Publications

Well Integrity for Natural Gas Storage in Depleted Reservoirs and Aquifers

Bauer, Stephen J.; Blankenship, Douglas A.; Roberts, Barry L.; Freifeld, Barry M.; Oldenburg, Curtis O.; Jordan, Preston J.; Perfect, Scott P.; Morris, Joseph P.; Bromhal, Grant B.; Glosser, Deborah G.; Wyatt, Douglas W.

Natural gas storage facilities are a critical component of our energy supply and distribution chain, allowing elasticity in gas supply to accommodate daily to seasonal demand fluctuations. As has been made evident by the recent Aliso Canyon Gas Storage facility incident, a loss of well integrity may result in significant consequences, including the prolonged shutdown of an entire facility. The Aliso Canyon gas well blowout emitted approximately 100,000 tonnes of natural gas (mostly methane) over 4 months and displaced thousands of nearby residents from their homes. The high visibility of the event has led to increased scrutiny of the safety of natural gas storage at the Aliso Canyon facility, led to questions about energy reliability, and raised broader concerns for natural gas storage integrity throughout the country.