PhD on Caprock Integrity During Temporary Hydrogen Storage in Porous Reservoirs

Faculty of Geosciences

Department:
Department of Earth Sciences

Hours per week:
36 to 40

Application deadline:
15 May 2024
Are you thrilled to dive deep into the potential of sustainable energy storage solutions and work closely with industry leaders? This position offers you the chance to explore your passion for renewable energy solutions, and boost your career with high-impact research in a field that is rapidly growing.

Your job

The Department of Earth Sciences currently seeks a highly-motivated and ambitious candidate for a PhD position at its
, run by the
.
As society is trying to move towards a clean, low-carbon energy system, hydrogen is expected to play an important role, as it is a versatile energy carrier. Green hydrogen, produced from renewable electricity like wind and solar power, can be used as a fuel to (re)generate electricity and/or heat, or serve as feedstock for the chemical industry. However, wind and solar power are of an intermittent nature, meaning that large-scale storage of hydrogen fuel is required to balance seasonal variations in energy supply and demand, as well as to provide strategic energy reserves. Large quantities of hydrogen can be stored in the subsurface, for example in salt caverns or depleted oil/gas reservoirs. While temporary (days-weeks) salt cavern storage is considered to be mature enough to be applied, seasonal storage of pure hydrogen in porous sedimentary reservoirs is not yet sufficiently proven. This PhD project is part of the

funded by
, a Dutch programme aimed at accelerating the green hydrogen market.
Within the HyTROS programme, you will independently be conducting and publishing your research. Through regular stakeholder meetings, you will also be presenting your findings to the broader HyTROS consortium, which is a public-private collaboration between 11 universities, 2 research institutes, 2 academia of applied sciences and 19 industrial partners.

Safe and efficient underground hydrogen storage in porous reservoirs is partly determined by maintaining integrity of the sealing caprock formation. Thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical changes in the caprock may lead to the creation of leakage pathways and/or movement along (pre-existing) fractures and faults. Many potential Dutch and European storage reservoirs are overlain by clay-rich formations. One of the key mechanisms that may occur within clay-rich caprock is the sorption of hydrogen to the clay-matrix. This sorption may lead to the development of swelling stresses and strains, which could impact potential leakage pathways in intact caprock or along pre-existing faults. In addition, direct pressure changes or thermal stresses could cause fault reactivation.

In this PhD project, you will be performing rock mechanical experiments to assess and quantify the stress-strain-sorption behaviour of clay-rich caprock in the presence of hydrogen. This will form the basis to identify grain-scale mechanisms that may impact the transport properties and frictional behaviour of clay-rich caprock during cyclic hydrogen pressure changes. Building on existing microphysical theory, you will cast your results in the form of constitutive relations, which can be used in numerical simulations performed by other partners in the HyTROS consortium. Throughout the project, you will regularly interact with the other consortium partners and present your results to a broader audience.

A personalised training programme will be set up, reflecting your training needs and career objectives. About 20% of your time will be dedicated to this training component, which includes training on the job in assisting in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes of the department at Utrecht University.

Your qualities

This position is the right fit for you, if:

• you hold a Master’s degree in geosciences, physics, or material science;
• you have good quantitative and programming skills, ultimately obtained before the start of the position;
• you have excellent communication skills (written and spoken English at least at C1 level) and interpersonal skills;
• ideally, you have experience in Earth Materials research, such as in rock mechanics or rock physics.

In return, you will be part of a diverse, international team in an inspiring environment.
If you already have a PhD degree, unfortunately, we cannot consider you for this position.

Our offer

We offer:

• a position for one year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a working week of 36 hours and a gross monthly salary between € 2.770,- and € 3.539,- in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the
laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating
, leave schemes and schemes for
, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit

.

About us

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At
, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major
. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability.
.
Utrecht University’s
studies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.

The
conducts teaching and research across the full range of the solid Earth and environmental Earth sciences, with activities in almost all areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, biogeology and hydrogeology. The department hosts a highly international tenured staff of over 50 scientists and more than 110 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Our research programme spans four intertwined themes: Climate & Life, Earth interior, Earth materials, and Environmental Earth Sciences. We house or have access to a wide variety of world-class laboratories, including our HPT-laboratory.

The department and its facilities are located at Utrecht Science Park. Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands with a population of nearly 360,000 and forms a hub in the middle of the country. Its historical city centre and its modern central station can easily be reached from the Science Park by public transport or by a 15-minute bicycle ride. Utrecht boasts beautiful canals with extraordinary wharf cellars housing cafés and terraces by the water, as well as a broad variety of shops and boutiques.

More information

For more information, please contact
at
or
at
.
Note that international candidates that need a visa/work permit for the Netherlands require at least four months processing time after selection and acceptance. This will be arranged with help of the

of our university. Finding appropriate housing in or near Utrecht is your own responsibility, but the ISD may be able to advise you therewith. In case of general questions about working and living in The Netherlands, please consult the

.
Online screening may be part of the selection. Commercial response to this ad is not appreciated.

Apply now

As Utrecht University, we want to be a
for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation, via the ‘apply now’ button.
You can only apply via our online procedure using the 'apply now' button. E-mail applications cannot be accepted. Please include the following information in your application:

• your Curriculum Vitae, including any courses taken that are relevant for the position;
• academic credentials (mark sheets and degree statements);
• motivation letter using

.
No reference letters need to be submitted in your initial application. If you are short-listed, we will contact you for referees. We aim for a quick selection procedure after the application deadline. Selected candidates will be invited for an interview in week 26 or 27. The preferable starting date is no later than 1 October, 2024.

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