What if porous rocks held the key to clean hydrogen storage? At Texas A&M University, graduate students are answering questions that could redefine the future of energy.
For over thirty years, Texas A&M has held Student Research Week (SRW) annually to recognize and celebrate the impactful research students are conducting. As the largest student-run research symposium in the country, SRW is where innovation and excellence collide. Student research in the classroom will translate to cutting-edge industry solutions and have significant impacts.
For 2025, two graduate students from the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering earned first place in their respective categories. One of them was Henry Galvis Silva, a Ph.D. candidate and member of the Subsurface Engineering for Sustainable Energy Research Group.
Galvis’ presentation, “Subsurface Porous Media Potential for Engineering Hydrogen Storage and Generation Systems,” focused on the importance of porous rocks for hydrogen systems, specifically for safely storing hydrogen underground and collecting natural hydrogen that forms through serpentinization.
By integrating subsurface modeling with lab experiments, Galvis’ research assessed hydrogen generation and storage potential in porous rocks, as well as cap rock integrity.
These findings are relevant because they are a key step toward unlocking the hidden value of the subsurface for future hydrogen resource development. By understanding how hydrogen can be generated, stored, and sealed underground, we’re helping lay the groundwork for the global transition to sustainable energy.
Henry Galvis Silva