Structural analysis of the West Hackbery No. 6 SPR storage cavern

Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) geological site characterization report, Big Hill Salt Dome

“…More comprehensive analyses based on recently acquired salt properties from other SPR sites and the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) site have been carried out since the SPR Phase II design (Hogan, 1980a;Whiting, 1980;Wawersik, et al, 1980a;Hilton, et al, 1980;Munson and Dawson, 1979;Benzley, 1980;and Wawersik, et al 1980b). Some additional data and experience have also been acquired from analyses and observations of SPR West Hackberry Cavern 6 (Benzley, 1980 andWawersik, 1980b), and of Bayou Choctaw Caverns 15 and 17 (Hogan, 1980;Hilton, et al, 1980). Analyses of the elastic stress created by pressure differences in two relatively isolated adjacent caverns (zero brine-wellhead pressure in one and zero oil-wellhead pressure in the other), indicates that a P/D of much less "than 1.78 is adequate to assure structural stability.…”