Publications

Expansion analyses of strategic petroleum reserve in bayou Choctaw—revised locations

Park, B.Y.; Ehgartner, Brian L.

The U.S. Department of Energy had plans to leach two new caverns and convert one of the existing caverns within the Bayou Choctaw salt dome to expand its petroleum reserve storage capacity. The structural integrity of the three expansion caverns and the interaction between all the caverns in the dome are investigated through FEM analysis. The impacts of the expansion on underground creep closure, surface subsidence, infrastructure and well integrity are quantified. The three expansion caverns are predicted to be structurally stable against tensile failure. Dilatant failure is not expected within the vicinity of the expansion caverns. Damage to surface structures is not predicted and there is not a marked increase in surface strains due to the presence of the expansion caverns. The wells into the caverns should not undergo yield. The results show that from a structural viewpoint, the locations of the two newly proposed expansion caverns are acceptable.