Functional efficiency assessment of the water curtain system in an underground water-sealed oil storage cavern based on time-series monitoring data

This research has analysed the entire construction data monitored from the largest constructed underground water-sealed oil storage cavern in China using time series analyses (auto-correlation and cross-correlation models) to access the functional efficiency of its water curtain system. For large-scale projects, data monitoring is the best method to assess the variation rules of the project. Specifically, a dataset of hydrologic time series were collected first, including the water supply of the water curtain system, the water inflow of the caverns, and the underground water level in different monitoring boreholes. The methods of auto-correlation and cross-correlation were then adapted to process the above three datasets to evaluate the functional efficiency of the water curtain system. It was concluded that setting the water curtain system in a traditional manner in an area with heavy rainfall leads to low-functional efficiency. Finally, the water-sealed efficiency and the optimised setting of a water curtain system were discussed. The results of the study provide new insights into the function of the water curtain system, and could constitute the basis for the optimisation of the water curtain system in an area with heavy rainfall.