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Geotechnical studies associated with decommissioning the strategic petroleum reserve facility at Weeks Island, Louisiana [electronic resource] : A case history

Published
Washington, D.C. : United States. Dept. of Energy, 1997.
Oak Ridge, Tenn. : Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy.
Physical Description
11 pages : digital, PDF file
Additional Creators
Sandia National Laboratories, United States. Department of Energy, and United States. Department of Energy. Office of Scientific and Technical Information
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Summary
The first sinkhole at the Weeks Island Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) site was initially observed in May 1992. Concurrent with the increasing dissolution of salt over the mined oil storage area below, it has gradually enlarged and deepened. Beginning in 1994 and continuing to the present, the injection of saturated brine directly into the sinkhole throat some 76 m beneath the ground surface essentially arrested further dissolution, providing time to make adequate preparation for the safe and orderly transfer of crude oil to other storage facilities. This mitigation measure marked the first time that such a control procedure has been used in salt mining; previously all control has been achieved by either in-mine or from-surface grouting. A second and much smaller sinkhole was noticed in early 1995 on an opposite edge of the SPR mine, but with a very similar geological and mine mechanics setting. Both sinkholes occur where the edges of upper 152 m and lower 213 m mined storage levels are nearly vertically aligned. Such coincidence maximizes the tensional stress development, leading to fracturing in the salt. This cracking takes 20 or more years to develop. The cracks then become flow paths for brine incursion, which after time progress into the mined openings. Undersaturated ground water gradually enlarges the cracks in salt through dissolution, leading to eventual collapse of the overlying sand to form sinkholes. Other geologic conditions may also be secondary factors in controlling both mining extent and sinkhole location.
Report Numbers
E 1.99:sand--97-0974c
E 1.99: conf-970617--4
conf-970617--4
sand--97-0974c
Subject(s)
Other Subject(s)
Note
Published through SciTech Connect.
05/01/1997.
"sand--97-0974c"
" conf-970617--4"
"DE97005372"
36. United States rock mechanics symposium, New York, NY (United States), 29 Jun - 2 Jul 1997.
Bauer, S.J.; Ehgartner, B.L.; Neal, J.T.
Funding Information
AC04-94AL85000
View MARC record | catkey: 14140442