Design and operation problems related to water curtain system forunderground water-sealed oil storage caverns

The underground water-sealed storage technique is critically important and generally accepted for the national energy strategy in China. Although several small underground water-sealed oil storage caverns have been built in China since the 1970s, there is still a lack of experience for large-volume underground storage in complicated geological conditions. The current design concept of water curtain system and the technical instruction for system operation have limitations in maintaining the stability of surrounding rock mass during the construction of the main storage caverns, as well as the long-term stability. Although several large-scale underground oil storage projects are under construction at present in China, the design concepts and construction methods, especially for the water curtain system, are mainly based on the ideal porosity medium flow theory and the experiences gained from the similar projects overseas. The storage projects currently constructed in China have the specific features such as huge scale, large depth, multiple-level arrangement, high seepage pressure, complicated geological conditions, and high in situ stresses, which are the challenging issues for the stability of the storage caverns. Based on years’ experiences obtained from the first large-scale （millions of cubic meters） underground water-sealed oil storage project in China, some design and operation problems related to water curtain system during project construction are discussed. The drawbacks and merits of the water curtain system are also presented. As an example, the conventional concept of “filling joints with water” is widely used in many cases, as a basic concept for the design of the water curtain system, but it is immature. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the conventional concept are pointed out, with respect to the long-term stability as well as the safety of construction of storage caverns. Finally, new concepts and principles for design and construction of the underground water-sealed oil storage caverns are proposed.

A new evaluation method for site selection of large underground water-sealed petroleum storage depots

Scientific site selection is the first step in constructing underground water-sealed petroleum storage depots, but no uniform standard and code for such activity has been established. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to propose an evaluation method for the site selection of an underground water-sealed petroleum storage depot. The first large underground water-sealed petroleum storage depot being built in China served as the background of this study. The following 12 indexes were used as evaluation factors based on comprehensive evaluation criteria and specifications for key project site selection: geographic structure development feature, topographic feature, lithostratic formation feature, crustal stress, strength of rock mass, joint development feature, hydrogeological conditions, long-term water sealing conditions, environmental/ecological vulnerability, regional stability, technical and economic conditions, and meteorological and hydrological conditions. The weight back analysis and power coefficient methods were also used to evaluate the site selected for the first underground water-sealed petroleum storage depot project. Petroleum site classification models based on the two aforementioned methods were established and used to verify the feasibility of the evaluation criteria and methods, and the evaluation results show the grade of the site selected for the underground water-sealed petroleum storage depot in Huangdao, China is good. The study results may be used as a reference for the site selection of future underground water-sealed petroleum storage depots.

Algorithmic approach to discrete fracture network flow modeling in consideration of realistic connections in large-scale fracture networks

Analyzing rock mass seepage using the discrete fracture network(DFN)flow model poses challenges when dealing with complex fracture networks.This paper presents a novel DFN flow model that incorporates the actual connections of large-scale fractures.Notably,this model efficiently manages over 20,000 fractures without necessitating adjustments to the DFN geometry.All geometric analyses,such as identifying connected fractures,dividing the two-dimensional domain into closed loops,triangulating arbitrary loops,and refining triangular elements,are fully automated.The analysis processes are comprehensively introduced,and core algorithms,along with their pseudo-codes,are outlined and explained to assist readers in their programming endeavors.The accuracy of geometric analyses is validated through topological graphs representing the connection relationships between fractures.In practical application,the proposed model is employed to assess the water-sealing effectiveness of an underground storage cavern project.The analysis results indicate that the existing design scheme can effectively prevent the stored oil from leaking in the presence of both dense and sparse fractures.Furthermore,following extensive modification and optimization,the scale and precision of model computation suggest that the proposed model and developed codes can meet the requirements of engineering applications.

Key issues in water sealing performance of underground oil storage caverns: Advances and perspectives

Water sealing performance is important for underground water-sealed oil storage(UWSOS).The key issues concerning water sealing performance mainly include the permeability of fractured rock mass(FRM),water-sealed safety(WSS),water curtain performance,and prediction and control of water inflow.This paper reviews the progress of above four key issues on water sealing performances.First,the permeability of an FRM is the basis of water sealing performance,and several commonly used permeability test methods and spatial variation characteristics of permeability are outlined.Second,the current water sealing criteria are compared,and the evaluation methods of WSS are summarized.Third,the design parameters and efficiency evaluation of water curtain systems(WCSs)are introduced.The water inflow of oil storage caverns(OSCs)can reflect the water sealing effect,and the prediction methods and control measures of water inflow are also summarized.Finally,the advantages and disadvantages of the current research are discussed,and the potential research directions are pointed out,such as optimization of water sealing criteria and FRM model,quantitative evaluation of WCS efficiency,accurate prediction of water inflow,and improvement of grouting technology.

Analytical procedure for massive water-sealing barriers used in deep excavations considering seepage effect and its application

This paper presents an analytical procedure for massive water-sealing barriers(MWSBs)that are made of partially overlapped jet-grouting columns used for deep excavations,in which two crucial factors of the permeability and strength of jet-grouted materials are considered.Subsequently,a calculation example is analyzed and discussed.Results show that“tension failure”mechanism is a major concern for the structural failure during a design of MWSBs.The maximum allowable seepage discharge is a crucial index for the design of MWSBs,which has a significant influence on determining the design parameters of MWSBs.Compared with the design procedure for MWSBs that is proposed in this paper,the design parameters of MWSBs determined by the stability equilibrium and seepage stability equilibrium approaches are conservative due to the fact that it fails to consider the permeability or strength of jet-grouted materials that makes a contribution to the structural safety.Based on the proposed design method,the ranges of both the thickness and depth of MWSBs for a case history of subway excavation in Fuzhou,China were determined.Finally,field pumping test results showed that the water-tightness performance of MWSBs performed at site was quite well.

A study of water curtain parameters of underground oil storage caverns using time series monitoring and numerical simulation

Water curtain systems(WCSs)are key components for the operation of underground oil storage caverns(UOSCs)and their optimization and design are important areas of research.Based on the time series monitoring of the first large-scale underground water-sealed storage cavern project in China,and on finite element analysis,this study explores the optimum design criteria for WCSs in water-sealed oil caverns.It shows that the optimal hole spacing of the WCS for this underground storage cavern is 10 m in order to ensure seal effectiveness.When the WCS is designed with a 10-m horizontal hole spacing and a water curtain pressure(WCP)of 80 kPa,a water curtain hole(WCH)has an influence radius of approximately 25 m.The smaller the vertical distance is between a WCH and the main cavern,the greater the water inflow into the main cavern.The vertical hydraulic gradient criterion can be satisfied when this distance is 25 m.It shows that the optimal WCP is 70 kPa,which meets sealing requirements.