Analysis of major risks associated with hydrocarbon storage caverns in bedded salt rock

Salt rock is internationally accepted as an ideal medium for energy storage. As an energy storage structure, the safety of hydrocarbon storage caverns in salt rock is related to the national economy and to social public security. Risk analysis is an important method of engineering safety evaluation. In this paper the major risks associated with hydrocarbon storage caverns in bedded salt rock are defined. The major risks are classified under the headings of ‘oil and gas leakage’, ‘ground subsidence’, and ‘cavern failure’, and are discussed under these topical titles. The factors leading to the major risks associated with storage caverns are identified by reviewing descriptions of major accidents of salt storage caverns around the world. Fault tree models for the three major risks are established and analyzed. Basic paths of the risk and their occurrence probability ranking are derived. The risk factors which contribute greatly to the risk are identified by calculating the importance degree of all the basic events. Finally, a comprehensive evaluation methodology for major risk loss is generated based on the analytic hierarchy process. This provides a theoretical foundation for the evaluation and prevention of major risks in the construction and operation of storage caverns in bedded salt rock.

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► Three types of major risks are defined and their mechanisms are revealed.
► The basic major risk factors are analyzed from 4 aspects, for a total of 35 basic events.
► The fault tree models of three types of major risk are established and analyzed respectively.
► Major risk loss index system of oil or gas storage cavern in bedded salt is established.