Energy storage pipeline length measurement

What is pipeline physics?

Pipeline physics dictate that many combinations of inlet and outlet pressures are able to achieve a desired gas flow rate through a pipeline. Each combination results in different gas pressures within the pipeline, and accordingly different masses of gas stored in the pipeline, or amounts of linepacking.

Should pipeline storage capacity be used for existing pipeline networks?

For existing pipeline networks the pipeline storage capacity is available with no upfront capital investment, so this capability should be utilized to increase the efficiency of the operation as much as possible.

How does a gas pipeline work?

Each combination results in different gas pressures within the pipeline, and accordingly different masses of gas stored in the pipeline, or amounts of linepacking. Therefore, pipeline operators have many options for how to operate a pipeline to achieve a desired gas throughput.

Are pipelines a storage vessel?

However, pipelines have the ability to act as storage vessels through what is referred to as linepacking, and in large transportation networks the storage capacity available through linepacking is significant (Ríos-Mercado and Borraz-Sánchez, 2015).

Do gas pipelines need linepacking?

The ability of pipelines to store gas by increasing their operating pressure, or linepacking, is a common operational practice used to mitigate future operational uncertainty. The optimal operation of a gas pipeline network considering linepacking is determined by weighing the trade-off between storing linepack and compressor power consumption.

How does a pipeline network work?

The first pipeline network investigated is a simple gun-and-barrel network, with a compressor station located at the inlet of the network. The compressor station is comprised of 4 individual compressor units acting in parallel, each of which can either be active or inactive.