Previous Conferences

Recent SMRI conference locations and activities:  

2021 Fall Galveston, Texas, USA was held 19-22 September 

     Technical Class "Development of a Cavern Storage Project, Cavern Basics"

     Field trips included 1) Galveston Museums, and 2) Johnson Space Center (Canceled)

2021 Spring Virtual was held 19-22 April

2020 Fall Virtual was held 21-24 September

2019 Fall Berlin, Germany was held 22-25 September

     Technical Class repeated "Mechanical Integrity Testing (MIT) and Techniques in Gas and Liquids Storage Caverns."

      Field trips included 1) Falkenhagen wind energy hydrogen storage facility of Uniper Energy Storage and 2) Freiberg silver mine and terra mineralia museum.

2019 Spring New Orleans, Louisiana, USA was held 7-10 April

     Technical Class was "Mechanical Integrity Testing (MIT) and Techniques in Gas and Liquids Storage Caverns."

      Field trips included 1) Bayou Choctaw, 2) LOOP (Louisiana Offshore Oil Port), 3) Weeks Island Mine, Morton Salt (K+S), 4) Avery Island Mine, Cargill Salt.

2018 Fall Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK was held 23-26 September

     Technical Class was a repeat of  "Engineering Calculations in Solution Mining" from Salt Lake City.

      Field trips included Geology of Northern Ireland and Irish Salt Mining and Exploration, Ltd. facilities.

2018 Spring Salt Lake City, Utah, USA was held 17-18 June

     Technical Class was "Engineering Calculations in Solution Mining"  No field trips were held due to the 10th World Salt Symposium which immediately followed in Park City. 

2017 Fall Münster, Germany conference was held 24-27 September 2017

     Technical class was repeat of "Well Integrity Management for Salt Caverns"

     Field trips visited 1) Borth salt mine of ESCO and Xanten Innogy facility and 2) Hengelo salt facility, Akzo Nobel Netherlands, and 3) Epe/ Uniper and SGW facilities.  

 2017 Spring Albuquerque, NM, USA conference was held 23-27 April 2017

     Technical class was "Well Integrity Management for Salt Caverns"
     Field trips were to Northern NM (Boca Negra, Bandelier, Los Alamos Museum) and Southeastern NM (WIPP surface, Intrepid Potash west mine, NM OCD).

2016 Fall Salzburg, Austria conference was held 25-28 September 2016

     Technical class was repeat of "Salt Rock Mechanics"
     Field trips were to the salt mine Hallstatt and to the salt mine Berchtesgaden.

2016 Spring Galveston, TX, USA conference was held 24-27 April 2016

     Technical class was "Salt Rock Mechanics"
     Field trip were hosted by two storage cavern operations: Enterprise Products Mt. Belvieu, and Spectra Energy Moss Bluff. Second field trip was VIP tour of NASA Houston.

 2015 Fall Santander, Spain conference was held 27-30 September 2015

     Technical class was repeat of "Salt Geology"
     Field trips were to Solvay's Torre la Vega plant and to Poza de la Sal  

2015 Spring Rochester, NY, USA conference was held 26-29 April 2015

     Technical class topic was "Salt Geology"
     Field trips were to American Rock Salt Hampton Corners mine and Cargill Cayuga mine.

2014 Fall Groningen, The Netherlands, conference was held 28 Sept to 1 Oct 2014

     Technical class was repeat of "Salt-cavern-induced Subsidence & Sinkholes."
     Field trips were to Gasunie EnergyStock Zuidwending and AKZO Nobel's Heiligerlee; and second field trip was to Frisia Zout Harlingen.

2014 Spring San Antonio, Texas, USA, conference was held 4-7 May 2014

     Technical class topic was "Salt-cavern-induced Subsidence & Sinkholes."
     Field trip was to Southwest Research Institute.

2013 Fall Avignon, France conference was held 29 Sept to 2 Oct 2013 with great participation:     

     Technical class subject was repeat of Salt Well Logging.
     Field trips were to Kem One Vauvert brine facility and Geosel Manosque gas storage.

2013 Spring Lafayette, LA USA conference was 21 - 24 April 2013 with over 300 tech delegates!

     Technical class subject was Salt Well Logging.
     Field trips were to surface features at Jefferson Island and Avery Island, and aerial tour of 4 ‘Island’ saltdomes and Napoleonville sinkhole.

2012 Fall Bremen, Germany technical conference was 30 Sept - 3 Oct 2012, with great participation

2012 Spring Regina, SK, Canada conference was 22 -25 April 2012 with 255 participants.

     Technical Class subject was “Solution Mining in Presence of Non-Halite Salts”,
     Field trip was to Mosaic Potash, TransGas, and Saskatchewan Province MER Core Lab.