Technical feasibility of converting abandoned calcite mines into lined rock caverns for underground hydrogen storage

Lined rock caverns (LRC) to store high-pressure hydrogen is a creative way to increase the utilization of renewable energy to satisfy enormous energy demands for society. The stability and permeability of LRC will determine the success or failure of hydrogen storage. Therefore, numerical simulations can be used to evaluate the damage to supporting structures and the stability of surrounding rock mass. However, the birth of new materials and new structures has changed the previous structural form of LRC for underground energy storage. This paper provided reinforced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as a supporting structure in LRC. Considering the first hydrogen storage LRC project in China, the mechanical behavior of UHPC is introduced in detail, and a quasi-three-dimensional finite element model is given. The numerical results of this model were evaluated considering the corresponding specifications for underground engineering, and the allowable upper limit pressure of LRC was suggested. To construct shallow-buried hydrogen storage LRC, reinforced UHPC could be a reliable support method and will be constructed.