Tightness Analysis of Anhydrite Mine-Out Used for Underground Crude Oil Storage Considering Seepage–Stress Coupling: A Case Study

Abstract

Good tightness is one of the necessary conditions for an anhydrite mine-out space to be used for underground crude oil storage. Combining engineering geological surveys, laboratory tests, and numerical simulations, this paper quantitatively analyses the tightness of the Anhui Hengtai anhydrite mine-out under different working conditions and discusses its suitability for underground crude oil storage. Triaxial compression tests of anhydrite rock considering seepage were carried out to study its hydraulic and mechanical characteristics during failure. The permeability coefficient–strain empirical formula of anhydrite was constructed. A numerical simulation was carried out on the basis of the finite difference method to study the tightness of the rock surrounding the mine-out after excavation and under 0.2 MPa, 0.6 MPa, and 1.0 MPa storage pressures, respectively. The results showed that the permeability coefficient increased with increasing storage pressure, and the growth rate gradually slowed after the storage pressure reached a certain value. Overall, the mine-out had good tightness, and the permeability coefficient of the surrounding rock was small. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using the anhydrite mine-out for crude oil storage and provides a scientific basis for the site selection of underground crude oil storage.