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View all of our podcasts, white papers, videos and other resources on the subject of Underground Storage.
Definitions
API 1114: provides basic guidance on the design and development of new solution-mined underground storage facilities. This Recommended Practice is based on the accumulated knowledge and experience of geologists, engineers, and other personnel in the petroleum industry.
API 1115: provides the functional recommendations for salt cavern facilities used for liquid hydrocarbon storage service and covers facility geomechanical assessments, cavern well design and drilling, and solution mining techniques and operations, including monitoring and maintenance practices.
API 1170: provides the functional recommendations for facilities that use natural gas storage service, including monitoring and maintenance practices.
API 1171: recommends that operators manage the integrity of natural gas storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs. This recommended practice includes monitoring and maintenance.
API 1172: assists all parties to safely manage construction activities of new or modified facilities parallel to existing underground transmission pipelines.
PIPES Act of 2016: a public law that was introduced by the U.S. Congress to protect the infrastructure of pipelines and provide enhanced safety in pipeline transportation. The PIPES Act defines the minimum safety standards for underground natural gas storage facilities and imposes a user fee for entities that operate underground storage facilities.
Underground Gas Storage Rule: published in the Federal Register an interim final rule (IFR) that revises the Federal pipeline safety regulations to address critical safety issues related to downhole facilities, including wells, wellbore tubing, and casing, at underground natural gas storage facilities.
Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility (UNGSF): a below-ground facility that stores natural gas. These often include depleted reservoirs in oil and/or natural gas fields, aquifers, and salt cavern formations. Natural gas is also stored in liquid or gaseous form in above–ground tanks.