Ethylene Salt Dome Storage

Salt domes extend deep into the ground providing a thick salt interval.

Ethylene salt dome storage.

Caliche development partners caliche cdp is a houston texas based company focused on the acquisition development construction ownership and operation of subsurface hydrocarbon storage assets in north america with a primary focus on the u s. The export terminal is pipeline connected to enterprise s mont belvieu texas complex where the company is in the process of commissioning a high capacity ethylene salt dome storage well with a capacity of 600 million pounds. On the outskirts of houston millions of gallons of potentially explosive natural gas liquids like propane and butane are being stored in dozens of underground caverns. The caliche team brings over 50 years of combined midstream asset development experience including project finance.

Salt caverns have also been made by a process called leaching in bedded salt formations in northeastern midwestern and southwestern states. The first storage cavern which is planned to begin ethylene service in q3 2018 has a storage capacity of 600 million pounds and total deliverability of 600 000 pounds per hour. The caverns are huge. Cavern construction is more costly than depleted field conversions when measured on the.

This storage facility will have a capacity of approximately 600 million. Enterprise is also developing a high capacity ethylene salt dome storage facility at its complex in mont belvieu texas. The markham storage facility is one of two storage locations operated by lyondellbasell s pipeline group in the texas gulf coast region. Caliche coastal will ultimately provide the gulf coast midstream market with up to 32 million barrels of salt dome storage capacity for various hydrocarbon producers and end users.

Salt dome salt often extends over an area that is miles wide. The coastal facility features an existing 5 million barrel salt cavern that has been purpose built to accommodate approximately 600 million pounds of ethylene at. For underground storage it is the salt within the salt dome that is the valuable resource. Most salt cavern storage facilities have been developed in salt dome formations located in the gulf coast states.

The 84 acre facility uses caverns in underground salt domes to store ethylene and propylene and distributes these products via pipeline to other company facilities and several customers in the region.