPa） and uplift（7 mm） occurred at the caprock bottom induced by only CO2injection.The caprock had still the primary stress state and its integrity was not affected.The formation water salinity and temperature variations of ±20℃ had small influences on the CO2-EGR process.In order to slow down the breakthrough,it is suggested that CO2-EGR should be carried out before the reservoir pressure drops below the critical pressure of CO2.