An investigation into design concepts, design methods and stability criteria of salt caverns

Abstract

Salt rock has been used as hast rock to storing hydrocarbons and disposing nuclear wastes because of its low permeability. On other hand it deforms under even low deviatoric stress which threatens the structural stability of salt caverns. Rock mechanical stability is one of important stages in salt cavern’s design and construction, though mechanical factors (such as nonlinear behavior of rock salt), thermal factors (such as temperature changes during injection and production) and hydraulic factors (such as salt permeability and viscosity of stored material) affect on short term and long term behavior of salt cavern. Various criteria and methods have been investigated for salt cavern’s design and stability analysis. In this paper, by taking into account the importance of structural stability of salt cavern, the general behavior of rock salt and salt cavern are given. It reviews the various design concepts and methods and, in the following, stability criteria including stress-based and damage-based are also discussed. It is assigned that the RD stability criterion is more comprehensive than others.