The formation mechanism of irregular salt caverns during solution mining for natural gas storage

• Published in: Energy sources. Part A, Recovery, utilization, and environmental effects Vol. ahead-of-print; no. ahead-of-print; pp. 1 - 17
• Main Authors: Xue, Tianfu, Yang, Chunhe, Shi, Xilin, Hongling, Ma, Li, Yinping, Ge, Xinbo, Liu, Xin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 31.12.2024
• Subjects: formation mechanism; irregular salt cavern; natural gas storage; Salt cavern; solution mining
• ISSN: 1556-7036; 1556-7230
• DOI: 10.1080/15567036.2020.1764151

During the construction of gas storage salt caverns, many irregular salt caverns are formed. This brings great risks and safety hazards to the construction and operation of the caverns. In order to reduce the hazards caused by the irregularity of salt cavern and in order to reduce the number of irregular salt caverns developed during the construction of gas storage salt caverns in the future, in this article, we take 12 irregular salt caverns as the research objects and combine a large amount of related information that has been published to explore the formation mechanisms of irregular salt caverns. Extensive research has been performed on the construction of gas storage salt caverns. The research found that the factors leading to irregular salt cavern formation can be summarized into three major aspects: geological conditions, construction technology and tubing failures. The research reveals the influence of these three factors on the salt cavern shape and the interactions between the three major factors. In order to avoid forming irregular salt caverns, preventive measures and improvement suggestions are proposed to address various mechanisms that may cause irregularities. The research results have important application value for avoiding the formation of irregular salt caverns and ensuring the safe operation of gas storage salt caverns.