PRELIMINARY NUMERICAL EVALUATION OF RE-USING OIL STORAGE CAVERNS FOR HYDROGEN STORAGE BY USING LINED ROCK CAVERN TECHNOLOGY

19th WORLD CONFERENCE OF THE ASSOCIATED RESEARCH CENTRES FOR THE URBAN UNDERGROUND SPACE, Belgrade, Serbia, November 4-7, 2025. (Paper No: 2.16.196,  pp. 416-424)

 

АУТОР(И) / AUTHOR(S): Wenjun Luo, Ping Zhang, Charlie Chunlin Li, Yang Zou, Zongze Li

Download Full Pdf   

DOI:  10.46793/ACUUS2025.2.16.196

САЖЕТАК / ABSTRACT:

The growing demand for large-scale geological hydrogen storage has driven the exploration of innovative and cost-effective methods for repurposing existing underground infrastructure. This study aims to assess the feasibility of converting underground oil storage caverns into Lined Rock Caverns (LRCs) for hydrogen storage. Two construction schemes are proposed and analyzed using numerical simulations, with parameters derived from an existing LRC demonstration project. The maximum allowable gas pressure is determined based on the cavern depth and surrounding rock mass properties, and then the structural response under pressurized conditions is evaluated. The results indicate that the proposed design of dividing original cavern into Multi-caverns using concrete pillars demonstrates favorable structural performance, reducing both the tensile stress level and stress concentration on the steel liner. Meanwhile, the proposed Long-cavern design offers higher hydrogen storage capacity and lower construction costs. In both schemes, the tensile stress level on the steel liner remains low, suggesting significant potential for liner optimization in material selection and liner thickness. These findings confirm the technical feasibility of repurposing oil storage caverns for hydrogen storage and present a sustainable and economically viable solution to meet future energy storage demands.

КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ / KEYWORDS:

Lined rock cavern, Oil storage cavern; Hydrogen storage; Numerical simulation

ПРОЈЕКАТ / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The work has been carried out within the project „Hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol in hydrogen hubs in the Nordic region“ with the acronym H2AMN to the Council of Ministers, Nordic Energy Research (NER) (project no. 2315912-0611). The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding from this project and the seed project from CH2ESS, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden.

ЛИТЕРАТУРА / REFERENCES:

  • Damasceno D.R. (2022). Modeling aspects of reliability-based design of lined rock caverns. Ph.D. Thesis. Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden, 85 p.
  • Damasceno D.R., Spross J. and Johansson F. (2020). Reliability-based design methodology for lined rock cavern depth using the response surface method. ISRM EUROCK. ISRM, 2020.
  • Damjanac B., Carranza-Torres C. and Dexter R. (2002). Technical review of the LRC concept and design methodology – steel liner response. Itasca Consulting Group, Inc.
  • Evro S., Oni B.A. and Tomomewo O.S. (2024). Carbon neutrality and hydrogen energy systems. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 78, 1449–1467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.06.407.
  • Glamheden R. and Curtis P. (2006). Excavation of a cavern for high-pressure storage of natural gas. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. 21, 56–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2005.06.002.
  • Johansson J. (2003). Cavern wall design principles. Licentiate thesis, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden, 139 p.
  • Kovač A., Paranos M. and Marciuš D. (2021). Hydrogen in energy transition: A review. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 46, 10016–10035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.11.256.
  • Lu M. (1998). Finite element analysis of a pilot gas storage in rock cavern under high pressure. Engineering Geology. 49, 353–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-7952(97)00067-7.
  • Masoudi M., Hassanpouryouzband A., Hellevang H. and Haszeldine R.S. (2024). Lined rock caverns: A hydrogen storage solution. Journal of Energy Storage. 84, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2024.110927.
  • Perazzelli P. and Anagnostou G. (2016). Design issues for compressed air energy storage in sealed underground cavities. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 8(3), 314-328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2015.09.006.
  • Papadias D.D. and Ahluwalia R.K. (2021). Bulk storage of hydrogen. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 46, 34527–34541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.08.028.
  • Vattenfall press office (2025). HYBRIT: Large-scale storage of fossil-free hydrogen gas successfully proven. https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/pressreleases/2025/hybrit-large-scale-storage-of-fossil-free-hydrogen-gas-successfully-proven. 27.02.2025.
  • Zhang L., Jia C., Bai F., et al. (2024). A comprehensive review of the promising clean energy carrier: Hydrogen production, transportation, storage, and utilization (HPTSU) technologies. Fuel. 355, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2023.129455.