PhD Studentship: Hydrogen transport processes in underground geological storage and the surrounding environment

Award summary 

100% fees covered for four years and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £19,237 (2024/25 UKRI rate). An additional allowance will be provided to contribute towards consumables, equipment, and travel related to the project. 

Overview 

ReNU+ is a unique and ambitious programme that will train the next-generation of doctoral carbon champions who are renowned for research excellence and interdisciplinary systemic thinking for Net Zero. The ReNU+ vision is that they will become living examples of a highly skilled workforce delivering an equitable energy transition so that Net Zero is inclusive for all. 

Long-duration energy storage (LDES) will be crucial in future energy systems to mitigate renewable energy variability and enhance system flexibility. Hydrogen, as an energy vector, is a prominent candidate for LDES. Underground hydrogen storage (UHS), or geological hydrogen storage, offers advantages like its substantial capacity and flexibility. Despite growing attention on UHS and its complexities, research on hydrogen gas transport processes in geological materials, especially soils, is limited. 

This project will use computational modelling to investigate hydrogen transport and flow behaviour at multiple scales. The modelling will characterize the variability in the physical properties of three geological materials: porous formations, unconsolidated sediments, and soils. The work will explore hydrogen transport and flow in these different materials with numerical simulations. 

Two modelling approaches, averaged models and detailed pore-scale models, will be investigated. Averaged models, based on the Representative Elementary Volume (REV), average material properties over the REV and effectively represent the heterogeneous porous structure as a continuum with specific properties. Efficient simulation of hydrogen flow over large spatial and temporal scales is possible using governing equations like Darcy’s law and mass conservation. This method can incorporate meso- and macro-scale heterogeneities of geological materials from direct observations and measurements. 

For microscale simulations will use the Navier-Stokes equations to solve for the pore geometry of the materials. This technique offers the potential for detailed predictions of hydrogen behaviour at the microscopic level, including complex flow patterns, interactions with the porous matrix, and micro-scale phenomena like capillary pressure and phase changes. This level of detail is crucial to understand how pore geometry and connectivity influence hydrogen migration, especially considering the heterogeneous of geological materials. 

This project will explore the synergy between the two numerical approaches, examining how geological heterogeneities affect flow behaviour. The results are relevant to developing hydrogen storage infrastructure and environmental regulators seeking to understand hydrogen transport in the environment. 

The ReNU+ CDT will be running a number of online pre-application workshops to provide guidance on the application process. To sign up please fill out the registration form. 

Number of awards 

1 

Start date  

1st October 2025 

Award duration 

4 years 

Application closing date 

3rd February 2025 

Sponsor 

EPSRC 

Name of supervisor/s 

Dr Mark Ireland (Newcastle University) 

Dr Franceso Zota (Newcastle University) 

Eligibility Criteria 

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (inc. chemistry, physics, engineering). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.  

If you do not hold the entry requirements above but have evidence of equivalent skills and expertise, please get in touch with both the supervisor and institution director (Prof Elizabeth Gibson) to discuss further. 

Home and international applicants (inc. EU) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.  

International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme. 

How to apply 

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal 

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’. 

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study: 

• search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8208F  
• leave the ‘Research Area' field blank 
• select ‘PhD Energy Materials' as the programme of study 

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section: 

• a ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form. 
• the studentship code ReNU25_3 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field 
• when asked for a research proposal, please upload a competency assessment form instead. You do not need to upload a research proposal. 

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section please upload: 

• an up to date CV 

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application. You are welcome to apply to other studentships at the same time, as long as you cite the relevant code on each application (e.g. ReNU25_3 for this studentship).

Contact Details 

Dr Mark Ireland Mark.Ireland@newcastle.ac.uk