Numerical simulation of a gas pipeline network using computational fluid dynamics simulators

This article describes numerical simulation of gas pipeline network operation using high-accuracy computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulators of the modes of gas mixture transmission through long, multi-line pipeline systems (CFD-simulator). The approach used in CFD-simulators for modeling gas mixture transmission through long, branched, multi-section pipelines is based on tailoring the full system of fluid dynamics equations to conditions of unsteady, non-isothermal processes of the gas mixture flow. Identification, in a CFD-simulator, of safe parameters for gas transmission through compressor stations amounts to finding the interior points of admissible sets described by systems of nonlinear algebraic equalities and inequalities. Such systems of equalities and inequalities comprise a formal statement of technological, design, operational and other constraints to which operation of the network equipment is subject. To illustrate the practicability of the method of numerical simulation of a gas transmission network, we compare computation results and gas flow parameters measured on-site at the gas transmission enter-prise.

Development of an integrated dynamic model for supply security and resilience analysis of natural gas pipeline network systems

An integrated dynamic model of natural gas pipeline networks is developed in this paper.Components for gas supply,e.g.,pipelines,junctions,compressor stations,LNG terminals,regulation stations and gas storage facilities are included in the model.These components are firstly modeled with respect to their properties and functions and,then,integrated at the system level by Graph Theory.The model can be used for simulating the system response in different scenarios of operation,and evaluate the consequences from the perspectives of supply security and resilience.A case study is considered to evaluate the accuracy of the model by benchmarking its results against those from literature and the software Pipeline Studio.Finally,the model is applied on a relatively complex natural gas pipeline network and the results are analyzed in detail from the supply security and resilience points of view.The main contributions of the paper are:firstly,a novel model of a complex gas pipeline network is proposed as a dynamic state-space model at system level;a method,based on the dynamic model,is proposed to analyze the security and resilience of supply from a system perspective.

Study on Simulation Method of Pipeline Networks' Dynamic Characteristic in Hydraulic Manifold Block

In the design of Hydraulic Manifold Blocks (HMB), dynamic performance of inner pipeline networks usually should be evaluated. To meet the design requirements, dynamic characteristic simulation is often needed. Based on comprehensive study on the existing simulation methods, a new method combined of Power Bond Graph(PBG) and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) is proposed. In this method, flow field of typical channels inside HMB is analyzed with CFD to obtain the local resistance coefficients. Then, with these coefficients, a new sectional lumped-parameter model including kinetic friction factor is developed using PBG. A typical HMB design example is given and the comparison between the simulation and the experimental results demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Research on Optimization Operation of Urban Gas Pipeline Network

The optimiz at ion operation of gas pipeline network is investigated in this paper. Based on th e theories of system optimization and the multi object decision, a mathematical model about the multi object optimization operation of gas pipeline network is established, in line with the demand of urban gas pipeline network operation. A t the same time, an effective solution of the mathematical model is presented. A calculating software about optimization operation is compiled, coupling the actual operation of gas pipeline network. It can be applied to the operation of the gas pipeline network. The software was examined by real examples. The resul ts indicated that 2.13% energy consumption and 3.12% gas supply cost can be reduced through optimization operation.

Simulation of natural gas transmission pipeline network system performance

Simulation has proven to be an effective tool for analyzing pipeline network systems （PNS） in order to determine the design and operational variables which are essential for evaluating the performance of the system. This paper discusses the use of simulation for performance analysis of transmission PNS. A simulation model was developed for determining flow and pressure variables for different configuration of PNS. The mathematical formulation for the simulation model was derived based on the principles of energy conservation, mass balance, and compressor characteristics. For the determination of the pressure and flow variables, solution procedure was developed based on iterative Newton Raphson scheme and implemented using visual C＋＋6. Evaluations of the simulation model with the existing pipeline network system showed that the model enabled to determine the operational variables with less than ten iterations. The performances of the compressor working in the pipeline network system xvhich includes energy consumption, compression ratio and discharge pressure were evaluated to meet pressure requirements ranging from 4000-5000 kPa at various speed. Results of the analyses from the simulation indicated that the model could be used for performance analysis to assist decisions regarding the design and optimal operations of transmission PNS.

An optimal flow rate allocation model of the oilfield treated oil pipeline network

Oilfield treated oil pipeline network is the link connecting the upstream oilfields and the downstream refineries.Due to the differences in operating costs and transportation fee between different pipelines and the fluctuation in the demand and sales prices of the treated oil,there is an optimal flow allocation plan for the pipeline network to make the oilfield company obtain the highest social and economic benefit.In this study,a mixed integer nonlinear programming(MINLP)model is developed to determine the optimal flow rate allocation plan of the large-scale and complex treated oil pipeline network,and both the social and economic benefits are considered simultaneously.The optimization objective is the multi-objective which includes the largest user satisfaction and the highest economic benefit.The model constraints include the oilfield production capacity,refinery demand,pipeline transmission capacity,flow,pressure,and temperature of the node and station,and the pipeline hydraulic and thermal calculations.Python 3.7 is utilized for the programming of the off-line calculation procedure and the MINLP model,and GUROBI 9.0.2 is served as the MINLP solver.Moreover,the model is applied to a real treated oil pipeline network located in China,and three optimization scenarios are analyzed.For social benefit,the values of the user satisfaction of each refinery and the total network are 1 before and after optimization for scenarios 1,2,and 3.For economic benefit,the annual revenue can be increased by 0.227,0.293,and 0.548 billion yuan after the optimization in scenario 1,2,and 3,respectively.

The Spatial Optimization of Eastern China's Crude Oil Pipeline Network upon Cost Minimum

Eastern China＇s crude oil pipeline network is of the largest scale and freight volume in China.Here,we analyze 37 oil pipelines and one railway（38 oil flow channels）,20 oil fields with output of over a million tons of crude oil,and 32 refineries each of which refine over a million tons of crude oil.We construct a supply and demand balance sheet of oil sources and sinks by considering the transportation cost variance of variant pipeline diameters to determine the spatial optimization of Eastern China＇s pipeline network.In 2009,the optimal cost of this network was 34.5% lower than the total actual cost,suggesting that oil flow is overall inefficient and there is huge potential to improve flow efficiency.Within Eastern China,the oil flow of the Northeast network was relatively better than others,but the flow in Northern China is inefficient because all pipelines are underload or noload,and there were similar conditions in the Huanghuai region.We assumed no difference in pipeline transport speed,compared to rail or road transportation,thus transportation distance,rather than time,is the main influential factor under the definite transporting cost of variant pipeline diameters.

Fuzzy Reliability Analysis for Seabed Oil Gas Pipeline Networks Under Earthquakes

The seabed oil gas pipeline network is simplified to a network with stochastic edge weight by means of the fuzzy graphics theory. With the help of network analysis, fuzzy mathematics, and stochastic theory, the problem of reliability analysis for the seabed oil gas pipeline network under earthquakes is transformed into the calculation of the transitive closure of fuzzy matrix of the stochastic fuzzy network. In classical network reliability analysis, the node is supposed to be non invalidated; in this paper, this premise is modified by introducing a disposal method which has taken the possible invalidated node into account. A good result is obtained by use of the Monte Carlo simulation analysis.

Analytical and Experimental Study on Complex Compressed Air Pipe Network

To analyze the working characteristics of complex compressed air networks, numerical methods are widely used which are based on finite element technology or intelligent algorithms. However, the effectiveness of the numerical methods is limited. In this paper, to provide a new method to optimize the design and the air supply strategy of the complex compressed air pipe network, firstly, a novel method to analyze the topology structure of the compressed air flow in the pipe network is initially proposed. A matrix is used to describe the topology structure of the compressed air flow. Moreover, based on the analysis of the pressure loss of the pipe network, the relationship between the pressure and the flow of the compressed air is derived, and a prediction method of pressure fluctuation and air flow in a segment in a complex pipe network is proposed. Finally, to inspect the effectiveness of the method, an experiment with a complex network is designed. The pressure and the flow of airflow in the network are measured and studied. The results of the study show that, the predicted results with the proposed method have a good consistency with the experimental results, and that verifies the air flow prediction method of the complex pipe network. This research proposes a new method to analyze the compressed air network and a prediction method of pressure fluctuation and air flow in a segment, which can predicate the fluctuation of the pressure according to the flow of compressed air, and predicate the fluctuation of the flow according to the pressure in a segment of a complex pipe network.

Two-stage robust optimization of power cost minimization problem in gunbarrel natural gas networks by approximate dynamic programming

In short-term operation of natural gas network,the impact of demand uncertainty is not negligible.To address this issue we propose a two-stage robust model for power cost minimization problem in gunbarrel natural gas networks.The demands between pipelines and compressor stations are uncertain with a budget parameter,since it is unlikely that all the uncertain demands reach the maximal deviation simultaneously.During solving the two-stage robust model we encounter a bilevel problem which is challenging to solve.We formulate it as a multi-dimensional dynamic programming problem and propose approximate dynamic programming methods to accelerate the calculation.Numerical results based on real network in China show that we obtain a speed gain of 7 times faster in average without compromising optimality compared with original dynamic programming algorithm.Numerical results also verify the advantage of robust model compared with deterministic model when facing uncertainties.These findings offer short-term operation methods for gunbarrel natural gas network management to handle with uncertainties.

New Situation of China Natural Gas Industry

China natural gas industry is at a turning point. Growth of mid-long term natural gas consumption may maintain at about 10%, supply is sufficient or even "over-sufficient", natural gas price will be determined by competition, oil and gas pipeline facilities will be opened fairly, and private enterprises will play important roles in natural gas exploration, development, storage, transportation, and trade. It can been foreseen that China natural gas industry is very likely to take a turn in next 10 years, and a modern natural gas market with consumption about 500 billion cubic meters will come into being characterized by complete supervision system, diversified market, steady supply, fairly opened pipelines, transparent trading mechanism, and competitive prices.

New Situation of China Natural Gas Industry

China natural gas industry is at a turning point. Growth of mid-long term natural gas consumption may maintain at about 10%, supply is sufficient or even "over-sufficient", natural gas price will be determined by competition, oil and gas pipeline facilities will be opened fairly, and private enterprises will play important roles in natural gas exploration, development, storage, transportation, and trade. It can been foreseen that China natural gas industry is very likely to take a turn in next 10 years, and a modern natural gas market with consumption about 500 billion cubic meters will come into being characterized by complete supervision system, diversified market, steady supply, fairly opened pipelines, transparent trading mechanism, and competitive prices.

Optimal design of the gas storage surface pipeline system with injection and withdrawal conditions

Underground natural gas storage(UNGS)is an important part of the natural gas supply system to ensure a balanced energy supply.The surface system,as an important part of the gas storage,undertakes the functions of gas injection and gas production of the gas storage,and its investment economy is of vital importance.In fact,the UNGS surface pipeline network has two-way injection and production characteristics,which is different from the one-way production characteristics of conventional oil&gas gathering and transportation systems.This paper takes the minimum investment of the pipeline network as the objective function,considers the gas injection and gas withdrawal flow conditions and esablishes a mixed integer non-linear programming model(MINLP)for the surface pipeline network of the UNGS to optimize its pipeline layout and diameter parameters.Constraints including the well affiliation,the number of stations,the gathering radius,the processing capacity and the flow/pressure equilibrium equations,are also taken into consideration.Taking an UNGS in China as an example,the results of the optimal structure and diameter of the pipeline network,as well as the pipe flow,node pressure,and maximum/minimum flowrate during gas injection and gas withdrawal are obtained.Finally,the effects of constraints such as processing capacity and radius on the structure layout and investment of the UNGS are analyzed,verifying the reliability and effectiveness of the model.

Optimization design of multi-gathering mode for the surface system in coalbed methane field

As a potential resource for emerging clean energy with abundant reserves,coalbed methane(CBM)has risen rapidly in recent years,and the construction of rational and economical CBM gathering system plays a vital role in the development of the oil and gas industry.At present,there is no literature that considers the optimization of the multi-gathering mode of coalbed methane pipe network system.Due to the complexity and high investment,this paper establishes a unified mixed-integer nonlinear programming model to determine the gathering modes(including liquified natural gas,compressed natural gas,and gas gathering station)of gathering system to reduce the cost of coalbed methane collection and export.The objective function is the maximization of total profit during the period of the whole project,and such constraints,like network structure,facility number,location,node flow balance,capacity and variable value,are taken into consideration.The solution strategy and heuristic algorithm is proposed and verified by the field data from Shanxi province(China).The results show that the model can solve the problem for optimization design of the surface system in complicated CBM fields.