Is underground oil storage ever been done? (civil engineering)?

My Bachelor thesis is about underground storage of liquid bulk and it's supposed to be an innovative concept. Can anyone tell me if it is ever been done? If so, when, where..?Is underground oil storage ever been done? (civil engineering)?
I remember that they have stored oil in disused mines. This may have been in South Africa during the apartheid years, but I am not sure.





I found a link that references this: http://www.mbendi.co.za/indy/oilg/af/sa/…





The premier engineering faculties in South Africa are the University of the Witwatersrand and University of Pretoria.





Their civil/mining engineering faculties would likely be able to help you.Is underground oil storage ever been done? (civil engineering)?
Yes, it has been done. My father is a Engineer and he spent several years building underground storage for crude oil in Louisiana. They took salt mines and left about 12” of salt lining the walls then filled them w/ oil and capped them off. As you should remember from chemistry oil will not penetrate salt so the oil is sealed in the mine.
Not only is oil stored in underground cavities, but propane, butane, ethylene, natural gas, and many other products can be stored in this manner. From personal experience I know this type of storage has been around for at least 40 to 50 years and probably longer.





Along the US gulf coast there are many underground salt domes and they can have large cavities (called salt jugs)leached in them with water. After they are formed, they are filled with salt water.





The fluid to be stored is pumped into the cavity and it displaces the salt water. To remove the fluid later, salt water is pumped back in and the product comes out.





In other places, deposits of water soluble minerals are handled in the same way to create a storage ';jug';.





You would need to contact companies such as Philips Petroleum, British Pertroleum, Exxon, Shell and other oil and chemical companies to get more specific information.
Fuel oil for homes used to be stored in underground tanks. This is illegal now, probably because the tanks can rupture and leak oil into the groundwater and pollute the environment.