SGER; Assessment of Damage to Underground Tanks in New Orleans in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

摘要：卡特里娜飓风横扫墨西哥湾沿岸地区后的几天里，新奥尔良发生了洪水，这引发了人们对遍布该市的数百个地下燃料罐性能的严重担忧。该地区有200多个加油站和小型工业设施被洪水淹没，这些地点被掩埋的煤气罐给新奥尔良市民带来了严重的环境和安全问题。失败的地下储水罐可能会污染地下水和饮用水供应，并构成长期的健康危害。如果地下储罐没有正确安装和固定，这些储罐就有从地下冒出来的危险。鉴于居民响应疏散命令而大规模撤离，很可能是在灾难发生前，加油站的油罐已经空了或接近空了。这增加了发生爆裂效应的可能性，因为储罐在空的时候非常浮力。SGER的这项工作旨在记录新奥尔良遭遇严重洪灾的部分地下储气罐的状况。预计在严重洪泛区约有75个加油站和小型工业设施。这项研究将只集中于现有储罐的完整性，而不会处理洪水通过通风口或进水管道进入储罐以及将气体释放到洪水中的问题。考虑到所涉及的大量设施，从储罐中排出水分将是一个重大挑战。在可能的范围内，将收集有关出现故障和未发生故障的储罐组件所使用的锚定系统和安装方法的信息。这项工作的学术价值在于：(A)评估有助于这些储罐在洪水条件下的特定行为的安装方法和锚固系统；以及(B)调查所考虑地点的土壤类型和条件对地下储罐性能的影响。拟议的努力的更广泛影响在于：(1)协助参与批准这些地下储罐的安装和运行的地方和国家机构；(2)让研究生参与数据收集工作，以提高他们对用于这些地下储罐的锚固和安装系统的设计和性能的欣赏；以及(3)在本科生的设计课程中，利用这项研究所收集的资料，加深对设计课程通常不会考虑的系统的认识。这项工作的结果将会在技术会议、档案刊物中公布，并可透过土木工程署的网站让研究人员在进一步研究桥梁系统的性能和故障时使用。

Abstract:The flooding that has occurred in New Orleans in the days following the passage of Hurricane Katrina through the Gulf Coast area has raised serious concerns about the performance of the hundreds of underground fuel tanks spread throughout the city. There are over 200 gas stations and small industrial facilities in the area that have been flooded, and the buried gas tanks at these locations raise serious environmental and safety concerns for the citizens of New Orleans. Failed underground tanks can contaminate the groundwater and drinking water supplies, and pose a long-term health hazard. If the underground tanks have not been properly installed and anchored there is a danger of these tanks popping out of the ground. Given the mass exodus of residents in response to the evacuation orders, it is very likely that the tanks in the gas stations were empty or close to being empty prior to the disaster. This increases the potential for the popping effect to occur since the tanks are quite buoyant when empty. This SGER effort is directed towards documenting the condition of the underground gas storage tanks in the portion of New Orleans that have experienced severe flooding. It is anticipated that there are about 75 gas stations and small industrial facilities in the heavily flooded zone. The study will focus only on the integrity of the tanks in place and will not deal with the entry of floodwaters into the tank through the vent or inlet pipes and the release of the gas into the floodwaters. Evacuation of the moisture from the tanks will be a major challenge given the large number of facilities involved. To the extent possible, information will be gathered about the anchoring system and installation methods used for both the failed tank assemblies and those that have not failed. The intellectual merit of the effort lies in: (a) the assessment of the installation methods and anchoring systems contributing to a specific behavior of these tanks under flood conditions; and (b) the investigation of the influence of the soil type and conditions - at the sites considered - on the performance of the underground tanks.The broader impact of the proposed effort lies in: (1) assisting the local and state agencies involved in approving the installation and operation of these underground tanks; (2) engaging graduate students in the data collection effort to enhance their appreciation of the design and performance of the anchoring and installation systems used for these underground tanks; and (3) utilizing the information gathered in this study in undergraduate design classes to bring about greater awareness of a system that is not normally considered in design courses.The results of the effort will be disseminated in technical meetings, archival publications, and be made accessible through the Civil Engineering Department website for use by researchers in further studies on the performance and failure of the bridge system.