Numerical simulation research on ground subsidence after salt cavern gas storage collapsing

Salt cavern gas storage plays an irreplaceable role in shaving natural gas peak and ensuring the safety of gas supply. But when the design life of salt caverns gas storage is over, it will be discarded and finally collapse, which would cause serious ground subsidence. It is very important to find the rule of the ground subsidence. Considering the deficiency of the present numerical analysis software in analyzing the ground subsidence, 2D-Sink, the special software which is used in numerical simulation of the ground subsidence after the damage of the salt cavern gas storage has been developed. And the software has the function of dealing with the broken rock. Through operating the 2D-Sink, 6 numerical models are built. The rules of the bedding effect, rock inclined effect; fault effect and ground subsidence of multi-cavern have been studied. To compare the ground subsidence curves of multi-cavern with the superposition ground subsidence curves of single cavern, it is proved that the superposition principle of ground subsidence is correct. The research results can provide one of the basic theories for the control of ground subsidence disaster after the salt cavern gas storages have been discarded.