In order to standardize the technical system of salt cavern gas storage engineering and promote industry standardization construction, the Chinese Society of Rock Mechanics and Engineering organized a review meeting for three group standards (preliminary drafts) from May 14 to 16, 2025, at Suzhou Neway Petroleum Equipment (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., based on the relevant provisions of the group standard preparation management method, including the "Technical Specification for Drilling of Salt Cavern Gas Storage", "Technical Specification for Injection, Production, Completion and Gas Injection for Salting of Salt Cavern Gas Storage", and "Technical Specification for Drilling of Salt Cavern Gas Storage". This conference gathers authoritative forces in the industry and lays an important foundation for the standardized development of salt cavern gas storage technology.
1、 Expert lineup and conference scale
The conference invited 9 senior experts in the industry, including Guo Xiling, Song Shengwu, Huang Lixing, Li Jianlin, Yang Xiaoping, Guo Kai, Jiang Tingting, Yao Weiyou, and Ma Changqing, to form a review team. The experts cover multiple fields such as geological engineering, oil and gas storage and transportation, and drilling technology, and have rich theoretical research and engineering practical experience. At the same time, more than 20 industry representatives from research institutes and corporate units attended the conference, forming an interdisciplinary and multi-dimensional communication platform.
2、 Agenda Focus: In depth Discussion on Technical Specifications
The two-day meeting focused on the preliminary drafts of three group standards for systematic argumentation. Experts and representatives attending the meeting conducted in-depth discussions on the full cycle technology chain of salt cavern gas storage, focusing on the following key topics:
Drilling Technical Specification: Focusing on the analysis of geological characteristics of salt layers, wellbore structure design, optimization of drilling fluid performance, and safety control of salt layer drilling, combined with domestic and foreign cases of salt cavern construction, this paper explores drilling process standards that are suitable for complex salt rock formations.
Technical specifications for injection production completion and gas injection brine removal: The focus is on the selection of completion tubing, sealing technology, design of gas injection brine removal process, and brine resource treatment standards, emphasizing wellbore integrity control and environmental protection requirements in high-pressure environments.
Technical specifications for cavity making: Based on the optimization of water-soluble cavity making process parameters, cavity shape control, cavity making process monitoring and stability evaluation, and combined with numerical simulation and on-site practical data, a standardized cavity making technology system is constructed.
3、 Meeting outcome: Consolidate consensus and promote the implementation of standards
In the review process, the expert team rigorously demonstrated the completeness, scientificity, and operability of the initial draft of the standard from a technical perspective, and the attending representatives put forward constructive opinions based on the actual engineering situation. After thorough discussion, the initial drafts of the three group standards reached a consensus on technical framework, terminology definitions, process parameters, and passed the preliminary review smoothly. The meeting clarified that the standard content will be refined and improved based on expert suggestions, accelerating the standardization and normalization process in the field of salt cavern gas storage technology.
4、 Industry significance: Empowering the development of energy storage technology
As an important component of the national energy reserve system, the technical standardization of salt cavern gas storage facilities is of crucial importance in improving the efficiency of gas storage facility construction and ensuring operational safety. The successful convening of this review meeting marks an important step forward in the construction of the technical standard system for salt cavern gas storage projects in China. It will provide scientific and standardized technical guidance for the planning, design, construction, and operation management of gas storage facilities, and help promote the high-quality development of the energy storage field.
