An enhanced network design of natural gas pipelines by controlling gas flow: considering supply reliability and operation efficiency

Document Type : Original research articles

Authors

1 Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering - South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

2 Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Soth Valley University, Qena, Egypt

3 Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Energy Engineering – Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt

Abstract

Due to the rapid expansion in cities and urban as well as its infrastructure, the existing natural gas network is unable to cover the new sections due to the pressure drop. In the present study, a comparison study of gas flow characteristics is conducted with three different solutions to accommodate the overloading. The first solution is to supply the network with a new main gas line and a new regulator. The second solution is to increase the pressure in the existing gas lines and gas regulators. The last proposed solution is to connect the main supply regulators with the main flow pipe which is called the loop pipe. The pressure and velocity fields of the natural gas in the network will be investigated numerically using Syner-GEE software and practically for different loading conditions. Furthermore, the cost of the three possible solutions is investigated to measure the best solution among them. The study is conducted and applied to four cities in Egypt which are, Girga, Qena, Qous, and Qeft. The results showed that the three possible solutions satisfy the minimum required pressure in the rare points in the gas network, however, they have other different features. Adding a new regulator is considered an expensive solution and required other precautions. Increasing the regulators’ pressures increases the gas flow as well as the gas velocity which is considered unacceptable. On the other hand, the newly proposed solution of looping pipe provides less pressure field but maintains safety and good operation criteria.

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