Underground Storage In Rock Caverns

Rajan K Pillai

November 9th 2009

Going Underground

Types of Underground Storages

Salt Leached Caverns. Aquifers or Depleted fields Disused mines. Under round Roc! Caverns "Unlined # lined$

Salt Leached Caverns

&ater injection %rine

%orehole

Several hundred meters

Salt Dome 'ens of meters

Aquifers
+,drocar)on Stora e (mpermea)le stratum

Porous # Permea)le *eolo ical formation

Disused Mines
&ater ta)le

-.ample of an Under round Unlined Roc! Cavern

The finished rock cavern for LP

at !isakhapatnam

"ydraulic Containment Principle

Water Table

#o"crete Plu!

P
Gaseous phase Liquid phase

Hydraulic Pressure (H) > Vapour Pressure (P) + Shape Factor (F) + Safety

ar!i"(S)

Comparison of Depths of LPG and Crude Caverns

SALP* LP* Cavern
5ean Sea Level

(SPRL Crude Cavern

/01 m

/234 m

Example of cavern using a ramp for Access

(nclined Ramp

&ater Curtain

7peration Shafts Source 6 *eostoc!

5ain Stora e *alleries

Example of Cavern Using Vertical Shaft for Access

Access Shaft "AS$ Lo8er connection "LC$ 7peration Shaft "7S$

Access Ramp "AR$

&ater Curtain *aller, "&C*

&ater *aller, 9 Access Shaft Connection "&AC$

&ater *aller, 9 7peration Shaft Connection "&7C$ (ntermediate connection "(C$

Upper Connection "UC$

Upper Shaft Connection "USC$ Sump 8hich houses the su)mersi)le pumps

Source 6 SALP*

Lo8er Shaft Connection "LSC$

Equipment lo ering through Shaft

S,stems required for access # muc!in in case of Shafts

Separation of different products to !e stored

%ater Curtain &oreholes

%ater curtain tunnels

Mean Sea Level#MSL$

Storage Caverns

Design for light Products and Crudes "#lat $nvert%

/ Caverns for li ht products # crudes can )e desi ned to have flat inverts 8ith 8ater )eds "8ater )ed not required for LP*$ / 'hese caverns have no heatin s,stems. / Can )e made for products 8hich do not have major slud e pro)lems

Design for &eav' Products and Crudes "Sloping $nvert%

/ Caverns are desi ned to have a slope for ensurin a proper flo8 to8ards the sumps. / +eatin s,stem provided for heatin and circulation of the product stored. / 'he desi n permits stora e of heav, oils and heav, crudes.

'nertisation of caverns #products other than LP $

Connectin the vapour spaces can reduce the requirement of inert as.

Storage Caverns

Lo8er 5ar inal Costs 9 ;or lar er volumes

Caverns in less favora)le eolo ical conditions

Cost: m0 of stora e

Caverns in favora)le eolo ical conditions Stora e capacit,

Large si(e) *eed for +enching

For large caverns there is a need to excavate the caverns in steps. The top heading is completed first followed b benching

'op +eadin 01 5

%enches 41 5

'en stor, )uildin

Excavation method adopted for large caverns

(eed for Access to Various Levels in Large Caverns

,-cavation Using Drill . &last #/or "ard 0ock$

'8o %oom <um)o "Used for drillin in hard roc!$

Drillin

# %lastin 5ethod of -.cavation

'u bo used for drilli"! holes i" roc(

Holes are char!ed $ith e%plosi&es after drilli"! a"d co"trolled blasti"! carried out

Drillin

# %lastin 5ethod of -.cavation

Pull

Excavation using )oad &eaders "#or Soft )oc*%

Road +eaders "Used in case of soft to medium hard roc! Limestone= Chal! etc$

,-ample of 0ock Cavern constructed using road headers for top heading . +lasting for +enching follo1ed +y trimming +y road headers2 Cross section is 34 sq m

Source 6 *eostoc!

Crude 'an!ers

+'pical Scheme for Crude Caverns

All a)ove round facilities 8ill )e as per standard 7il industr, practices. La,out shall )e as ;lare per 7(SD uidelines
%ooster Station ;or +orticulture ;or &ater Curtain -'P %oiler %ooster Pumps (nert *as Su)mersi)l e Pumps Crude Cavern Car)on Sta e 2 Sta e 4 ;ilter

+eat -.ch.

Lined 0ock Caverns

'hese t,pes of stora e facilities can )e used for small or medium si>ed caverns. 'he linin can )e steel or plastics. (n the depths are lar e the linin s have to )e desi ned to counter the h,drostatic pressure or the can et

Steel or plastic linin

,ver !rea*s and roc* falls

5ver +reaks as sho1n can slo1 do1n progress to a large e-tent2 Also a ma6or safety issue2

-ethod of addressing poor roc* conditions

)oc* !olts Shotcrete

To ensure there is good sta+ility of the cavern7 rock +olts need to +e installed and shortcrete applied2 Poorer the rock strata7 larger is the support requirement2

Example of Poor )oc* Conditions

Large num+er of cracks and fissures in the rock could lead to large over +reaks 2and e-cessive supports

Example of a ater !earing .one

%ater +earing (ones could result in large 1ater ingress if pre)grouting is not resorted to2 The time taken up +y grouting could delay e-cavation2

Pre/Grouting in excessive ater !earing .ones

Pre/*routin involves drillin a num)er of holes on the face and pumpin cement paste under pressure into them till sealin is achieved.

+i h permea)ilit, and 8ater )earin strata could result in hi her routin and slo8 e.cavation pro ress.

0ater +a!le -onitoring

&ater ta)le

+'pical Excavation progress curves for Underground caverns

Advantages of going underground

Product is located at a depth and is full, isolated. -.ternal ;ires 8ill not affect Stora e 5a.imum securit,. Safet, ha>ards on account of sa)ota e= storms= earthqua!es and e.plosions are minimi>ed. Surface land requirement is lo8 Caverns ), their ver, nature require ver, lo8 maintenance. %e,ond certain capacities the capital cost per ton of stora e is lo8. -nvironment )enefits. 'he roc! de)ris enerated can )e used for infrastructure development.

Thank You