2022 Volume 64 Issue 1 Pages 21-34
Japan has three underground petroleum stockpiling bases, located at Kuji, Kikuma, and Ichiki Kushikino, containing a total of 5 million m3 of crude oil. The underground rock caverns where the crude oil is stored were constructed from solid bedrock; and the crude oil is maintained in storage via a system of natural groundwater and artificial water sealing. The storage facilities have been operating for 30 years and during this time the three bases have been suffered strong shaking due to large earthquakes; with monitoring and appropriate action, stable operations have been maintained. In this technical report, we present examples of earthquakes experienced by the three underground petroleum stockpiling bases and their hydraulic effects.