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Abstract Underground cavities in rock salt mass for storage of crude oil and natural gas as well as compressed air and hydrogen are essential elements in energy supply management. These cavities are at the same time complex geotechnical constructions, characterized by special excavation procedure using solution mining technique and therefore no direct access for humans is existent. Nevertheless these underground cavities have to fulfil manifold requirements, especially static stability, tightness, third party protection and last but not least environmental safe abandonment after decades of storage operation. This paper at first gives some basic information about geotechnical characteristics of storage cavities in rock salt mass and the related design concepts guaranteeing long term safe as well as economic efficient storage operation. Essential elements of cavern design are presented such as physical modelling of rock salt behaviour based on laboratory investigations, constitutive models, numerical simulations to site-specifically validate simulation models, to identify prospective load-bearing behaviour as well as to quantify rock mass stresses and deformations related to proposed operation patterns. Special attention is focused on thermomechanically coupled processes induced in rock mass due to gas withdrawal and gas injection. Finally, some hints with respect to cavern abandonment and related physical modelling as well as numerical simulation of brine-filled closed cavities are given.
- North America > United States (0.28)
- Europe > Germany (0.28)
- Geology > Geological Subdiscipline > Geomechanics (1.00)
- Geology > Mineral > Halide > Halite (0.81)
Comparison of two Modeling Procedures to Evaluate Thermal-Hydraulic-Mechanical Processes in a Generic Salt Repository For High-Level Nuclear Waste
Blanco, Martín L. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) | Rutqvist, J. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) | Birkholzer, J.T. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) | Wolters, R. (Clausthal University of Technology) | Rutenberg, M. (Clausthal University of Technology) | Zhao, J. (Clausthal University of Technology) | Lux, K.-H. (Clausthal University of Technology)
Abstract The long-term thermal-hydraulic-mechanical response of a generic salt repository for high-level nuclear waste is investigated using the TOUGH-FLAC simulator, developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the FLAC-TOUGH simulator, developed at Clausthal University of Technology. Although these sequential simulators rely on the same flow and geomechanics software, they are based on different numerical schemes. One of the aims of using two different approaches to model the same scenario is to gain reliability on the results obtained. The two simulators include state-of-the-art constitutive relationships and coupling functions. The generic scenario studied assumes in-drift emplacement of the waste packages and subsequent backfill of the drifts with crushed salt. The Lux/Wolters constitutive model for natural salt is used. The simulations are two-way coupled and include the stages of excavation, waste emplacement, backfilling and post-closure. This work has been performed within the framework of a collaboration effort between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Clausthal University of Technology. Although the predictions presented in this paper cover a post-closure period of 100 years, it is intended to continue the benchmark until 100,000 years. The results obtained so far provide confidence in the capabilities of the two simulators to evaluate the barriers integrity over the long-term.
- Europe > Germany (0.93)
- North America > United States > California (0.46)
- Water & Waste Management > Solid Waste Management (1.00)
- Government > Regional Government (1.00)
- Energy > Power Industry > Utilities > Nuclear (1.00)
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)