Indian Journal of Science and Technology

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Stability Analysis of Caverns Excavated in Heterogeneous Salt formations


Affiliations
1 Civil Engineering Department, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, No. 1346,Valiasr Street, Mirdamad Intersection 19967, P.O. Box. 15875-4416, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
2 Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering, Power and Water University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
3 Civil Engineering Department, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
 

In this paper, the influence of the presence of non-salt interbeds in the vicinity of salt caverns on the stability of the caverns was investigated. In order to describe the time-dependent inelastic behavior of rock salt, an empirical viscoplastic creep model bounded by a diagnostic failure criterion was utilized. The creep model is then implemented in a finite element program to analyze the stability of a storage cavern excavated in a salt formation interspersed with a non-salt interbed. Finally, stress distribution in the salt formation and time-dependent closure of the cavern obtained by the finite element analyses are presented and interpreted.

Keywords

Rock Salt, Underground Cavern, Viscoplasticity, Creep, Finite Element Analysis
User

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  • Stability Analysis of Caverns Excavated in Heterogeneous Salt formations

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Authors

S. Nazary Moghadam
Civil Engineering Department, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, No. 1346,Valiasr Street, Mirdamad Intersection 19967, P.O. Box. 15875-4416, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
H. Mirzabozorg
Civil Engineering Department, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, No. 1346,Valiasr Street, Mirdamad Intersection 19967, P.O. Box. 15875-4416, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
A. Noorzad
Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering, Power and Water University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
K. Nazokkar
Civil Engineering Department, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of

Abstract


In this paper, the influence of the presence of non-salt interbeds in the vicinity of salt caverns on the stability of the caverns was investigated. In order to describe the time-dependent inelastic behavior of rock salt, an empirical viscoplastic creep model bounded by a diagnostic failure criterion was utilized. The creep model is then implemented in a finite element program to analyze the stability of a storage cavern excavated in a salt formation interspersed with a non-salt interbed. Finally, stress distribution in the salt formation and time-dependent closure of the cavern obtained by the finite element analyses are presented and interpreted.

Keywords


Rock Salt, Underground Cavern, Viscoplasticity, Creep, Finite Element Analysis

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst%2F2012%2Fv5i8%2F30526