Climate change is projected to have substantial economic, social, and environmental impacts worldwide. Currently, the leading solutions for hydrogen storage are in salt caverns, and depleted natural gas reservoirs. However, the required geological formations are limited to certain regions. To increase alternatives for hydrogen storage, this paper proposes storing hydrogen in pipes filled with gravel in lakes, hydropower, and pumped hydro storage reservoirs. Hydrogen is insoluble in water, non-toxic, and does not threaten aquatic life. Results show the levelized cost of hydrogen storage to be 0.17 USD kg⁻¹ at 200 m depth, which is competitive with other large scale hydrogen storage options. Storing hydrogen in lakes, hydropower, and pumped hydro storage reservoirs increases the alternatives for storing hydrogen and might support the development of a hydrogen economy in the future. The global potential for hydrogen storage in reservoirs and lakes is 3 and 12 PWh, respectively. Hydrogen storage in lakes and reservoirs can support the development of a hydrogen economy in the future by providing abundant and cheap hydrogen storage.

Numerical study of droplet formation in a Y-junction microchannel

The recent development of Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) in the skid, installed in the seabed downstream of the wellhead in an offshore oil production system, is an alternative to the conventional system with the set installed at the bottom of the producing well, facilitating interventions in case of failure. The pump is driven by an electric motor whose cooling must be efficient to ensure the continuity of its operation. The heat withdrawal is performed by the fluid produced. The purpose of this article is to understand the process of electric motor cooling to the single-phase and turbulent flow with convection heat transfer in an annular geometry, which represents the space formed between a capsule and the ESP in the Skid system motor. With this objective it is employed a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code to solve the governing equations of the turbulent heat transfer single-phase flow. The standard κ-ε model with improved wall function (Enhanced Wall Treatment) is used to closure turbulence problem. This study considered flow rates range of 2200–4200 m³/d (representing Reynolds numbers range of 27 000–133 000 approximately), Prandtl numbers 7–37, three configurations of different annular geometries, one concentric and two eccentric, together with the condition of the constant temperature on the motor surface (130 °C) and capsule (4 °C). The simulations are validated by comparing the Nusselt number in the developed region with the Gnielinski correlation. It is observed that if the constant heat flux condition were used, the motor temperature would have lower values at the beginning and larger at the end of the geometry. Therefore, the higher the Nusselt number, the greater the heat transfer, thus intensifying the cooling of the electric motor. In the eccentric geometry a momentum transfer from the lower to the upper annular region is observed, causing the Nusselt number present an angular variation. In eccentric geometries the flow develops in greater lengths, observing that the greater the eccentricity, the greater this length. Finally, for the ESP in the Skid system the use of an eccentric geometry is not adequate.

Optimizing the drilling process is critical for the exploration of natural resources. However, there are several mechanic parameters that continuously interact with formation properties, hindering the optimization process. Rate of penetration (ROP) and mechanical specific energy (MSE) are considered two key performance indicators that allow the identification of ideal conditions to enhance the drilling process. Thus, the goal of this research was to analyze field data from pre-salt layer operations, using a 2D analysis of parameters as a function of depth, response surface methodology (RSM), and multi-objective optimization. The results show that the RSM method and multi-objective optimization provide better results when compared with 2D analysis of parameters as a function of depth. The RSM method can be used as a tool to analyze the effects of the independent drilling mechanical parameters (WOB, RPM, FLOW, and TOR) on the response variables (ROP and MSE) with a 95% confidence level. Through multi-objective optimization, it was possible to concomitantly achieve an ROP of approximately 22 ft/h and MSE of nearly 11 kpsi using the values of WOB, RPM, FLOW, and TOR of about 11 klb, 109 rev/min, 803 gpm, and 3 klb-ft, respectively. Using high WOB values, i.e., from the mean value up to the maximum value of approximately 43 klb, reflects a low ROP and most likely indicates an operation beyond the foundering point. High FLOW promotes a more efficient hole cleaning and higher rates of cuttings transport, thus preventing eventual in situ drill-bit sticking. Flow adjustment also ensures an adequate balance of dynamic bottom hole pressure, in addition to controlling the force impact force of the drilling fluid in contact with the rock being drilled, expressing importance in terms of efficiency and rock penetration. Finally, it is important to mention that the results of this research are not only applicable to hydrocarbon exploration but also to geothermal and natural hydrogen exploration. Values analyzed and presented with decimal precision should be logically focused as integers when in industrial application.