The salt cavern gas storage is attracting more and more attentions in the world wide natural gas storage for its special advantages. And also it is a complex and systematic project to build a certain shape salt cavern in formations by water solution. According to the mechanical properties, solubility and in-situ stress distribution of salt rocks formation in China, this paper fully discussed the key technologies of gas storage cavity design and construction. The cavity-making process, shape control and detection of salt storage are described and analyzed. A number of construction technologies are proposed, such as the corresponding well type to salt cavern, circulation measure, steps of solution mining, adjusting of leaching pipeline, shape control, roof protection, sealing detection, cavern stability, and etc, to improve the efficiency of storage construction. The pipe string assembly and circulation rate are optimized to keep cavern stability during the solution. This paper can provide the reference and theoretical basis to the design and construction of salt cavern gas storage.
The underground natural gas storage is an irreplaceable role in guaranteeing the gas providing safety and adjusting gas peaking during the natural gas productions and consumptions (P. Bérest et al. 2003; YANG Chunhe et al, 2008; Bao-you Zhao et al, 2009). So, the construction of underground gas storage is always regarded by many natural gas productions and consumptions gigantic countries, which is also considered as an important component of the overall natural gas usage process. As the salt caverns gas storage which has many advantages over other types of characteristics of gas storage has been more and more used and studied, for example, high adjusting peak capability, safety, reliability, complying with environmental and ecological protection requirements, economical, volume expansion convenient and so on.
