Design and Flow Field Analysis of Extendable Leaching-optimized Cavern Construction Device for Salt Cavern Gas Storage

Salt cavern gas storage is one of the most important types of underground gas storage reservoirs. To address the inefficient initial cavern formation rates in solution mining-based gas storage facilities located within salt formations, an extendable leaching-optimized device for cavern construction has been designed. The device has three features: a controllable working status, an adaptable extension and a replaceable nozzle. Simulations employing FLUENT were conducted to analyze the hydrodynamic behavior surrounding the device, aligned with its working principles. Quantitative assessments revealed the coupled effects of three critical factors: nozzle inclination angle, flow injection velocity, and device rotational speed on the adjacent flow domain. Simulations demonstrated, first, that this device can alter the shape of the cavity by adopting positive circulation, and the turbulence formed by a nozzle angle of ۰° is conical, which is the optimal angle for cavity construction; second, the higher the injection velocity, the greater the distance and width of the high-speed jet stream; third, rapid attenuation of jet propagation metrics (distance and width increments) occurred beyond critical velocity thresholds of ۱۶ m/s; conclusively, angular velocity variations were identified as a dominant factor governing jet energy attenuation rates. This study provides a theoretical basis for the practical application of extendable leaching-optimized cavern construction device in the field.

کلیدواژه ها:

Salt cavern ، Solubilization devices ، Salt cave dissolution technology ، Rotating jet ، Flow field simulation