KAUST Ph.D. Student Zhilei Han Wins InterPore Student Paper Award
Zhilei Han, a Ph.D. student in the DGYM group under the supervision of Prof. Bicheng Yan, has been named one of only nine global recipients of the Invited Student Paper Award at the InterPore Annual Conference 2024, held in Qingdao, China. His research, in collaboration with Dr. Zeeshan Tariq (a former Postdoc Researcher under Prof. Yan), was recognized for its scientific originality, clarity, and potential impact — and is now published in InterPore Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3 (2025).
Tackling a Key Energy Challenge: Abundant Renewables, Uneven Timing
Solar and wind are clean and abundant — but they don’t always align with energy demand. Panels stop producing at night. Wind turbines stall on still days. Meanwhile, demand keeps rising, especially when green supply dips. This creates a paradox: too much renewable energy, just not when we need it.
Han’s work addresses this head-on, exploring how to embed hydrogen as a storable, flexible energy carrier in underground storage for long-term use.
Why Store Hydrogen Underground?
Underground hydrogen storage is gaining traction as a cost-effective and scalable solution. It enables:
- Seasonal storage: Save solar energy in summer, use it in winter.
- Grid balancing: Stabilize fluctuating renewable supply and demand.
- Energy security: Create domestic reserves of clean fuel.
- Long-term efficiency: Reduce cost compared to tanks or batteries.
Han’s research proposes a stochastic optimization framework for underground storage, combining:
- Subsurface multiphase compositional bio-reactive flow simulation
- AI surrogate modeling (CNNs, BiLSTMs, attention)
- Genetic algorithms for optimization
The goal: optimize injection schedules, cushion gas selection, and well control strategies under geological uncertainty to maximize economic return (Net Present Value, or NPV).
Hydrogen Innovation in Action: Saudi Vision drives KAUST Scientific Excellence
Saudi Arabia is scaling up its green hydrogen strategy to unlock the full potential of its vast solar and wind resources. Landmark initiatives like the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project and the Yanbu Green Hydrogen Hub are positioning the Kingdom as a global leader in clean fuel production.
At KAUST, Zhilei Han’s research aligns with Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a global hydrogen exporter. As green hydrogen becomes a tradable commodity — shipped as ammonia or liquid hydrogen — safe, scalable underground storage will be key to making Saudi hydrogen exports as dependable as its oil once was.