Study on the deformation and failure laws of surrounding rock under reduced roof thickness in Salt Cavern Gas Storage

Under the premise of guaranteeing the stability of the gas storage reservoir, reducing the thickness of the salt layer on the top plate of the gas storage reservoir can improve the utilization rate of the salt layer in the construction section and increase the vertical height of the gas storage reservoir cavity, creating a larger gas storage space. The mechanical planar model of the casing-cement sheath-surrounding rock in the top plate of the salt cavern gas storage reservoir yields the elastic–plastic theoretical solution for the stress and deformation of the well wall surrounding rock. Based on this, a three-dimensional mechanical numerical model of the top plate is constructed to compare the effects of various top plate thicknesses on the surrounding rocks of the gas storage reservoir and to analyze the stress and deformation behavior of the wall surrounding the rock of the top plate of the reservoir in the cementing section and bare wells under the long-term injection and extraction cycle. The results indicate that reducing the thickness of the roof salt layer primarily affects vertical displacement, radial displacement, equivalent strain, and principal stress changes in the cement sheath and surrounding rock. All other roof parameters, except for equivalent strain, show an increasing trend. Reducing the salt layer thickness in the cementing section has the least impact on the gas storage roof’s stability. In contrast, reducing the salt layer thickness in the cementing section and bare wells has a moderate impact, while reducing the thickness solely in the bare wells is the most detrimental. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing the roof thickness of gas storage facilities and enhancing the utilization of the limited salt layer in the reservoir section.