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Geotechnical Feasibility Analysis of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) in Bedded Salt Formations: a Case Study in Huai’an City, China

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Abstract

The lower reaches of the Yangtze River is one of the most developed regions in China. It is desirable to build compressed air energy storage (CAES) power plants in this area to ensure the safety, stability, and economic operation of the power network. Geotechnical feasibility analysis was carried out for CAES in impure bedded salt formations in Huai’an City, China, located in this region. First, geological investigation revealed that the salt groups in the Zhangxing Block meet the basic geological conditions for CAES storage, even though the possible unfavorable characteristics of the salt formations include bedding and different percentages of impurities. Second, mechanical tests were carried out to determine the mechanical characteristics of the bedded salt formations. It is encouraging that the samples did not fail even when they had undergone large creep deformation. Finally, numerical simulation was performed to evaluate the stability and volume shrinkage of the CAES under the following conditions: the shape of a single cavern is that of a pear; the width of the pillar is adopted as two times the largest diameter; three regular operating patterns were adopted for two operating caverns (internal pressure 9–10.5 MPa, 10–11.5 MPa, and 11–12.5 MPa), while the other two were kept at high pressure (internal pressure 10.5, 11.5, and 12.5 MPa) as backups; an emergency operating pattern in which two operating caverns were kept at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa) for emergency while the backups were under operation (9–10.5 MPa), simulated for 12 months at the beginning of the 5th year. The results of the analysis for the plastic zone, displacement, and volume shrinkage support the feasibility of the construction of an underground CAES power station.

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Abbreviations

V cavern :

Volume of cavern

G eff :

Volume of working gas

M air :

Molar mass of gas

V mol :

Molar volume of gas at standard state

V sediment :

Volume of sediment

V sphere :

Volume of lower half-sphere

h sediment :

Distance between sediment surface and the above cross-section

v :

Withdrawal velocity

t :

Withdrawal time

N :

Mole number of gas

R m :

Ideal gas constant, 8.314 J/(mol K)

a :

Average insoluble content percentage at the location of the cavern

b :

Expansion coefficient of sediment

A max :

Cross-sectional area at the maximum diameter

A 1, A 2 :

Coefficients in virial equation

A :

Material constant in creep model

n :

Stress exponent constant in creep model

σ * :

Unit stress, 1 MPa

\(\dot{\varepsilon }_{\text{s}}\) :

Steady-state creep rate

σ 1, σ 3 :

Maximum and minimum principal stress

S, S s, S m :

Generalized mechanical parameters of the strata, rock salt, and mudstone

R :

Proportion occupied by impurity

E :

Young’s modulus

μ :

Poisson’s ratio

c :

Cohesion

φ :

Internal friction angle

σ t :

Tensile strength

T :

Thermodynamic temperature of gas

P :

Pressure of gas

V :

Volume of gas

Z :

Compressibility factor of gas

P sc,max,min :

Pressure of gas at standard state, high pressure, or low pressure, respectively

T sc,max,min :

Thermodynamic temperature of gas at standard state, high pressure, or low pressure, respectively

Z sc,max,min :

Compressibility factor of gas at standard state, high pressure, or low pressure, respectively

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the National Basic Research Program of the Science Foundation of China (973 Program) (2013CB227900), a China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project (2014M560462), Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds (1401097C), The National Natural Science Funds of China (41401397), and The Natural Science Funds of Jiangsu Province (BK20140237).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu, China

    Guimin Zhang, Yu Wu, Kai Zhang & Yanlong Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China

    Yinping Li & Chunhe Yang

  3. Machay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA

    Jaak J. K. Daemen

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  1. Guimin Zhang
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  2. Yinping Li
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  4. Chunhe Yang
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  6. Kai Zhang
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Correspondence to Guimin Zhang.

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Zhang, G., Li, Y., Daemen, J.J.K. et al. Geotechnical Feasibility Analysis of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) in Bedded Salt Formations: a Case Study in Huai’an City, China. Rock Mech Rock Eng 48, 2111–2127 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-014-0672-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-014-0672-z

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