Faraj Ahmad AL-Sulaiman
chief geologist in the Field division of petroleum engineering department for the North Oil Company, Ministry of oil, Kirkuk, IRAQ
Title: Geologic evaluation of Kirkuk underground storage project NE Iraq
Biography
Biography: Faraj Ahmad AL-Sulaiman
Abstract
Storage of liquids and gases in solution mined salt caverns was reportedly first in Canada in the early 1940 s during world war. Storage in the salt caverns of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and other light hydrocarbons spread rapidly in the early 1950s in North America and several European countries. Storage of crude oil reportedly occurred first in England, also in 1950s during the Suez crisis. Natural Gas Storage followed the storage of liquid hydrocarbons by about decade in the U.S.A. and Canada,(Dreyer,1920).Kirkuk underground storage project locate on the southern west limb of Kirkuk anticline near Kirkuk city, North Iraq,(fig-1).In 1978 eight wells were drilled for the purpose of LPG storage ,five wells of them(2,5,6,7,8) were selected for leaching operations as the thickness of salt layer in these wells was suitable to create cavern of salt and economical size.
Geologic evaluation of the Kirkuk underground was conducted by comparison of the geometric properties of the cavities derived from two surveys running during 1989 and 2015.the vertical cross sections of the cavities show that most cavities have show that most cavities have irregular shape because of the presence of impurities in the salt bed that cause different leaching velocities in different directions .the relationship of the cavity roof with tilted salt bed was Image