Advances in Salt Cavern Hydrogen Storage

Salt cavern hydrogen storage is at the forefront of underground energy storage technologies, offering a promising route for large-scale, secure, and flexible storage critical to the development of low-carbon energy systems. The unique geological characteristics of salt, including its low permeability and self-healing properties, enable exceptional containment integrity and operational versatility. As these engineered caverns support cyclic injection and withdrawal, there has been rapid growth in industrial interest and a significant number of pilot projects worldwide. Despite these advances, several complex scientific and engineering questions remain unresolved, particularly concerning the geomechanical, thermodynamic, chemical, and monitoring aspects required to transition reliably from demonstration to broad commercial deployment.The main objective of this Research Topic is to catalyze interdisciplinary progress and knowledge sharing that will underpin the safe, efficient, and scalable implementation of salt cavern hydrogen storage. Key questions center on optimizing cavern creation and solution mining, maintaining mechanical stability and integrity under highly dynamic cycling, maximizing hydrogen recovery, and mitigating impurity generation and loss mechanisms that impact gas quality. Recent developments have highlighted the need for integrated research approaches that combine laboratory experiments, numerical simulations, field-scale data collection, digital monitoring tools, and robust operational strategies. The Research Topic prioritizes contributions that link geochemical and microbial processes to cavern performance, storage integrity, or hydrogen purity, and also values advances in digital-twin methodologies and energy system integration concepts such as connections with redox-flow battery infrastructure. The goal is to bridge gaps between academic research and industrial needs, foster innovation across disciplines, and accelerate the creation of best practices and standards necessary for a resilient hydrogen economy.The scope of this Research Topic is focused on the lifecycle performance, operational reliability, and risk management of salt cavern hydrogen storage in real-world energy systems. Research specifically examining hydrogen storage within salt caverns, and directly addressing industrial, geochemical, or engineering challenges, falls within scope, while general ecological studies or work unrelated to hydrogen storage operations does not. To gather further insights on these challenges and innovations, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Solution mining techniques, cavern geometry design, and leaching strategies for hydrogen storage- Thermo-mechanical and geomechanical processes governing cavern stability and lifecycle integrity during intense cycling- Gas-brine-cushion gas interactions, hydrogen mixing and recovery, and optimization of injection-withdrawal operations- Impurity formation, gas quality risk, and mitigation of losses from physical, chemical, or microbial sources- Wellbore integrity, materials compatibility, and safety protocols tailored to hydrogen storage environments- Advanced monitoring, sensing, verification, and digital-twin approaches for real-time risk management- Technology transfer and benchmarking from natural gas and CCS storage for hydrogen applications- Field demonstrations, evolving policy and regulatory frameworks, standards development, and industrial best practices- Integration of salt cavern hydrogen storage with redox-flow battery or other multi-modal energy systems, where relevantGeneral microbiology research or ecological surveys not directly tied to cavern performance fall outside the scope of this Research Topic. Topic editors: Junhui Xu, J. H. Xu Or J. Xu, Yan Qin, Ying Gao Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79249/advances-in-salt-cavern-hydrogen-storage