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Sustainability and Challenges of Underground Gas Storage Engineering
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Sustainability and Challenges of Underground Gas Storage Engineering

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 3692

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xuerui Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Computer Science and Technology, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Interests: underground gas storage engineering; integrity of gas storage wellbore; heat and mass transfer; numerical simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jianbo Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Interests: offshore oil and gas engineering; deepwater flow assurance; natural gas hydrate development; multiphase flow; CO2 storage
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yang Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Interests: CO2 flooding enhances oil recovery and geological storage; deep reservoir profile control; CO2 gas channeling regulation; CO2 storage leakage risk control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fengyuan Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Interests: fluid flow in porous media; reservoir modeling; carbon geological sequestration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Underground gas storage (UGS) is critical for global energy security and the transition to carbon neutrality, enabling large-scale storage of natural gas, hydrogen, compressed air, and CO2 in geological formations (e.g., salt caverns, depleted reservoirs). With intermittent renewable energy integration and rising energy demands, UGS ensures supply stability, reduces emissions, and supports strategic reserves. However, complex geological conditions, leakage risks, material corrosion, and wellbore integrity issues threaten long-term sustainability, demanding innovative solutions.

This special issue aims to advance multidisciplinary research on sustainable UGS engineering, focusing on safety, efficiency, and environmental impact. It aligns with journals covering energy storage, geomechanics, and civil engineering.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Geostorage Integrity: Fault activation, multi-scale leakage mechanisms, and caprock stability.
  • Wellbore & Seal Integrity: Corrosion control, microbial degradation, and risk quantification.
  • Smart UGS Systems: AI-driven monitoring, reservoir digital twins, and cluster management16.
  • Low-Carbon Technologies: H2/CO2 storage, methane purification materials, and repurposed mines.
  • Regulatory Frameworks: Safety standards and lifecycle sustainability assessments.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Applied Sciences.

Dr. Xuerui Wang
Dr. Jianbo Zhang
Dr. Yang Zhao
Dr. Fengyuan Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • underground gas storage
  • geomechanics
  • wellbore integrity
  • hydrogen storage
  • reservoir integrity
  • CO2 geo-storage
  • risk assessment
  • intelligent UGS

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1874 KB  
Article
Reliability Limits of Hydrogen Storage Systems Under Variable Production: A Dimensionless Regime Map Approach
by Thanh Dam Pham, Dong Trong Nguyen, Du Van Toan, Bui Tri Tam, Do Van Chanh and Pham Quy Ngoc
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 5008; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105008 - 15 May 2026
Viewed by 411
Abstract
Large-scale hydrogen storage is expected to play a critical role in balancing the variability of renewable energy systems, particularly those driven by wind power. However, the combined influence of storage capacity and deliverability on supply reliability remains insufficiently characterized. This study investigates the [...] Read more.
Large-scale hydrogen storage is expected to play a critical role in balancing the variability of renewable energy systems, particularly those driven by wind power. However, the combined influence of storage capacity and deliverability on supply reliability remains insufficiently characterized. This study investigates the reliability limits of hydrogen storage systems operating under variable hydrogen production and time-varying demand. A dimensionless modeling framework is developed to map system performance across a wide range of storage capacities and deliverability levels. The results reveal a clear transition between reliable and unreliable operating regimes. Reliable operation requires a minimum deliverability level approximately equal to the mean hydrogen production rate, corresponding to a value of about 1.05–1.10 times the average production across the range of intermittency conditions considered in this study (from moderate to highly variable production). Below this threshold, increasing storage capacity alone cannot prevent supply shortfalls. Once this threshold is exceeded, further increases in deliverability provide diminishing returns and storage capacity becomes the dominant factor governing reliability. In this regime, the required storage capacity approaches a plateau on the order of 10–30 days of average hydrogen throughput, depending on the level of production variability. The proposed regime-based framework provides a practical tool for evaluating storage feasibility and guiding preliminary capacity design in renewable hydrogen systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Challenges of Underground Gas Storage Engineering)
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19 pages, 2173 KB  
Article
Optimal Use of Supercritical CO2 as Heat Transfer Fluid for Geothermal System
by Chengcheng Liu, Lianzhong Sun, Lei Wang, Weiqiang Song and Zhicheng Yu
Sustainability 2026, 18(1), 483; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010483 - 3 Jan 2026
Viewed by 910
Abstract
Supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) is a promising working fluid for geothermal energy extraction due to its superior heat extraction capacity and high fluidity within reservoirs. However, significant thermal energy is lost during transportation along the production well. This study develops a [...] Read more.
Supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) is a promising working fluid for geothermal energy extraction due to its superior heat extraction capacity and high fluidity within reservoirs. However, significant thermal energy is lost during transportation along the production well. This study develops a mathematical model coupling heat transfer and CO2 compressibility to investigate strategies for improving heat transfer efficiency from the reservoir to the surface. The influence of mass flow rate (20 kg/s; 25 kg/s and 30 kg/s) and outlet back pressure (8 MPa; 9 MPa and 10 MPa) on system performance is evaluated. Results indicate that the amount of geothermal energy delivered to the surface increases linearly with mass flow rate. Compared to water, CO2 exhibits a 65.5% greater temperature drop along the wellbore but reduces the pressure drop by 50%. A lower outlet back pressure is recommended to enhance both heat transfer and operational safety. The model offers valuable insights into assessing the geothermal potential of depleted high-temperature gas reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Challenges of Underground Gas Storage Engineering)
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16 pages, 10544 KB  
Article
Development and Performance Evaluation of Hydrophobically Modified Nano-Anti-Collapsing Agents for Sustainable Deepwater Shallow Drilling
by Jintang Wang, Zhijun He, Haiwei Li, Jian Guan, Hao Xu and Shuqiang Shi
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 6678; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156678 - 22 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1186
Abstract
Sustainable deepwater drilling for oil and gas offers significant potential. In this work, we synthesized a nanoscale collapse-prevention agent by grafting didecyldimethylammonium chloride onto spherical nano-silica and characterized it using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, zeta-potential, and particle-size measurements, as well as SEM [...] Read more.
Sustainable deepwater drilling for oil and gas offers significant potential. In this work, we synthesized a nanoscale collapse-prevention agent by grafting didecyldimethylammonium chloride onto spherical nano-silica and characterized it using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, zeta-potential, and particle-size measurements, as well as SEM and TEM. Adding 1 wt% of this agent to a bentonite slurry only marginally alters its rheology and maintains acceptable low-temperature flow properties. Microporous-membrane tests show filtrate passing through 200 nm pores drops to 55 mL, demonstrating excellent plugging. Core-immersion studies reveal that shale cores retain integrity with minimal spalling after prolonged exposure. Rolling recovery assays increase shale-cutting recovery to 68%. Wettability tests indicate the water contact angle rises from 17.1° to 90.1°, and capillary rise height falls by roughly 50%, reversing suction to repulsion. Together, these findings support a synergistic plugging–adsorption–hydrophobization mechanism that significantly enhances wellbore stability without compromising low-temperature rheology. This work may guide the design of high-performance collapse-prevention additives for safe, efficient deepwater drilling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Challenges of Underground Gas Storage Engineering)
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Review

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39 pages, 2790 KB  
Review
Sustainable Transition of Underground Gas Storage: A Unified Engineering Framework from Methane and Carbon Dioxide to Hydrogen
by Xuerui Wang, Zekun Zhang, Jianbo Zhang, Yang Zhao and Zhiyuan Wang
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 4622; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18104622 - 7 May 2026
Viewed by 416
Abstract
Underground Gas Storage (UGS) is transitioning from traditional fossil fuel peak-shaving facilities into comprehensive hubs for Terawatt-hour-scale Terawatt-hour (TWh) scale renewable energy storage. The unique physicochemical properties of diverse fluids, such as the negative Joule–Thomson coefficient of hydrogen (−0.03 K/bar), present complex engineering [...] Read more.
Underground Gas Storage (UGS) is transitioning from traditional fossil fuel peak-shaving facilities into comprehensive hubs for Terawatt-hour-scale Terawatt-hour (TWh) scale renewable energy storage. The unique physicochemical properties of diverse fluids, such as the negative Joule–Thomson coefficient of hydrogen (−0.03 K/bar), present complex engineering adaptability challenges. Since existing studies primarily focus on single mechanisms or specific geological types, this review integrates a unified engineering framework to evaluate the repurposing potential and retrofitting requirements of existing oil and gas assets. By compiling a property benchmarking matrix for methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen, the storage adaptability of various geological formations is summarized. Salt caverns exhibit strong adaptability to highly diffusive and reactive fluids due to their high salinity (exceeding 150 g/L) and mechanical stability, whereas porous media offer massive capacity (more than 10 times) but require overcoming severe biogeochemical obstacles. Based on thermo–hydro–mechanical–chemical–biological (THMCB) coupling mechanisms, an integrity evaluation system for artificial wellbore and natural geological barriers is systematically reviewed. Critical risks, including fatigue failure under high-frequency cyclic loading, material degradation, gas leakage, and indirect Global Warming Potential (GWP), are elucidated. A future evolution route integrating physical, digital, and policy dimensions is outlined. This roadmap emphasizes Hydrogen-Enriched Compressed Natural Gas (HCNG)synergistic storage, dynamic risk control utilizing digital twins and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and standardized Life Cycle Assessment mechanisms (LCA), providing a scientific basis for the sustainable transition of UGS facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Challenges of Underground Gas Storage Engineering)
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