Rock and Soil Mechanics ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (2): 413-425.doi: 10.16285/j.rsm.2025.0818

• Special Topic on Underground Engineering of Compressed Air Energy Storage • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A review of the application of artificial intelligence in underground engineering for compressed air energy storage

GE Xin-bo1, HUANG Jun1, ZHAO Tong-bin1, TAO Gang2, MA Hong-ling3, WANG Wei4   

  1. 1. College of Energy and Mining Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266590, China; 2. China Energy New Energy Storage Technology (Shandong) Co., Ltd., Jinan, Shandong 250003, China; 3. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Safety, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China; 4. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, China
  • Received:2025-07-30 Accepted:2025-11-28 Online:2026-02-10 Published:2026-02-04
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52404060, U25A20267) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Special Program for Seizing the Commanding Heights of Science and Technology (GJ15010304).

Abstract: As a key branch of emerging energy storage technologies, underground compressed air energy storage (CAES) is gaining increasing attention for its advantages in large-scale capacity, long-duration storage, and environmental sustainability, making it a crucial support for new power systems. However, underground CAES projects often face challenges such as complex geological conditions, significant multi-physical field coupling, and frequent injection-production cycles, where traditional methods show clear limitations in modeling accuracy and operational efficiency. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, with their powerful nonlinear modeling and data-driven capabilities, have offered novel approaches to intelligent site selection, structural prediction, system operation, and risk warning in underground CAES. This paper employs bibliometric analysis and knowledge mapping techniques to systematically review the current state of AI applications in underground CAES, covering typical scenarios such as site selection and geological modeling, intelligent cavern construction, stability prediction, injection-production optimization, multiphysical coupling modeling, and safety monitoring. The findings reveal that research in this field remains in its early stages, lacking a comprehensive and systematic framework. Based on existing studies, this paper proposes several key directions for future development, including physics-informed modeling, multi-source data integration, and the construction of intelligent engineering platforms, aiming to provide theoretical insights and technical references for advancing the intelligent development of underground CAES and supporting the realization of China’s dual carbon goals.

Key words: compressed air energy storage, rock and soil mechanics, artificial intelligence, underground engineering, machine learning

CLC Number: 

  • TU 45
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