Discussion on Underground Energy Storage in Salt Cavern and Its Tightness Evaluation Method

摘要

Energy reserve is very important to world's sustainable economic growth and national security. Salt cavern has satisfactory performance because of its very low permeability by the self-healing capacity of salt due to viscoplastic deformation of the grains, causing the closure of cracks and pores. Therefore, salt cavern can be used for storing a variety of fluid products ranging from compressed air and hydrogen to LPG, natural gas and crude oil. Considering the unique stratigraphic characteristics of the laminated salt rocks in China, it has great influence on the tightness of salt carven. Based on the foreign successful experience of storage construction and tightness test methods, the salt mines in Jiangsu Jintan, Huibei Yunyin are taken as engineering background, and the in-situ and laboratory test for tightness evaluation is discussed, which will be reference value and practical significance for the research of underground storage construction project and scientific decision making.