Volume-of-fluid-based method for three-dimensional shape prediction during the construction of horizontal salt caverns energy storage

Construction simulation can help design and control an energy storage salt cavern with a regular shape, which benefits the storage capacity and the long-term operational safety. However, the conventional grid discretization methods using elastic grid concepts faced challenges in accurately tracking intricate boundary movements. This paper introduced a simulation model of salt cavern construction based on the structural grid of the Volume-of-fluid method, and realized the tracking of the salt caverns’ moving boundary surface. The model was validated using the results of indoor experiment and Volgograd horizontal cavern. In the simulation of indoor experiment, the lateral expansion at the top of the inlet, which was difficult to reproduce in previous models, was successfully simulated. The volume of the simulation chamber was 392.8ml with an error of 1.9%. The simulation results validate the capability of the proposed method in free boundary tracking. Furthermore, the Volgograd horizontal cavern construction project is simulated. The cavern shape is close to the sonar detection, with an average error in radius about 3.6%. And the brine-discharge concentration is consistent with the site monitoring, with an average error about 4.5%. The proposed model offers a dependable tool for simulating the leaching process of horizontal salt cavern.