PhD Synergistic and Competitive Effects between Multiple Gas Storage in Subsurface Porous Media
Funding: Fully funded
School: Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society
Location: Edinburgh
Award: PhD
Start date: September 2026
Closing date: 31 March 2026
Duration: 42 months
About the Project
Scope and Objective
Multiple CO₂ storage projects licensed within the same region or basin can influence one another through pressure communication. As more injection sites are developed in the North Sea, understanding these inter-reservoir interactions becomes increasingly important for safe and efficient storage. In addition, the growing interest in subsurface hydrogen storage, potentially targeting the same or neighbouring formations, raises further considerations for pressure management and capacity planning. This overlap highlights the need for responsible and sustainable strategies to manage these increasingly used geological resources. The focus of this PhD project is to explore fluid migration behaviour and pressure dynamics when multiple gas storage processes coexist in close proximity, with the goal of informing strategic geological resource use and enhancing storage performance. The research will examine potential interactions, including both competition and synergies, among various gas storage applications such as CO₂, H₂, and natural gas within subsurface porous media.
Methodology
This study will employ flow simulations using industry standard software (e.g. CMG, ECLIPSE, PFLOTRAN-OGS) or research codes (e.g. MATLAB).
Eligbility:
This project is open to UK Home students only.
To be eligible, applicants should hold a BSc degree at 2:1 level or above, an MSc degree at Merit or Distinction level (>60%), or possess substantial relevant professional experience equivalent to Master’s level.
Applicants with a qualification in Applied Geoscience, Reservoir Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Geomaterials, Physics, Chemistry, or a related field are preferred. Experience or familiarity with the North Sea region is highly desirable.
Scholarships will be awarded by competitive merit, considering the academic ability of the applicant. We particularly encourage female candidates to apply.