Sealing capacity evaluation of underground gas storage under intricate geological conditions

Evaluating underground gas storage(UGS)sealing capacity is essential for its safe construction and operational efficiency.This involves evaluating both the static sealing capacity of traps during hydrocarbon accumulation and the dynamic sealing capacity of UGS under intensive gas injection and withdrawal,and alternating loads.This study detailed the methodology developed by Sinopec.The approach merges disciplines like geology,geomechanics,and hydrodynamics,employing both dynamic-static and qualitative-quantitative analyses.Sinopec's evaluation methods,grounded in the in situ stress analysis,include mechanistic studies,laboratory tests,geological surveys,stress analysis,and fluid-solid interactions.Through tests on the static and dynamic sealing capacity of UGS,alongside investigations into sealing mechanisms and the geological and geomechanical properties of cap rocks and faults,A geomechanics-rock damage-seepage mechanics dynamic coupling analysis method has been developed to predict in situ stress variations relative to pore pressure changes during UGS operations and evaluate fault sealing capacity and cap rock integrity,thereby setting the maximum operational pressures.Utilizing this evaluation technique,Sinopec has defined performance metrics and criteria for evaluating the sealing capacity of depleted gas reservoirs,enabling preliminary sealing capacity evaluations at UGS sites.These evaluations have significantly informed the design of UGS construction schemes and the evaluation of fault sealing capacity and cap rock integrity during UGS operations.

Microscopic experiment on efficient construction of underground gas storages converted from water-invaded gas reservoirs

Based on the microfluidic technology,a microscopic visualization model was used to simulate the gas injection process in the initial construction stage and the bottom water invasion/gas injection process in the cyclical injection-production stage of the underground gas storage(UGS)rebuilt from water-invaded gas reservoirs.Through analysis of the gas-liquid contact stabilization mechanism,flow and occurrence,the optimal control method for lifecycle efficient operation of UGS was explored.The results show that in the initial construction stage of UGS,the action of gravity should be fully utilized by regulating the gas injection rate,so as to ensure the macroscopically stable migration of the gas-liquid contact,and greatly improve the gas sweeping capacity,providing a large pore space for gas storage in the subsequent cyclical injection-production stage.In the cyclical injection-production stage of UGS,a constant gas storage and production rate leads to a low pore space utilization.Gradually increasing the gas storage and production rate,that is,transitioning from small volume to large volume,can continuously break the hydraulic equilibrium of the remaining fluid in the porous media,which then expands the pore space and flow channels.This is conducive to the expansion of UGS capacity and efficiency for purpose of peak shaving and supply guarantee.

Evaluation of the dynamic sealing performance of cap rocks of underground gas storage under multi-cycle alternating loads

The static sealing of underground gas storage(UGS),including the integrity of cap rocks and the stability of faults,is analyzed from a macro perspective using a comprehensive geological evaluation method.Changes in pore structure,permeability,and mechanical strength of cap rocks under cyclic loads may impact the rock sealing integrity during the injection and recovery phases of UGS.In this work,the mechanical deformation and failure tests of rocks,as well as rock damage tests under alternating loads,are conducted to analyze the changes in the strength and permeability of rocks under multiple-cycle intense injection and recovery of UGS.Additionally,this study proposes an evaluation method for the dynamic sealing performance of UGS cap rocks under multi-cycle alternating loads.The findings suggest that the failure strength(70%)can be used as the critical value for rock failure,thus providing theoretical support for determining the upper limit of operating pressure and the number of injection-recovery cycles for the safe operation of a UGS system.

Simulation study of hydrogen sulfide removal in underground gas storage converted from the multilayered sour gas field

A simulation study was carried out to investigate the temporal evolution of H_(2)S in the Huangcaoxia underground gas storage (UGS), which is converted from a depleted sulfur-containing gas field. Based on the rock and fluid properties of the Huangcaoxia gas field, a multilayered model was built. The upper layer Jia-2 contains a high concentration of H_(2)S (27.2 g/m^(3)), and the lower layer Jia-1 contains a low concentration of H_(2)S (14.0 mg/m^(3)). There is also a low-permeability interlayer between Jia-1 and Jia-2. The multi-component fluid characterizations for Jia-1 and Jia-2 were implemented separately using the Peng-Robinson equation of state in order to perform the compositional simulation. The H_(2)S concentration gradually increased in a single cycle and peaked at the end of the production season. The peak H_(2)S concentration in each cycle showed a decreasing trend when the recovery factor (RF) of the gas field was lower than 70%. When the RF was above 70%, the peak H_(2)S concentration increased first and then decreased. A higher reservoir RF, a higher maximum working pressure, and a higher working gas ratio will lead to a higher H_(2)S removal efficiency. Similar to developing multi-layered petroleum fields, the operation of multilayered gas storage can also be divided into multi-layer commingled operation and independent operation for different layers. When the two layers are combined to build the storage, the sweet gas produced from Jia-1 can spontaneously mix with the sour gas produced from Jia-2 within the wellbore, which can significantly reduce the overall H_(2)S concentration in the wellstream. When the working gas volume is set constant, the allocation ratio between the two layers has little effect on the H_(2)S removal. After nine cycles, the produced gas’s H_(2)S concentration can be lowered to 20 mg/m^(3). Our study recommends combining the Jia-2 and Jia-1 layers to build the Huangcaoxia underground gas storage. This plan can quickly reduce the H_(2)S concentration of the produced gas to 20 mg/m^(3), thus meeting the gas export standards as well as the HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) requirements in the field. This study helps the engineers understand the H_(2)S removal for sulfur-containing UGS as well as provides technical guidelines for converting other multilayered sour gas fields into underground storage sites.

Mineralogy,microstructures and geomechanics of rock salt for underground gas storage

Rock salt has excellent properties for its use as underground leak‐proof containers for the storage of renewable energy.Salt solution mining has long been used for salt mining,and can now be employed in the construction of underground salt caverns for the storage of hydrogen gas.This paper presents a wide range of methods to study the mineralogy,geochemistry,microstructure and geomechanical characteristics of rock salt,which are important in the engineering of safe underground storage rock salt caverns.The mineralogical composition of rock salt varies and is linked to its depositional environment and diagenetic alterations.The microstructure in rock salt is related to cataclastic deformation,diffusive mass transfer and intracrystalline plastic deformation,which can then be associated with the macrostructural geomechanical behavior.Compared to other types of rock,rock salt exhibits creep at lower temperatures.This behavior can be divided into three phases based on the changes in strain with time.However,at very low effective confining pressure and high deviatoric stress,rock salt can exhibit dilatant behavior,where brittle deformation could compromise the safety of underground gas storage in rock salt caverns.The proposed review presents the impact of purity,geochemistry and water content of rock salt on its geomechanical behavior,and thus,on the safety of the caverns.

Numerical Simulation and Analysis of Migration Law of Gas Mixture Using Carbon Dioxide as Cushion Gas in Underground Gas Storage Reservoir

One of the major technical challenges in using carbon dioxide( CO2) as part of the cushion gas of the underground gas storage reservoir( UGSR) is the mixture of CO2and natural gas. To decrease the mixing extent and manage the migration of the mixed zone,an understanding of the mechanism of CO2and natural gas mixing and the diffusion of the mixed gas in aquifer is necessary. In this paper,a numerical model based on the three dimensional gas-water two-phase flow theory and gas diffusion theory is developed to understand this mechanism. This model is validated by the actual operational data in Dazhangtuo UGSR in Tianjin City,China.Using the validated model,the mixed characteristic of CO2and natural gas and the migration mechanism of the mixed zone in an underground porous reservoir is further studied. Particularly,the impacts of the following factors on the migration mechanism are studied: the ratio of CO2injection,the reservoir porosity and the initial operating pressure. Based on the results,the optimal CO2injection ratio and an optimal control strategy to manage the migration of the mixed zone are obtained. These results provide technical guides for using CO2as cushion gas for UGSR in real projects.

Numerical simulation-based correction of relative permeability hysteresis in water-invaded underground gas storage during multi-cycle injection and production

By conducting relative permeability experiments of multi-cycle gas-water displacement and imbibition on natural cores,we discuss relative permeability hysteresis effect in underground gas storage during multi-cycle injection and production.A correction method for relative permeability hysteresis in numerical simulation of water-invaded gas storage has been worked out using the Carlson and Killough models.A geologic model of water-invaded sandstone gas storage with medium-low permeability is built to investigate the impacts of relative permeability hysteresis on fluid distribution and production performance during multi-cycle injection and production of the gas storage.The study shows that relative permeability hysteresis effect occurs during high-speed injection and production in gas storage converted from water-invaded gas reservoir,and leads to increase of gas-water transition zone width and thickness,shrinkage of the area of high-efficiency gas storage,and decrease of the peak value variation of pore volume containing gas,and then reduces the storage capacity,working gas volume,and high-efficiency operation span of the gas storage.Numerical simulations exhibit large prediction errors of performance indexes if this hysteresis effect is not considered.Killough and Carlson methods can be used to correct the relative permeability hysteresis effect in water-invaded underground gas storage to improve the prediction accuracy.The Killough method has better adaptability to the example model.

Mechanism of Surface Vertical Deformation in Parts of the Underground Gas Storage Reservoir of Hutubi, Xinjiang, China

The Underground Gas Storage( UGS) in Hutubi( HTB),Xinjiang is the largest gas storage reservoir in China and it has significance for coordinating the gas supply and demand relationship,peak-load regulation,implementation of strategic reserves,national security, and social economic sustainable development. Therefore, the deformation monitoring and simulation analysis of UGS operation has important technical support and reference value for the stability and safe operation of the underground gas storage. In this paper,we use the elevation data obtained from 7 periods of second-order leveling surveys in the Hutubi underground gas storage area in 2013- 2015 to analyze the influence of gas well pressure on the vertical deformation of the underground gas storage reservoir.Research has shown that the absolute vertical subsidence rate is approximately in the range from 11. 8mm to 16. 1mm and the relative subsidence change is about 4. 3mm,near the surface deformation of Hutubi underground gas storage area except for the annual subsidence rate of- 2. 86 mm by the basic influence of uplift of the Tianshan Mountains.Groundwater over-extraction in the Hutubi area also has an impact on the vertical variation of the surface in this region. The land surface change per unit pressure of gas storage has an impact of about 0. 625mm- 1. 125 mm. 17 scenes Terra SAR-X radar images acquired from August,2013 to August,2014 are exploited by Small Baseline Subset( SBAS) In SAR method to obtain the surface deformation time series during the operation of UGS in Hutubi,meanwhile combined with the pressure data of injection / productionwells,the multi-point source Mogi model is used to simulate the UGS deformation field in Hutubi. The results show that the deformation characteristics of the whole UGS area is a discontinuous distribution with the peak deformation value of 10 mm and- 8mm in the satellite line of sight( LOS) during gas injection and production,respectively and the retrieved deformation sequences correspond very well to the gas injection / production pressure changes. Based on the multi- point source Mogi model, we simulate the deformation process of UGS,HTB,and with the adaptive forward search method,the radius and depth of point source are obtained. The simulated results indicate that when the average injection / production pressure of UGS,HTB is 18 MPa and 15 MPa, LOS deformation is up to 7mm and- 4mm,respectively,and surface deformation is related to the density of gas injection( production) wells. The UGS gas distribution is not uniform,indicating that the structure of underground gas storage is complex. Thus using a more elaborate geomechanical model and other deformation observation data will be helpful for better simulating the UGS internal structure and explaining the mechanism of deformation.

Simulation of petroleum phase behavior in injection and production process of underground gas storage in a gas reservoir

On the basis of analyzing the fluid phase behavior during the transformation from gas reservoir to gas storage,a mathematical model and an experimental simulation method are established to describe the oil-gas phase behavior during the whole injection-production process of gas storage.The underground gas storage in the Liaohe Shuang 6 gas reservoir with oil rim is taken as a typical example to verify the reliability and accuracy of the mathematical model and reveal characteristics and mechanisms of fluid phase behavior.In the gas injection stage of the gas storage,the phase behavior is characterized by mainly evaporation and extraction and secondarily dissolution and diffusion of gas in the cap to oil in the oil rim of the reservoir;the gas in gas cap increases in light component content,decreases in contents of intermediate and heavy components,and increases in density and viscosity.The oil of the ring decreases in content of heavy components,increases in contents of light and intermediate components,decreases in density and viscosity,and increases in volume factor and solution gas oil ratio.In the stable operation stage of periodic injection-production of gas storage,the phase behavior shows that the evaporation and extraction capacity of injection gas in the cap to oil rim is weakened step by step,the phase behavior gradually changes into dissolution and diffusion.The gas in gas cap decreases in content of intermediate components,increases in content of light components slowly,and becomes lighter;but changes hardly in density and viscosity.The oil in the oil rim increases in content of heavy components,decreases in content of intermediate components,rises in density and viscosity,and drops in volume factor and solution gas oil ratio.

Dynamic determination reserves of the underground gas storage

One of the key problems in the use of underground gas storage is frequent leakage. It can lead to the actual gas storage amount being less than that accounted for. Combining numerical simulation and parameter auto fit, this paper ascertains the dynamic variation of the pressure in the storage reservoir, adjusts the actual injecting and producing gas to fit the accounted pressure with the tested pressure, obtains the gas leakage of the storage, and then determines the difference between accounted amount and leakage amount. The result is the actual reserves of the storage. The simulation result shows that the method presented can provide a theoretic foundation for estimating the leakage amount, thereby ensuring the actual reserves, searching the leakage route, and reducing leakage by adjusting the storage method.

Simulation of pore space production law and capacity expansion mechanism of underground gas storage

One-dimensional gas injection storage building and one-cycle injection-production modeling experiment,and two-dimensional flat core storage building and multi-cycle injection-production modeling experiment were carried out using one-dimensional long core and large two-dimensional flat physical models to find out the effects of reservoir physical properties and injection-production balance time on reservoir pore utilization efficiency,effective reservoir capacity formation and capacity-reaching cycle.The results show that reservoir physical properties and formation water saturation are the main factors affecting the construction and operation of gas-reservoir type underground gas storage.During the construction and operation of gas-reservoir type gas storage,the reservoir space can be divided into three types of working zones:high efficiency,low efficiency and ineffective ones.The higher the reservoir permeability,the higher the pore utilization efficiency is,the smaller the ineffective working zone is,or there is no ineffective working zone;the smaller the loss of injected gas is,and the higher the utilization rate of pores is.The better the reservoir physical properties,the larger the reservoir space and the larger the final gas storage capacity is.The higher the water saturation of the reservoir,the more the gas loss during gas storage capacity building and operation is.Optimizing injection-production regime to discharge water and reduce water saturation is an effective way to reduce gas loss in gas storage.In the process of multiple cycles of injection and production,there is a reasonable injection-production balance time,further extending the injection-production balance period after reaching the reasonable time has little contribution to the expansion of gas storage capacity.

Progress and Prospect of Geophysical Research on Underground Gas Storage: A Case Study of Hutubi Gas Storage,Xinjiang,China

Hutubi Underground Gas Storage(UGS) is an important part of China’s West-East Gas Pipeline Project. Its production safety also plays an essential role in ensuring peaking,emergency and reserve of natural gas in the region. Geophysical observations and research conducted on Hutubi UGS provide significant support for understanding the operation status and ensuring safe operation of the UGS. Since the beginning of the construction of Hutubi UGS and its production,several works including gas field observation experiments,rock experiments and numerical simulations have been conducted. Preliminary observational results show that during the initial operation stage of the UGS,the "breathing phenomenon"in caprock and microseismicity in the vicinity are closely related to the operation of the gas storage. However,rock experiments and numerical simulations show that these activities may gradually weaken with the multi-cycle operation of gas storage. The impact of the operation of Hutubi UGS in the surrounding areas is gradually weakening,and its operation tends to be stable. Implementing long-term and multi-method geophysical observations is able to provide us a better understanding of the relationship between the operation of UGS and regional geological hazards. On this basis,the corresponding geomechanical model can be established to form an effective risk management mechanism for gas storage operation. Thus,it is of great significance to understand its operation status,monitor storage conditions,guide production and operation,and ultimately guarantee the safe production of the gas storage.

Study on the Cap Rock Deformation of Hutubi Underground Gas Storage by GPS Observations

The deformation responses of surface cap rocks of Underground Gas Storage( UGS) in Hutubi,Xinjiang during gas injection and production were investigated with the GPS data recorded by the deformation monitoring network,which includes 13 observation sites. The time series of three-dimensional deformation of the surface cap rocks was obtained in the UGS operation process,and the deformation signals in different phases were identified by combining the GPS data with wellhead pressure data. The results show that the respiration response of surface cap rock deformation is obvious during gas injection and production of UGS,and the surface deformation due to a 1MPa change of wellhead pressure is 1. 02 mm in gas injection and 1. 24 mm in gas production horizontally, and- 1. 11 mm in gas injection and 0. 86 mm in gas production vertically.

Deformation Analysis of LRC Underground Gas Storage

The risk during construction and in the operation of the underground gas storage （UGS） was analyzed. One of most important risk which should be prevented is large deformation or destruction of the steel lining. The specific deformation of the steel lining needs to be inside the acceptable value. This paper presents lined rock cavern （LRC） concept and specific deformations, which can occur under operation of underground gas storage. Analysis is performed with different （3D model and axis symmetrical） FEM models and analytical model. We made a comparison between analytical calculation and FEM calculation. Concrete wall is mechanically not regarded as reinforced concrete structure which means that concrete will crack. Finally, we determined the minimum value of Young＇s modulus, which satisfies the condition of maximum deformation of steel lining.

Evaluation of fault stability and seismic potential for Hutubi underground gas storage due to seasonal injection and extraction

The Hutubi gas field was put into production in 1998 and then converted into an underground gas storage(UGS)facility in 2013,and since then a cluster of earthquakes associated with seasonal injection and extraction activities have been recorded nearby.To evaluate the fault stability and seismic potential,we established a pseudo-3D geomechanical model to simulate the process of seasonal injection and extraction.Reservoir pore pressures from 1998 to 2019 were obtained through multiphase reservoir simulation and validated by history matching the field injection and production data.We then imported pore pressures into the geomechanical model to simulate the poroelastic perturbation on faults for over 20 years.The fidelity of this model was validated by comparing the simulated surface deformation with global positioning system(GPS)measured data.We used Coulomb failure stress(CFS)as the indicator for the likelihood of fault slippage.The simulation results show that the location of the induced earthquake cluster was within the positive Coulomb stress perturbation(DCFS)area,in which fault slippage was promoted.In addition,DCFS at the earthquake location kept increasing after the injection began.These findings could explain the induced earthquakes with the Coulomb failure stress theory.Furthermore,we conducted a parameter sensitivity study on the dominant factors such as the maximum operating pressure(MOP),frictional coefficient,and dip angle of the pre-existing fault.The results indicate that the magnitude of DCFS caused by seasonal injection and extraction decreases with distance;MOPs are constrained to 32.9,36.2,and 39.5 MPa according to different DCFS thresholds;the critical dip angle ranges are 0-20°and 80°-100°;and strengthening the fault friction can either increase or decrease the seismic potential.This study can help determine the MOP for Hutubi underground gas storage(HTB UGS)and provide a framework for simulating the potential causes of induced seismicity for other sites.

“Extreme utilization” theory and practice in gas storages with complex geological conditions

Based on more than 20-year operation of gas storages with complex geological conditions and a series of research findings, the pressure-bearing dynamics mechanism of geological body is revealed. With the discovery of gas-water flowing law of multi-cycle relative permeability hysteresis and differential utilization in zones, the extreme utilization theory targeting at the maximum amount of stored gas, maximum injection-production capacity and maximum efficiency in space utilization is proposed to support the three-in-one evaluation method of the maximum pressure-bearing capacity of geological body, maximum well production capacity and maximum peak shaving capacity of storage space. This study realizes the full potential of gas storage(storage capacity) at maximum pressure, maximum formation-wellbore coordinate production, optimum well spacing density match with finite-time unsteady flow, and peaking shaving capacity at minimum pressure, achieving perfect balance between security and capacity. Operation in gas storages, such as Hutubi in Xinjiang, Xiangguosi in Xinan, and Shuang6 in Liaohe, proves that extreme utilization theory has promoted high quality development of gas storages in China.

Failure transition of shear-to-dilation band of rock salt under triaxial stresses

Great potential of underground gas/energy storage in salt caverns seems to be a promising solution to support renewable energy.In the underground storage method,the operating cycle unfortunately may reach up to daily or even hourly,which generates complicated pressures on the salt cavern.Furthermore,the mechanical behavior of rock salt may change and present distinct failure characteristics under different stress states,which affects the performance of salt cavern during the time period of full service.To reproduce a similar loading condition on the cavern surrounding rock mass,the cyclic triaxial loading/unloading tests are performed on the rock salt to explore the mechanical transition behavior and failure characteristics under different confinement.Experimental results show that the rock salt samples pre-sent a diffused shear failure band with significant bulges at certain locations in low confining pressure conditions(e.g.5 MPa,10 MPa and 15 MPa),which is closely related to crystal misorientation and grain boundary sliding.Under the elevated confinement(e.g.20 MPa,30 MPa and 40 MPa),the dilation band dominates the failure mechanism,where the large-size halite crystals are crushed to be smaller size and new pores are developing.The failure transition mechanism revealed in the paper provides additional insight into the mechanical performance of salt caverns influenced by complicated stress states.

Comparison of three methods for natural gas dehydration

This paper compares three methods for natural gas dehydration that are widely applied in industry：（1） absorption by triethylene glycol, （2） adsorption on solid desiccants and （3） condensation. A comparison is made according to their energy demand and suitability for use. The energy calculations are performed on a model where 105 Nm3/h water saturated natural gas is processed at 30 °C. The pressure of the gas varies from 7 to 20 MPa. The required outlet concentration of water in natural gas is equivalent to the dew point temperature of -10 °C at gas pressure of 4 MPa.

Pore structure evolution of mudstone caprock under cyclic load-unload and its influence on breakthrough pressure

The pore structure of caprock plays an important role in underground gas storage security, as it significantly influences the sealing capacity of caprock. However, the pore structure evolution of caprock with the cyclic stress perturbations triggered by the cyclic gas injection or extraction remains unclear. In this study, the pore structure changes of mudstone caprock under cyclic loading and unloading were obtained by the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests system, then the influence of the changes on the breakthrough pressure of caprock was discussed. The results indicated that the pore structure changes are depending on the stress loading-unloading path and stress level. In the first cyclic, at the loading stage, with the increase of confining stress, the NMR T2 spectrum curve moved to the left, the NMR signal amplitude of the first peak increased, while the amplitude of the second peak decreased gradually. This indicated that the larger pores of mudstone are compressed and transformed into smaller pores, then the number of macropores decreased and the number of micro- and mesopores increased. For a certain loading-unloading cycle, the porosity curve of mudstone in the loading process is not coincide with that in the unloading process, the porosity curve in the loading process was located below that in the unloading process, which indicated that the pore structure change is stress path dependent. With the increase of cycle numbers, the total porosity shown an increasing trend, indicating that the damage of mudstone occurred under the cyclic stress load-unload effects. With the increase of porosity, the breakthrough pressure of mudstone decreased with the increase of the cyclic numbers, which may increase the gas leakage risk. The results can provide significant implication for the underground gas storage security evaluation.

Mechanical behavior of salt rocks: A geomechanical model

The geomechanical behavior of salt rocks is a significant concern during drilling and development operations in some hydrocarbon reservoirs and underground gas storage sites.In this study,the static and dynamic salt rock geomechanical properties from a field in southwest Iran were evaluated using experiments such as waves'velocities,and thermo-mechanical coupled uniaxial and triaxial compression tests.As a result and by considering both the petrophysical well logs and laboratory data of the waves’velocities,it is observed that the elastic properties of the core samples are concentrated within a narrow range unless an abnormality causes scatter.The results of uniaxial compression tests showed that rock strength decreases with increasing temperature linearly.In addition,the reduction of rock strength was observed with increasing porosity of the core samples as expected.In the case of triaxial compression tests,applying confining pressure on the core sample caused an increment in rock strength,while temperature decreased rock strength.The temperature also increased cohesion and decreases friction angle.The ratio of changes in stress to strain was used to investigate the dynamic changes in the geomechanical state.The maximum 0.25 damage factor was observed for the core samples for different definitions of the damage factor.Finally,we propose a novel analytical model to predict the stress-strain behavior of salt rocks at different conditions.The model was validated using experimental results and indicated a satisfactory accuracy.