Design of tightness test - Public summary. Hypster project, Deliverable 2.3

The threat of global warming calls for a major energy transition. Hydrogen is considered as one of the most promising energy vectors. Germany and France, for instance, plan to invest a billion Euros per year to promote hydrogen for transport, heating and energy storage. However, the hydrogen strategy depends critically on mass-storage capacity. Mass storage in salt caverns is an attractive option. Storage of gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons in salt caverns is a mature technology. More than 2000 caverns are operated worldwide. A lot of experience has been gained. However, storing hydrogen raises a couple of new problems, related to hydrogen high mobility (tightness) and the frequent cycles required when operating a storage cavern as a buffer between a distribution grid and electrolysis production fed by intermittent electricity. The tightness issue is addressed in this paper