eprintid: 2140
rev_number: 14
eprint_status: archive
userid: 6
dir: disk0/00/00/21/40
datestamp: 2018-10-11 14:16:47
lastmod: 2019-02-06 09:25:48
status_changed: 2018-10-11 14:16:47
type: conference_item
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Cyrille, Balland
creators_name: Anne, Raingeard
creators_name: Joël, Billiotte
creators_name: Bruno, Tessier
creators_name: Emmanuel, Hertz
creators_name: Grégoire, Hévin,
corp_creators: Ineris, Nancy, France
corp_creators: Ineris, Nancy, France
corp_creators: School of Mines, Paris, France
corp_creators: School of Mines, Paris, France
corp_creators: Salins du Midi, Varangéville, France
corp_creators: Storengy, Rueil-Malmaison, France
title: Acoustic monitoring of thermo-mechanical tests in a salt mine
subjects: O
subjects: RF
subjects: SF
divisions: IP16
full_text_status: public
pres_type: paper
keywords: Instrumentation and Monitoring, Seismic, Underground mine, Gas Storage, Rock Mechanics, 
France
abstract: The  natural  gas  storage  in  salt  caverns  requires  faster  injection  cycles  /  racking  due  to  the  increasing 
dynamics of the energy market. These cycles induce rapid changes in the internal pressure of the stored 
gas  causing  important  temperature  changes  that  can  damage  the  rock  salt  mass.  Several  theoretical 
studies have been conducted to estimate this type of damage (Brouard et al, 2011; Sicsic and Berest, 
2014).  To  experimentally  observe  this  damage,  the  Solution  Mining  Research  Institute  (SMRI)  has 
cofounded the Starfish project between 2013 to 2016 and led by Storengy in partnership with the Ecole 
des Mines de Paris, the Salins du Midi and INERIS. The main objective of this project was to initiate and 
characterize the damage by purely thermal stresses at the surface of a large bloc of salt partially slotted 
in  a  rock  mass  of  the  salt  Mine  of  Varangéville  (France).  This  was  to  determine  the  type  of  failure 
mechanism involved, the nature and extent of the cracks induced, as well as amplification of the damage 
of the solid mass with repeated cooling cycles. 
The salt being favorable to the generation of Acoustic Emissions (AE) and the propagation of the stress 
waves,  the  acoustic  monitoring  method  has  been  chosen  to  follow  the  impact  of  the  salt  cooling.  In 
addition  to  thermal  and  mechanical  sensors,  an  acoustic  monitoring  device  consisting  of  16  ultrasonic 
sensors has been installed on the free surface and in boreholes. It enabled to record and locate a large 
number of AE (58426) with good accuracy (2.5 cm). Those AE can be correlated to the evolution of salt 
fracturing. Acoustic monitoring provided a very good insight in the physics of the damaging process.
date: 2016
event_title: SMRI Spring 2016 Technical Conference
event_location: Galveston, Texas, USA
event_dates: 25 – 26  April 2016
event_type: conference
access_IS-EPOS: limited
owner: Publisher
citation:   Cyrille, Balland and Anne, Raingeard and Joël, Billiotte and Bruno, Tessier and Emmanuel, Hertz and Grégoire, Hévin,  (2016) Acoustic monitoring of thermo-mechanical tests in a salt mine.  In: SMRI Spring 2016 Technical Conference, 25 – 26 April 2016, Galveston, Texas, USA.     
document_url: https://episodesplatform.eu/eprints/2140/1/Balland_et_al_%202016.pdf