Effect of rock joints on lined rock caverns subjected to high internal gas pressure

The storage of hydrogen gas in lined rock caverns (LRCs) may enable the implementation of the first large-scale fossil-free steelmaking process in Sweden, but filling such storage causes joints in the rock mass to open, concentrating strains in the lining. The structural interaction between the LRC components must be able to reduce the strain concentration in the sealing steel lining; however, this interaction is complex and difficult to predict with analytical methods. In this paper, the strain concentration in LRCs from the opening of rock joints is studied using finite element (FE) analyses, where the large- and small-scale deformation behaviors of the LRC are coupled. The model also includes concrete crack initiation and development with increasing gas pressure and rock joint width. The interaction between the jointed rock mass and the reinforced concrete, the sliding layer, and the steel lining is demonstrated. The results show that the rock mass quality and the spacing of the rock joints have the greatest influence on the strain distributions in the steel lining. The largest effect of rock joints on the maximum strains in the steel lining was observed for geological conditions of good quality rock masses. (C) 2023 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This paper investigates the strain concentration in lined rock caverns and the influence of rock joints on the steel lining using finite element analysis. The results highlight the significant impact of rock mass quality and rock joint spacing on the strain distribution in the steel lining.