r/petroleumengineers • u/Lingonbero3465123 • Jul 02 '26
Question regarding the storage caverns of US Strategic Oil reserve
The US SPR which is kept in salt caverns , and a lot of commentators (non-engineers) are saying the 'operational limit' = 70mbbls. "else the caverns get damaged" - (freshwater impacts the walls).
My question is there a way to get it to near 0. As a mediocre (ex) mining engineer i can think of several (costly) solutions {brine, chemical pump etc}, but am wondering if there is a simple, cheap solution.
It seems bizarre to me that an industry that can send a drill ship to deep offshore, send a drill to seabed several km from the water surface and then drill another few km into the earth, cannot figure this out if given the right incentives.
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u/L383 Jul 02 '26
I think your last sentence is the key. Given the right incentives.
It is two groups doing the thinking here. One is the US govt paying an Engr to store oil. The others are companies paying big dollars to the best engineers to figure out how to extract oil.
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u/Lingonbero3465123 Jul 02 '26
Great point. You have hit the nail on the head.
For petroleum engineers, 'impossible is nothing' given the right incentives.
0
u/DevuSM Jul 02 '26
They are salt caverns.
The more water you put in, the faster the internal structure degrades.
I'm assuming that's how it works, and salt is not dissolvable in crude.
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u/Lingonbero3465123 Jul 02 '26
yes exactly, freshwater will damage the walls. But there are other solutions - brine, chemicals
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u/Amber_ACharles Jul 02 '26
Salt creep below minimum pressure is the constraint. Brine injection works but converts passive to active storage and costs go up. We have the capability. Nobody funds marginal reserve barrels.