Study of the Reservoir Damage during Cyclic Injection and Extraction Process in the Hutubi Gas Storage

During the injection and extraction process in gas storage,cyclic loading stress is applied to the reservoir pore structure,affecting the capacity and service life of gas storage. To study the influence of cyclic injection and extraction on reservoir physical property,a finite-element model of reservoir elastoplastic damage under the effect of pore pressure is established based on elastoplastic mechanics and fatigue-damage mechanics. Considering the mechanical property of the Hutubi reservoir and the injection-extraction mode of gas storage,the finite-element model is used to study the pore pressure and porosity change,fault safety,and ground surface deformation. The results show that the change in pore pressure and porosity,the deformation of the Hutubi fault,as well as the uplift and sink of the grounds surface are controlled by the fatigue damage of the reservoir pore structure during the injection-extraction process. After a 6-year service life, the cumulative deformation of the reservoir pore reaches its limit,causing pore structure collapse and porosity decrease. As a result,storage capacity declines and the ground surface starts to sink. Through this study,the safety of the Hutubi gas storage is evaluated,and some suggestions for field operations are offered.