• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.33-38
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• 1982

A successful operation of underground oil storage cavern depends on water-tightness around cavern by groundwater. If water-tightness is not secured, gas bubbles would leak out and oil would migrate to an adjacent empty cavern. In this research an electrical analogy method was employed to study the influence of shape of cavern on gas leakage and the required natural groundwater level, relative oil level in two neighboring caverns and cavern spacing to prevent oil migration. The results show that gas leakage is prevented from a cavern with a ceiling of large curvature. The required values of factors to curtail the migration of oil are given on a graph.

• 한국터널공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.189-201
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• 2005

Brittle failure has been detected in over-stressed rock mass during the construction of oil storage cavern. The main characteristics of stress induced brittle failure of the site are introduced. Various evaluation and measures are sought to stabilize the over-stressed rock mass. The major results from numerical analysis of the cavern are presented, and from current microseismic monitoring to detect hazard from brittle failure are presented.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.87-94
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• 1983

The successful oil storage in the underground cavern is dependent on how to keep the water-tightness around the cavern by the groundwater. If the water-tightness is not secured, gas bubles will leak out and oil migrate to the adjacent empty cavern. An electrical analogy method was employed in studying the influences of the position of horizontal and vertical water curtains, the head of water curtain and the intervals of the cavern spacings and boreholes on the gas leakage and the oil migration into the adjacent empty cavern. The result shows that if the cavern spacing is narrow, the vertical water curtain should be established and if the cavern spacing is more than twice the cavern height, its establishment is not necessary. All the detailed factors required to prevent the oil migration are shown on graphs.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.37-50
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• 2001

Through the modeting study on the groundwater now system around the underground stockpile site of crude oil near Seoul, we carried out the research on the influence of the groundwater yield near the site, the effect of the water curtain construction in order to reduce the influence of water yield, and the realized case study by measuring the water level change after the construction of the water curtain. For the simu1ation of the water yield and the water curtain, the nwnerical analysis code, MODFLOW has been utilized. Groundwater levels of the observation wells which were established to observe the hydraulic head around underground oil storage cavern of the study area have been changed in the range of from EL.+30 to +60 meter, while the simulation study revealed that groundwater levels changed in the range of from EL.+20 to +5Om. The hydrogeological condition of the underground oil storage cavern becomes stable by injection water to maintain the groundwater level around the cavern. The result shows the proper input of the hydrogeological factors helps the management to be effective for the oil stockpile site.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.24-32
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• 1993

Groundwater movement is one of the most important elements in the construction and management of underground oil storage cavern. To control the groundwater flow, grouting is run in parallel with water curtains. But as traditional grouting is conducted within cavern before and after excavation, the effect of grouting is delayed and the injection sphere is limited in the rock mass. Therefore, it is desirable to introduce a more extensive and effective grouting. This article is to present the caly grouting, which was the first to be carried out in the construction of underground caverns for oil storage in Japan. After conducting the clay grouting, the effect was confirmed by ground water level and infiltration quantity to the caverns.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.35-51
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• 2002

This study aims to establish the methodology for design of an optimum water curtain system of the unlined underground oil storage cavern satisfying the requirements of hydrodynamic performance in a volcanic terrain of the south coastal area. For the optimum water curtain system in the storage facility, the general characteristics of groundwater flow system in the site are quantitatively described, i.e. distribution of hydraulic gradients, groundwater inflow rate into the storage caverns, and hydrogeologic influence area of the cavern. In this study, numerical models such as MODFLOW, FracMan/MAFIC and CONNECTFLOW are used for calculating the hydrogeological stability parameters. The design of a horizontal water curtain system requires considering the distance between water curtain and storage cavern, spacing of the water curtain boreholes, and injection pressure. From the numerical simulations at different scales, the optimum water curtain systems satisfying the containment criteria are obtained. The inflow rates into storage caverns estimated by a continuum model ranged from about 120 m$^3$/day during the operation stage to 130~140m$^3$/day during the construction stage, whereas the inflow rates by a fracture network model are 80~175m$^3$/day. The excavation works in the site will generate the excessive decline of groundwater level in a main fracture zone adjacent to the cavern. Therefore, the vertical water curtain system is necessary for sustaining the safe groundwater level in the fracture zone.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.192-202
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• 2013

The domestic demand of natural gas has increased continuously due to the sudden rise of oil price and regulations on greenhouse gas to global warming. In order to improve the supply security of natural gas market in Korea, the agreement on supply of pipeline natural gas (PNG) in Russia was signed between Gazprom and Korea Gas Corporation in 2008. If the supply plan of Russian natural gas is realized, underground storage facilities would be required in order to balance supply and demand of natural gas because the gas demand is concentrated in the winter. This study investigated the safety of the storage facility in quantitative way considering several design parameters such as gas pressure, depth of the storage cavern, rock condition and in-situ horizontal stress ratio. Two dimensional stress analyses were conducted using axi- symmetry condition to examine the behavior of cavern depending upon suggested design parameters. Results showed that the factor of safety, defined as the ratio of 'shear strength'/'shear stress', was largely affected by the depth, rock class and gas pressure but was insensitive to the coefficient of lateral pressure(Ko).

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.32-38
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• 1994

This study Is to summarize the contents for the investigation and design of the construction for oil storage. Since underground caverns are large scale, in their construction one should consider the mechanical stability of cave·rns and the economic view of construction. On the basis of them, cavern's section and layout were determined and water curtains were designed to maintain hydraulic equilibrium so that gases were sealed tightly. Also the supporting criteria for rock bolt and stotcrete were determined by means of the classification of rock masses and the results of finite element method. The criteria of grouting reinforcement were presented according to the results of injection test in the pilot holes of working face.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.190-198
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• 1992

This study is to summarize the contents for the investigation and design of the construction for oil storage. Since underground caverns are large scale, in their construction one should consider the mechanical stability of caverns and the economic view of construction. On the basis of them, cavern's section and layout were determined and water curtains were designed to maintain hydraulic equilibrium so that gases were sealed tightly. Also the supporting criterial for rock bolt and stotcrete were determined by means of the classification of rock masses and the results of finite element method. The criteria of grouting reinforcement were presented according to the results of injection test in the pilot holes of working face.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.16 no.1 s.106
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• pp.19-26
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• 2006

The test blasts were carried out by detonating some single blastholes at two upper sites of the underground storage cavern for the crude oil. One was performed at the entrance site of the construction tunnel and the other at the middle area of the underground storage cavern. Based on the blast-induced nitration measured by the test blasts, we suggested the propagation equations of blasting vibration that were capable of estimating the peak particle velocity. In addition, in order to assess the stability of the adjacent ground storage tank, we did the frequency analysis and the response spectrum analysis with the particle velocity-time history and the particle acceleration-time history that were measured by the test blast carried out on the entrance site of the construction tunnel. In result, it was predicted that the displacement on the highest part of the tank shell was less than the allowable displacement.