Open Access

ARTICLE

Hydrogen-Methane Blend Storage in Depleted Reservoirs: An Option for Reusing Decommissioned Offshore Platforms

Anna Chiara Uggenti¹, Giorgio Rech², Raffaella Gerboni^2,*, Gianmario Ledda², Amedeo Aliberti¹, Claudia Vivalda³, Emanuela Bruno², Andrea Carpignano²

1 RAMS&E s.r.l., via Livorno 60, Torino, 10144, Italy
2 Energy Department, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino, 10129, Italy
3 National Energy Technology Cluster, Lungotevere Thaon di Revel 76, Roma, 00196, Italy

* Corresponding Author: Raffaella Gerboni. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Recent Advances in Computational Fluid Dynamics)

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2025, 21(4), 757-782. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2025.062347

Received 16 December 2024; Accepted 24 March 2025; Issue published 06 May 2025

Abstract

The paper presents an innovative approach to studying the reuse of a decommissioned natural gas production platform for the seasonal storage and extraction of a hydrogen-methane (H₂-CH₄) mixture from a depleted reservoir. The reuse plan involves removing outdated equipment from the platform’s decks while retaining essential components such as wellheads and separators. Exploiting a depleted reservoir for the injection of an H₂-CH₄ mixture requires a thorough understanding of its specific characteristics. This paper focuses on the engineering approach adopted in the basic design phase for such a conversion, providing recommendations and HSE guidelines. Given the hazardous nature of substances like hydrogen in the gas mixture, the paper also examines potential risk scenarios, particularly those involving containment loss. A qualitative and quantitative assessment of these risks is conducted to evaluate their impact on the structure and equipment. The results of this assessment serve as a foundation for later studies on layout optimization and domino effect prevention. Additionally, some critical scenarios are simulated using an innovative approach known as the Source Box Accident Model (SBAM), which was proposed in previous works. SBAM leverages Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) but decouples the accidental phenomenon into a release phase and a dispersion phase. This method overcomes the challenges conventional CFD tools face in assessing congested plant configurations, providing more precise estimations of gas cloud behavior. The simulation results indicate that the released gas remains within the platform deck domain, and the flammable cloud is significantly smaller than what traditional, simplified tools predict.

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Keywords

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