Vortex Energy has entered into a collaborative research sponsorship agreement with the University of Alberta (U of A) to advance the Robinsons River Salt Project in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As part of the collaboration, Vortex has agreed to make cash payments and substantial in-kind contributions over a 2-year period and to provide the U of A with core samples from the Robinsons River Salt Project. In return, the U of A has agreed to perform laboratory and mathematical analyses with the intent of designing and implementing the first field trial of H₂ storage in a domal salt in Canada at the Robinsons River Salt Project.

The potential market for H₂ storage in salt caverns is substantial. This research and development aligns with the global shift towards decarbonization and the transition to a more sustainable energy system. The H₂ market is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades, driven by sectors such as transportation, industry, and power generation, which seek cleaner energy alternatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Building on its current fundamental research into H₂-rock interactions, the U of A team will develop protocols and guidelines to optimize locations, design specifications, and operational parameters for H₂ storage in the salt caverns proposed to be developed at the Robinsons River Salt Project. To achieve this goal, the research team will conduct proof of concept experiments on core samples and simulation studies to identify and unlock the challenges related to containment and contamination of stored H₂. The findings are expected to help to develop a multi-physics model to predict H₂ transport and reactions in the caverns proposed to be developed at the Robinsons River Salt Project as functions of temperature, pressure, in-situ stress, rock fabric and composition, and storage operational parameters.

This two-year project is planned to consist of four research phases:

• Optimizing the depth interval of the proposed storage caverns by pore-scale visualization and petrophysical analysis of the preserved core samples
• Evaluating the possibility and extent of H₂ loss through the proposed cavern wall and wellbore under operation parameters by analyzing the laboratory and field data
• Evaluating the extent of H₂ contamination by measuring and modeling geochemical reactions
• Evaluating mechanical stability of the proposed caverns by analyzing in-situ stress conditions and rock mechanical properties under cavern operating conditions.

The project tasks will be conducted by at least three PhD students and one postdoc fellow under the supervision of Dr. Hassan Deghanpour and other faculty members with relevant expertise at the U of A, utilizing the state-of-the-art facilities at the U of A. Vortex’s cash contribution to the project will total about $219,000 over a 2-year period, commencing on October 1, 2023. Vortex will also track and record all in-kind contributions including but not limited to geological, geophysical, engineering, drilling, sampling, and reporting work completed on the Robinsons River Salt Project.

Major laboratory infrastructure required for the proposed H₂-related experiments (core flooding systems, reactors, and visualization systems) have been recently designed and built under a recent grant awarded to the research team by Alberta Innovates H₂ Center of Excellence and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. As part of their partnership, Vortex and the U of A will actively seek out other provincial and federal grants designated for H₂ and green energy initiatives throughout North America. The Company is also exploring the opportunity to use developed H₂ caverns for compressed air energy storage.

Paul Sparkes, Chief Executive Officer said, “The University of Alberta is world renowned for its work in energy. This partnership places Vortex at the forefront of H₂ and energy storage research in domal salt structures in Atlantic Canada. Dr. Hassan Deghanpour and his team of researchers have already received grants from the likes of Alberta Innovates’ H₂ Centre of Excellence, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Mitacs Accelerate Grants Program. We are thrilled to be partnering with an institution and team of this caliber.”