Cavern Storage

Itasca provides solutions for storage of natural gas or compressed air in lined and unlined caverns. Our diverse team with expertise in analyzing geo-structural interaction, geomechanical, thermal and creep coupled problems assesses the stability and long term performance of storage caverns due to combinations of critical loading conditions in singular and group cavern settings by means of 2D and 3D numerical modeling.

In the lined cavern case, the liner (usually steel shell) provides containment for the pressurized fluid, while the surrounding rock supports and confines the structure. In the unlined cavern case, the fluid is contained in caverns usually solution mined in bedded or domal salts. Creep behavior and thermo-mechanical coupling are important means of assessing the stress conditions when evaluating stability of such caverns.

Our services include:

  • Site characterization and cavern placement
  • Cavern stability analysis
  • Casing integrity assessment
  • Subsidence analysis
Rock wedges around the cavern for a case, shown in 3DEC.
Displacement vectors and magnitude contours in the concrete lining, shown in FLAC3D.
Rock wedges forming around the cavern due to cavern pressurization for continuous and discontinuous jointing, shown in UDEC (left) and predicted vertical and horizontal tangential strains along the cavern wall, modeled in FLAC (right).

References

Brandshaug, T., M. Christianson, and B. Damjanac, 2001. Technical Review of the Lined Rock Cavern (LRC) Concept and Design Methodology: Mechanical Response of Rock Mass. Prepared for U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (Morgantown, West Virginia), Prime Contract No. DE-AM26-99FT40463, Subcontract No. 735937-30000, 85 pages.

Damjanac, B., C. Carranza-Torres, R. Dexter, 2001. Technical Review of the Lined Rock Cavern (LRC) Concept and Design Methodology: Steel Liner Response. Prepared for U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (Morgantown, West Virginia), Prime Contract No. DE-AM26-99FT40463, Subcontract No. 735937-30001-02, 59 pages.

Latest News
  • Itasca has announced the release of FLAC2D v9 Itasca has announced the release of FLAC2D v9, revolutionizing the way we analyze and predict...
    Read More
  • 6th Itasca Symposium on Applied Numerical Modeling The next Itasca Symposium will take place June 3 - 6, 2024, in Toronto, Canada....
    Read More
  • Itasca International Inc. announces the Selection of its New CEO Itasca International Inc. announces the Selection of its New CEO ...
    Read More

Upcoming Events
18 Apr
Python in Itasca Software
... Read More
29 May
Getting Started with FLAC2D/FLAC3D
Objectives of the training: •Understand the FLAC2D/ FLAC3D numerical approach and the types ofproblems it can solve•Know how to manipul... Read More
5 Jun
IMAT IMMERSIVE TRAINING
ITASCA is launching IMAT (Itasca's Mining Analysis Toolbox) our groundbreaking software tailored exclusively for underground and open p... Read More