Abstract
The recent discovery of high purity natural hydrogen in South Australia prompts the need for hydrogen-brine capillary pressure data to understand the behavior of fluid movement in the rock matrix. Furthermore, this investigation provides deeper insights into the suitability of carbonate reservoirs for potential large scale hydrogen storage and its deliverability. We measured core-scale drainage and imbibition capillary pressures for hydrogen-brine systems in limestone and dolomite under stress and hydrogen pore pressure, using advanced centrifuge techniques. Drainage capillary pressures range from 0.23 MPa (33.2 psi) to 0.02 MPa (3.2 psi) at 57.3-80.2% brine saturation in limestone and 72.7-99.8% in dolomite cores. Imbibition capillary pressures range from −0.05 MPa (−7.5 psi) to −0.46 MPa (−66.1 psi) at 53.6-59.7% in limestone and 67.8-84.0% in dolomite cores. Analytical models were developed to reproduce the experimental curves, and hydrogen–brine relative permeabilities in limestone were identified through simulations.
Keywords
capillary pressure, carbonate formation, centrifuge, Hydrogen storage, natural hydrogen, relative permeability
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
8-26-2026
Article Number
156864
ISSN
03603199
Volume
263
Publication Title
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
Publisher
Elsevier
School
Centre for Sustainable Energy and Resources / School of Engineering
Funding received from the Australian Research Council (ARC)
DP220102907
Administering Institution
Edith Cowan University
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Jha, N. K., Awan, F., Roger, M., Keshavarz, A., & Iglauer, S. (2026). Capillary pressures of hydrogen-brine in carbonate and dolomite rocks under stress and with pore pressure. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 263, Article 156864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.156864