Numerical model and program development of TWH salt cavern construction for UGS

Abstract

Underground TWH caverns in salt rock have high construction efficiency and large usable volumes and provides an ideal space for large-scale natural gas storage. In this study, the solution mining process of TWH cavern is thoroughly analyzed. Applying basic principles of the Navier-Stokes equation method and reasonable assumptions, we established a new 3D mathematical model which includes flow and mass transfer and boundary movement for TWH salt cavern construction. Then, the velocity field and the concentration field can be solved by the SIMPLE algorithm, while the boundary movement of cavern expansion can be solved by the VOF algorithm. We developed a new VC++ computer code program TWHSMC for solution mining and herein we present the numerical results. Finally, the simulation cavern shapes results by program are compared with the experimental ones. The results indicate that our model successfully and accurately predicts the cavern shape and demonstrates the reliability and applicability of the model. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.