Numerical Simulation Study on Deformation Characteristics of Surrounding Rock during Construction and Operation of Large Underground Gas Storage Structures

Underground gas storage is an important technical measure for future natural gas storage. The stability of the surrounding rock during excavation and under ultra-high gas storage pressure is the key to the stable operation of gas storage reservoirs. A numerical calculation model for different surrounding rock conditions, different depth-span ratios, and different buried depth conditions was conducted to study the stability of surrounding rock after large section underground gas storage excavation and under an ultra-high gas storage pressure of 20 MPa. The results show that after construction is completed, the deformation of the rock surrounding the cavern increases with a decrease in the surrounding rock grade, and the deformation of the rock surrounding the cavern increases as the burial depth increases. In addition, the maximum vertical deformation of the surrounding rock decreases with the increase in the depth-span ratio of the cavern, and the maximum horizontal displacement increases with the increase in the depth-to-span ratio. While operating at 20 MPa gas storage pressure, the displacement of the rock surrounding the chamber tends to increase with the decrease in the surrounding rock grade and the deformation of the surrounding rock of the chamber decreases as the burial depth increases. Furthermore, the vertical displacement of the rock surrounding the chamber decreases with the increase in the depth-span ratio, while the horizontal displacement of the surrounding rock increases with the increase in the depth-span ratio. Considering the stability of the surrounding rock during construction and operation, gas storage chambers should be built in areas with better conditions, such as Grade II and Grade III surrounding rocks within a burial depth range of 200 m. Moreover, the stability of the surrounding rocks is better when the chamber depth-span ratio is 2.5 similar to 3.0. These research results can provide a theoretical reference for the design of large underground gas storage structures.