Effect of Ultralow Temperature on Expansion, Strength, and Modulus of Cement-Stabilized Soil: Case Study for LNG Underground Storage in Singapore
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 37, Issue 1
Abstract
Singapore has a relatively high water table. When liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage systems are built in soils below the water table in Singapore, the engineering properties of the surrounding soils could be improved through cement stabilization. Due to the extremely low temperature (T) of LNG (approximately −162°C), the effect of ultralow T on the physical and mechanical properties of cement-stabilized soil in case of accidental LNG leakage should be investigated. However, existing studies on cement-stabilized soils are limited to T above −20°C. Therefore, in this study laboratory experiments to quantify volumetric expansion, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and Young’s modulus (E) of cement-stabilized soils at −40°C, −80°C, and −120°C were conducted. The experimental results indicated that the stabilized soils’ volumetric expansion reached ≤2.6% at −120°C. The UCS and E of the stabilized soils increased from 0.9 to 27.6 MPa and from 99.8 to 2,669 MPa, respectively, and the T decreased from 24°C to −120°C. In summary, the ultralow T induced limited volumetric expansion (<3%) for cement-stabilized soil and significantly increased its strength and E, which indicated that cement soil stabilization could be beneficial for underground LNG storage systems in Singapore when exposed to accidental LNG leakage.
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Acknowledgments
This study is supported under the RIE2020 Industry Alignment Fund—Industry Collaboration Projects (IAF-ICP) Funding Initiative, as well as cash and in-kind contributions from Surbana Jurong Pte Ltd.
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Received: Jan 8, 2022
Accepted: Oct 14, 2022
Published online: Dec 6, 2022
Published in print: Mar 1, 2023
Discussion open until: May 6, 2023
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