Potential for brine storage near the gas storage facility at Lille Torup, northern Jylland, Denmark

Abstract

This study is based on a feasibility study for the Danish Energinet. dk to identify potential formations for brine storage near the gas storage facility at Lille Torup, northern Jylland, Denmark (Fig. 1; Hjuler et al. 2017). Located on top of a salt structure, the gas storage facility comprises seven caverns, which have been washed out by circulating water in the salt dome. One cavern contains c. 520.000 m³ of intrusive brine that must be disposed of in order to increase the storage volume for gas. One option is to inject the brine into the subsurface if a target with appropriate storage properties can be identified, but it is a prerequisite that the stored brine does not compromise freshwater reservoirs. Due to cost considerations, the brine storage should be situated within a radius of 50 km of the gas storage facility and at a depth not exceeding 2000 m. Based on the national geothermal research conducted during the last decade, a number of sandy formations are considered potential storage reservoirs (Fig. 2; e.g. Mathiesen et al. 2009; Vosgerau et al. 2016). Around Lille Torup, these include the Bunter Sandstone/Skagerrak, Gassum, Haldager Sand and Frederikshavn formations where the two former formations are discarded due to present-day burial depths exceeding 2000 m. In addition, the Chalk Group is considered a potential storage formation due to its importance as a hydrocarbon reservoir in the North Sea, however, due to risk of leakage to the younger sediments and risk of environmental issues, the chalk was discarded as potential storage zone.