Seal capacity, composition and geochemistry of Adavale Basin rock salt

Large-scale storage of commercially produced hydrogen worldwide is presently stored in salt caverns. Through the Exploring for the Future program, Geoscience Australia is identifying and mapping salt deposits in Australia that may be suitable for hydrogen storage. The Boree Salt in the Adavale Basin of central Queensland is the only known thick salt accumulation in eastern Australia, and represent potentially strategic assets for underground hydrogen storage. The Boree Salt consists predominantly of halite and can be up to 555 m thick in some wells. Geoscience Australia contracted CSIRO to conduct analyses four Boree Salt whole cores extracted from Boree 1 and Bury 1 wells. The tests were carried out to determine the seal capacity (mercury injection capillary pressure - MICP), mineralogy (X-ray diffraction - XRD), and inorganic geochemistry of the cores. The entire core sections were scanned using X-ray CT images. In addition, four plugs were taken from the cores and tested for dry bulk density, grain density, gas porosity, and permeability. Two plugs underwent ultra-low permeability tests. The MICP test suggests that the Boree Salt is a competent seal for hydrogen storage. Mineralogy testing (XRD) revealed that the Boree Salt samples primarily comprise halite (96.5%), minor anhydrite (1.32%) and dolomite (1.65%) with traces of quartz, calcite, sylvite and cristobalite. Inorganic geochemistry results show sodium (Na; 55.4% average) is the most abundant element. Further tests, such as the creep test, in-situ seal capacity test, and leaching tests, are required to determine the suitability of the Boree Salt for underground hydrogen storage. Disclaimer: Geoscience Australia has tried to make the information in this product as accurate as possible. However, it does not guarantee that the information is totally accurate or complete. Therefore, you should not solely rely on this information when making a commercial decision. This dataset is published with the permission of the CEO, Geoscience Australia.