Predicting CO₂ and H₂ Solubility in Pure Water and Various Aqueous Systems: Implication for CO₂–EOR, Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Natural Hydrogen Production and Underground Hydrogen Storage

Abstract

The growing energy demand and the need for climate mitigation strategies have spurred interest in the application of CO2–enhanced oil recovery (CO2–EOR) and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Furthermore, natural hydrogen (H2) production and underground hydrogen storage (UHS) in geological media have emerged as promising technologies for cleaner energy and achieving net–zero emissions. However, selecting a suitable geological storage medium is complex, as it depends on the physicochemical and petrophysical characteristics of the host rock. Solubility is a key factor affecting the above–mentioned processes, and it is critical to understand phase distribution and estimating trapping capacities. This paper conducts a succinct review of predictive techniques and present novel simple and non–iterative predictive models for swift and reliable prediction of solubility behaviors in CO2–brine and H2–brine systems under varying conditions of pressure, temperature, and salinity (T–P–m salts), which are crucial for many geological and energy–related applications. The proposed models predict CO2 solubility in CO2 + H2O and CO2 + brine systems containing mixed salts and various single salt systems (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42−) under typical geological conditions (273.15–523.15 K, 0–71 MPa), as well as H2 solubility in H2 + H2O and H2 + brine systems containing NaCl (273.15–630 K, 0–101 MPa). The proposed models are validated against experimental data, with average absolute errors for CO2 solubility in pure water and brine ranging between 8.19 and 8.80% and for H2 solubility in pure water and brine between 4.03 and 9.91%, respectively. These results demonstrate that the models can accurately predict solubility over a wide range of conditions while remaining computationally efficient compared to traditional models. Importantly, the proposed models can reproduce abrupt variations in phase composition during phase transitions and account for the influence of different ions on CO2 solubility. The solubility models accurately capture the salting–out (SO) characteristics of CO2 and H2 gas in various types of salt systems which are consistent with previous studies. The simplified solubility models for CO2 and H2 presented in this study offer significant advantages over conventional approaches, including computational efficiency and accuracy across a wide range of geological conditions. The explicit, derivative–continuous nature of these models eliminates the need for iterative algorithms, making them suitable for integration into large–scale multiphase flow simulations. This work contributes to the field by offering reliable tools for modeling solubility in various subsurface energy and environmental–related applications, facilitating their application in energy transition strategies aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Keywords

• CO₂ solubility
• H₂ solubility
• geologic carbon storage
• underground hydrogen storage
• natural hydrogen production
• experimental data