Blue hydrogen production from natural gas reservoirs: A review of application and feasibility

Recently, interest in developing H₂ strategies with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies has surged. Considering that, this paper reviews recent literature on blue H₂, a potential low-carbon, short-term solution during the H₂ transition period. Three key aspects were the focus of this paper. First, it presents the processes used for blue H₂ production. Second, it presents a detailed comparison between blue H₂ and natural gas as fuels and energy carriers. The third aspect focuses on CO₂ sequestration in depleted natural gas reservoirs, an essential step for implementing blue H2. Globally, ∼ 75% of H₂ is produced using steam methane reforming, which requires CCS to obtain blue H₂. Currently, blue H₂ needs to compete with other advancing technologies such as green H₂, solar power, battery storage, etc. Compared to natural gas and liquefied natural gas, blue H₂ gas results in lower CO₂ emissions since CCS is applied. However, transporting liquefied and compressed blue H₂ entails higher energy, economic, and environmental costs. CCS must be appropriately implemented to produce blue H₂ successfully. Due to their established capacity to trap hydrocarbons over geologic time scales, depleted natural gas reservoirs are regarded as a viable option for CCS. Such a conclusion is supported by several simulation studies and field projects in many countries. Additionally, there is much field experience and knowledge on the injection and production performance of natural gas reservoirs. Therefore, using the existing site infrastructure, converting these formations into storage reservoirs is undemanding.