Analysis of rock drainage and cooling experiments for underground cryogenic LNG storage

Hydrogeological monitoring was conducted around a pilot cavern for underground cryogenic LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) storage. The monitoring was mainly focused on the operation of a drainage and recharge system. After the operation of the drainage system commenced, the drainage rate decreased rapidly in the initial stages and then decreased gradually. Hydrogeological monitoring revealed that the rock drainage system operated effectively. During drainage, the water table was maintained below the cavern roof. The recharge for ice-ring formation was performed in two phases. The first phase involved the cessation of pumping in downward-drainage holes and the second involved the closure of upward boreholes. Since the water table was maintained below the cavern roof, artificial recharge was planned at first. However, it was not implemented due to heavy rainfall in the recharge stage. On the basis of hydrogeological monitoring and hydraulic tests, it was found that the fractures above the roof and on the right wall of the pilot cavern mainly affected seepage into the cavern and thermal variation due to the storage of liquid nitrogen. Thermal variation was examined by the thermometers installed around the pilot cavern. The cooling and thawing processes reveal the characteristics of thermal distribution in the rock and the 0 °C isotherm. The cooling phase lasted for six months, and the 0 °C isotherm progressed in time after the injection of liquid nitrogen into the cavern. The isotherm propagated up to about 4 m from the floor and the sidewall of the cavern and about 3 m from the cavern roof. The cooling rate of the rock mass above the cavern roof was lower than that of the other cavern sides due to the gaseous space in the upper part of the containment. The fractures were analyzed and considered for thermal modeling. A two-dimensional finite element analysis was performed to compare the field monitoring at the pilot cavern. The numerical modeling shows the distance between the ice ring and heat transfer pattern of the fractures around the pilot cavern. The propagation of the measured and calculated 0 °C isotherm reveals that the water-conveying joint on the right wall might affect thermal propagation through a thermal pipe.