Patent Application 'Natural Hydrogen Probe Device' Deployment Indicator Survey
Confirmed Possibility of Hydrogen Occurrence Underground at 5 Domestic Sites
South Korea's challenge to find new future energy sources underground has begun. This marks humanity's first step in extracting hydrogen from underground following the eras of coal and oil.
Korea National Oil Corporation (President Kim Dong-seop) announced on the 30th that it started a research project last year aimed at exploring underground hydrogen for the first time in Korea, measuring soil gas in onshore areas and filing patents related to the technology.
Like the emergence of hydrogen mobility, the hydrogen economy era is rapidly approaching. Hydrogen production is mainly represented by by-product hydrogen generated from petrochemical processes, reforming hydrogen produced by reacting natural gas with high-temperature and high-pressure steam, and water electrolysis-based hydrogen produced by decomposing water using electric current.
However, the process incurs high costs and has production limits, so for full-scale entry into a hydrogen society, it is essential to produce large amounts of hydrogen that are clean, economical, and sustainable.
One alternative gaining attention recently as a global research subject is "natural hydrogen," which differs from existing hydrogen production methods by requiring no separate energy source for production and is continuously naturally replenished.
Natural hydrogen, also known as 천연수소, Natural hydrogen, Gold hydrogen, White hydrogen, refers to hydrogen naturally occurring and stored underground like traditional oil and gas.
Overseas, there are cases preparing for full-scale development by commercially producing underground hydrogen or distributing exploration rights.
The Korea National Oil Corporation has confirmed hydrogen occurrence for the first time in Korea using natural hydrogen measurement devices at five locations nationwide and is conducting detailed analysis. This is the first step toward securing a clean energy source stored underground.
Employees of the Korea National Oil Corporation are conducting a surface survey using a hydrogen detector by drilling a measurement hole about 1 meter underground.
In this research, a "natural hydrogen probe device" was developed for more accurate and stable hydrogen gas measurement and long-term monitoring, and a patent was filed on the 28th.
This technology measures hydrogen gas generated underground by inserting a device into the soil. The corporation explained that it minimizes the impact of water, the biggest limiting factor in soil hydrogen measurement, by using a separate filter and drainage system.
The corporation plans to strategically expand this surface survey work. Utilizing its proprietary technology and patented hydrogen exploration and monitoring technology, it will discover promising areas nationwide and conduct mid- to long-term analysis.
Seo Jeong-gyu, head of the Global Technology Center, emphasized, "If the corporation leads basic research through active collaboration with industry, academia, and research institutes and leverages its oil and gas exploration and development technology, discovering hydrogen underground in Korea is not an impossible dream."
He added, "Discovering clean energy sources will be a significant project contributing to domestic energy security, new business creation, and achieving the national carbon neutrality goal."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
