API Standards Enhance Operations of Underground Natural Gas Storage
Alexa Burr
Posted December 21, 2022
Underground natural gas storage is an important part of U.S. energy infrastructure, helping to maintain market balance between supply and demand that is critical to meeting the needs of American families and businesses.
Most natural gas is safely stored in more than 412 salt caverns and depleted hydrocarbon and aquifer reservoirs for delivery through pipeline infrastructure to consumers across the United States. To a lesser extent, natural gas is also stored in liquid or gaseous form in above–ground tanks.
The practice of using underground facilities to hold natural gas dates back decades, allowing the cleaner-burning energy source to be stored when extracted, and released to pipelines, local distribution companies, producers and shippers based on variable consumer demand across seasons, days and even hours. Without storage, serving demand fluctuations would require wide swings in the sources of gas supply and prices, which could negatively impact gas recovery and the market.
Ensuring underground storage facilities are designed, maintained and operated at the highest safety and performance levels is the impetus behind two second-edition API standards for natural gas storage in underground facilities.
API Recommended Practice (RP) 1170, “Design and Operation of Solution-mined Salt Caverns Used for Natural Gas Storage,” 2nd edition, provides guidance for salt cavern facilities used for natural gas storage. The standard focuses on facility geomechanical assessments, cavern well design and drilling, risk management, solution mining techniques and operations.
API RP 1171, “Functional Integrity of Natural Gas Storage in Depleted Hydrocarbon Reservoirs and Aquifer Reservoirs,” 2nd edition, outlines storage well, reservoir and fluid management for functional integrity in design, construction, operation, monitoring, maintenance and documentation practices. The standard applies to natural gas storage in depleted natural gas and oil reservoirs as well as aquifer reservoirs.
The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of natural gas, and proved reserves of natural gas have increased nearly every year since 2000 due to advancements in natural gas exploration and production technologies. According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency, while domestic natural gas use is expected to average a record 86.6 billion cubic feet per day in 2022, steady drilling gains have boosted U.S. natural gas production to near record highs, ensuring a well-supplied domestic market while simultaneously meeting rising global liquefied natural gas demand.
The current global energy situation underscores the importance of advancing solutions that ensure continued access to affordable, reliable energy while tackling the climate challenge. The U.S. natural gas and oil industry has made significant progress in reducing carbon emissions to near generational lows, and increased use of cleaner-burning natural gas has contributed to a 24% drop in power sector carbon dioxide emissions since 2012 – outpacing the reduction targets outlined in the Obama-era Clean Power Plan.
API standards covering natural gas help ensure the operational integrity of production, pipelines, storage and consumption, while contributing to a reliable energy market in a way that meets both industry and government goals to address the climate challenge.
About The Author
Alexa Burr is Vice President of Segment Standards & Programs in API’s Global Industry Services division, which is responsible for standards setting, certification, training, events, publications and safety programs for industry operations. Prior to API, Alexa worked at the American Chemistry Council in various roles where she oversaw the strategic direction of Responsible Care® program and led international advocacy efforts on a range of issues. She holds an undergraduate degree in Biology of Global Health and a master’s in Biological Threat Agents and Emerging Infectious Diseases, both from Georgetown University.