The paper presents a method of calculating deformation coefficients for any point situated in the overlying rock mass or on the ground surface. This solution was based on the method presented by Sroka and Schober (1982, 1987), taking into account new theoretical achievements and the current results of in situ measurements.

The paper presents a method of calculating deformation coefficients for any point situated in the overlying rock mass or on the ground surface. This solution was based on the method presented by Sroka and Schober (1982, 1987), taking into account new theoretical achievements and the current results of in situ measurements.

Les cavités salines représentent une technique prometteuse de stockage massif d’énergie, notamment pour les énergies renouvelables dont la production est par nature intermittente et imprévisible. Historiquement utilisées pour le stockage saisonnier d’hydrocarbures (méthane, pétrole...), les cavités salines sont aujourd’hui sollicitées pour le stockage de nouveaux fluides (hydrogène, dioxyde de carbone...) avec des scenarii plus exigeants. Les méthodes de dimensionnement des cavités doivent être mises à jour pour répondre aux nouveaux défis de la transition énergétique.Cette thèse propose une nouvelle méthodologie de dimensionnement des cavités salines, basée sur le développement d’un nouveau modèle constitutif pour le sel gemme incluant des critères de dilatance et de traction. Ce nouveau modèle permet d’ajuster avec un unique jeu de paramètres de nombreux essais de laboratoire différents, en particulier courts et longs.Des simulations couplées thermo-mécaniques de cavités, remplies de méthane ou d’hydrogène, et du sel gemme environnant sont réalisées pour différents scenarii d’exploitation, classiques ou se rapprochant des nouveaux besoins liés à la transition énergétique. On étudie en particulier les effets de la durée et de l’amplitude des cycles, du débit d’injection ou de soutirage. Les résultats obtenus avec la nouvelle méthodologie sont comparés avec ceux de la méthodologie classique. / Salt caverns are a promising technique for massive energy storage, especially in the case of the intermittent and unpredictable renewable energy. Historically used for seasonal storage of hydrocarbons (methane, oil...), they are potentially operated with increasingly demanding scenarios for the storage of other fluids (hydrogen, carbon dioxide...). Design methods need to be updated to rise to the new challenges of the energy transition.This thesis proposes a new methodology for salt cavern design, based on the development of a new rheological model including a dilatancy and a tensile criteria. This new model allows to fit numerous different laboratory tests with a single parameter set, in particular short- and long-term tests.Thermo-mechanical numerical simulations of caverns, filled with either methane or hydrogen, and the surrounding rock salt are performed under various cycling scenarios which are classical or closer to the needs associated with the energy transition. Effects of cycle duration, amplitude and mass flow are especially investigated. Results obtained with the new and the classical methodologies are compared.

[pt] Atualmente, as termoelétricas abastecidas por Gás Natural (GN) são responsáveis por 11 porcento da geração de energia elétrica no Brasil, consumindo 40 porcento da demanda de gás do país. Esse consumo de GN é sazonal e inconstante, pois é utilizado como substituto para a energia hidrelétrica, que depende do nível pluviométrico dos locais onde estão suas usinas. Devido a essa peculiaridade da matriz energética brasileira e a dependência do país por gás importado gerou-se uma necessidade de estabelecer estoques flutuantes de Gás Natural, armazenados em estado liquefeito (GNL) em navios metaneiros. O principal objetivo desse estoque é que, na eventualidade da necessidade de despacho da geração das termoelétricas, o país tenha uma quantidade de gás suficiente para permitir uma produção de energia termoelétrica por 30 dias. Entretanto, esse modelo de estoque contingencial de GNL é ineficiente e tem custo muito elevado. Essa dissertação demonstra a viabilidade técnica e econômica da substituição dos estoques flutuantes de GNL em navios metaneiros pela utilização de espaços subterrâneos em cavernas abertas por dissolução de rocha salina em domos onshore, apresentando um dimensionamento anual do tamanho do estoque, ou quantidades de cavernas, para atender a crescente necessidade de estoque de GN ao longo do tempo. Como objetivo secundário, o trabalho apresenta uma análise da utilização desses estoques subterrâneos em ambiente offshore, como um pulmão contingencial para manutenção da produção de petróleo do pré-sal na eventualidade de uma ocorrência interromper o fluxo regular de escoamento do gás produzido nas plataformas. / [en] Currently, the power plants fueled by natural gas (NG) are responsible for 11 percent of the electric power generation in Brazil, consuming 40 percent of gas demand in the country. The gas consumption of power plants is seasonal and volatile, since it is directly related to the level of rainfall in locations where there are hydroelectric plants. Due to this peculiarity of the Brazilian energy matrix and the country s dependence on imported gas, there is a need to establish floating stocks of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in LNG carriers. The main objective of this stock is that, if it is necessary to dispatch the generation of the power plants fueled by Natural Gas, the country has a sufficient stock of NG to allow the production of the thermoelectric generation during 30 days of operation. However, this model of contingency stock of Natural Gas is inefficient and has a very high cost. This dissertation demonstrates the technical and economic feasibility of replacing the floating LNG carriers stocks by the use of open underground caves by dissolving rock salt domes onshore, presenting a prediction of the annual stock size and the necessary quantity of caves to meet the growing need for NG stock over time. As a secondary objective, the dissertation presents an analysis of the use of these stocks in underground offshore environment, as a contingency lung for the maintenance of the pre-salt oil reservoirs production in the event of an occurrence that causes the interruption of the regular flow of the runoff from the gas produced in the platforms.

Zur Erreichung der Klimaschutzziele und Dekarbonisierung der Energieerzeugung und Industrie wird in Deutschland und Europa der Ausbau erneuerbaren Energien (v.a. Solar- und Windenergie, Geothermie) vorangetrieben. Die daraus resultierende fluktuierende Stromerzeugung, meist nicht mit dem Strombedarf überlappend, kann in Zukunft nicht mehr durch fossile Energieträger ausgeglichen werden, sondern muss gespeichert werden. Wasserstoff als chemischer Energieträger bietet dazu eine gute Option im Gigawatt- bis Terawattstundenbereich. Als großskalige Speicheroption für Wasserstoff bieten sich Salzkavernen an, die schon jahrzehntelang erprobt und Stand der Technik sind. Die bestehenden Kavernen in Deutschland reichen dabei nicht für die prognostizierten Speicherbedarfe aus, Deutschland verfügt aber über ein großes geologisches Potential, neue Kavernen im Untergrund anzulegen. / To achieve the climate change objectives and decarbonisation of power generation and industry, Germany and Europe are expanding their renewable energies (esp., solar, wind and geothermal energy) vastly. The resulting fluctuation power generation, usually not equalling the current demands, cannot be balanced by fossil fuels in the future and has to be stored instead. Hydrogen as a chemical energy carrier is a good option for the gigawatt- to terawatt-hour range. Salt caverns offer a large-scale storage option for hydrogen that have been used for decades and are state of the art. The existing caverns in Germany are not sufficient for the forecasted storage needs. However, Germany has a large potential for the underground construction of new caverns.

[pt] Ao longo dos anos, a produção de energia tem dependido de recursos não sustentáveis, como os combustíveis fosséis. No entanto, com o aquecimento global e a crise energética urge-se investir em recursos de energia renovável, como o hidrogênio. O gás deve ser armazenado em um ambiente seguro para evitar vazamentos. Portanto, este trabalho foca no armazenamento de hidrogênio em cavernas de sal, uma vez que essas rochas possuem propriedades relevantes, como a baixa permeabilidade. Um fluxo de trabalho para análise de integridade de cavernas desde a construção até a operação é proposto, implementado e aplicado para o estudo de casos sintéticos e reais. O armazenamento de hidrogênio provoca variações de temperatura e pressões dentro da caverna. A termodinâmica do gás segue uma solução diabática, atualizando a pressão e a temperatura do gás a cada instante para representar cenários de campo. A formulação termomecânica é implementada no simulador GeMA, que acopla diferentes físicas. Casos sintéticos consideram modelos homogêneos e diferentes geometrias de caverna. Os resultados demonstraram a importância dos efeitos térmicos, pois as amplitudes térmicas podem comprometer a integridade da rocha, por exemplo, induzindo tensões de tração e afetando a permeabilidade. Um estudo hidráulico demonstrou risco mínimo de migração de gás para o exterior. Por último, dois casos reais foram investigados, litologia heterogênea e uma caverna irregular baseada em dados de sonar. Os resultados evidenciaram alguns desafios na operação de cavernas. / [en] Over the years, energy has been highly dependent on non-sustainable resources. However, global warming and the energy crisis urge for investments in renewable energy resources, such as hydrogen. The gas must be stored in a secure medium to avoid migration to the external environment. Thus, this work focuses on hydrogen storage in salt caverns, as these rocks present relevant properties for a storage site, such as low permeability. A workflow for cavern analysis from construction to operation is proposed, implemented, and applied to synthetic and actual field cases. Hydrogen storage provokes variations in temperature and pressure inside the cavern. The gas thermodynamics follows a diabatic solution, which updates gas pressure and temperature to represent the field conditions. The thermomechanical formulation is implemented into an in-house framework GeMA, which couples different physics. Synthetic case studies include homogeneous deposits and different cavern geometries. The results demonstrate the importance of thermal effects, as temperature amplitudes may compromise rock integrity, inducing tensile stresses and affecting its permeability. A hydraulic study demonstrated minimal hydrogen migration risk. Finally, two real field conditions were investigated, considering heterogeneous salt stratifications and a sonar-based cavern geometry. The results highlight some integrity challenges to be faced during cavern operation.