A recent review of the world literature indicates that the necessary expertise for designing, constructing and stability monitoring of engineering "structures" constructed in salt is at present relatively limited, and additional basic research in a number of areas is necessary. In this regard, since 1975 a research project has been underway at The Pennsylvania State University, involving the design and performance of salt caverns for the storage of pressurized natural gas. During this project studies have been carried out in two specific areas, namely: the development of a better understanding of how salt behaves under conditions of stress and temperature equivalent to those found around a typical pressurized underground cavern, and the development of analytical methods by which the behavior of proposed and operating caverns may be suitably evaluated. The present paper will include an outline of the fundamental concepts involved in the salt cavern storage of natural gas, and a brief review of the laboratory and analytical studies (closed-form and FEM) carried out during the research project.
Ein kuerzlich abgeschlossener Überblick ueber die Weltliteratur zeigt, daß die nötige Expertise fuer den Entwurf, den Bau und die Überwachung der Stabilitat von Höhlen die im Salz angelegt wurden beschrank ist, und Grundlagenforschung in einer Anzahl von Gebieten notwendig ist. An der Pennsylvania State University ist seit 1975 ein Forschungsproject ueber den Entwurf und die Anlage von Salzhöhlen zum Speichern von verfluessigtem Erdgas aktiv. In seinem Rahmen ist auf zwei besonderen Gebieten gearbeitet worden: Der Entwickelung eines besseren Verstandnisses des Benehmens von Salz unter Spannungs- and Temperaturzustanden, die denen entsprechen, die in der Umgebung von typischen unter Druck gesetzten Höhlen herrschen, und der Entwickelung von analytischen Methoden, durch die das Verhalten von vorgeschlagenen Höhlen und solchen, die in Betrieb sind, beurteil werden kann. Dieser Vortrag enthalt einen Abriß der Grundlagen der Speicherung von Erdgas in Salzhöhlen und einen kurzen Uberblick ueber Laboratoriumsversuche und analytische Studien, die im Rahmen dieses Forschungsprojektes ausgefuehrt wurden.
Une revision des informations de sources mondiales confirme l''opinion que l''expertise necessaire à la conception, la construction et Ie contrôle de la stabilite des oeuvres de genie realises dans un massif de sel est relativement restreinte. A cet effet, un projet de recherches concernant la conception et Ie comportement des cavernes excavees dans un massif de sel pour l''emmagasinage sous pression du gaz naturel est en marche dupuis 1975 à The Pennsylvania State University. Ce projet s''est penche sur l''etude dans deux domaines particuliers soit; l''etude d''une meilleure connaissance du comportement d''un massif de sel dans l''ambiance de contraintes et de temperature existante dans un emplacem ent type de caverne sous pression ainsi que du developpement des methodes analytiques visant une evaluation convenable du comportement de cavernes sous etude ou existantes. Cette communication traitera des idees fondamentales de l''emmagasinage sous pression du gaz naturel dans les cavernes excavees dans un massif de sel. En plus, une revue briève des etudes en labo et analytiques (equations mathematiques rigoureuses et elements finis) sera presentee.
Extensive research and industrial development in the area of salt cavern storage is presently underway in the USA and elsewhere. In particular, the use of solution mined caverns for the storage of such materials as crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, and compressed air has accelerated rapidly during the last 10 years. It is apparent, therefore, that in the future the utilization of caverns, from which salt has been extracted by conventional or solution mining techniques, will playa vital role in supporting the world''s growing energy and environmental demands. A recent review of the literature has indicated, however, that the necessary expertise for designing, constructing, and stability monitoring of engineering "structures" constructed in salt is at present relatively limited, and additional basic research in a number of areas is necessary. In this regard, since 1975 a research project has been underway at The Pennsylvania State University, involving the design and performance of salt caverns for the storage of pressurized natural gas. During this project studies have been carried out in two specific-areas, namely: the development of a better understanding of how salt behaves under conditions of stress and temperature equivalent to those found around a typical pressurized underground cavern, and the development of analytical methods by which the behavior of proposed and operating caverns may be suitably evaluated. Various aspects of this project have been presented at Fifth Symposium on Salt held in Hamburg in 1978 (Hardy, 1980A; Hardy and Mangolds, 1980; Hardy et al.1980). The present paper will include an outline of the fundamental concepts involved in the salt cavern storage of natural gas, and a brief review of the more recent laboratory and analytical studies. It should be emphasized that, although the paper deals specifically with the storage of natural gas the majority of the material presented may be equally well applied to salt caverns used for the storage of pressurized fluids in general.