Title: Optimal pipe diameter sizing in a tree-structured gas network: a case study

Authors: Amir Mohajeri; Iraj Mahdavi; Nezam Mahdavi-Amiri

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Mazandaran University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 734, Sheikh Tabarsi Street, Babol, Iran ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Mazandaran University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 734, Sheikh Tabarsi Street, Babol, Iran ' Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11155-9415, Azadi Street, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: We design an optimal pipe diameter sizing in a tree-structured natural gas network. Design of pipeline, facility and equipment systems are necessary tasks to configure an optimal natural gas network. A mixed-integer programming model is formulated to minimise the total cost in the network. The aim is to optimise pipe diameter sizes so that the location-allocation cost is minimised. Pipeline systems in natural gas network must be designed based on gas flow rate, length of pipe, gas maximum drop pressure allowance and gas maximum velocity allowance. We use information based on relationship among gas flow rates and pipe diameter sizes considering gas pressure and velocity restrictions. We apply the minimum spanning tree technique to obtain a network with minimum number of arcs, no cycles and all the spanned nodes. A case study in Mazandaran Gas Company in Iran is conducted to illustrate the validity of the proposed model.

Keywords: natural gas networks; MST; minimum spanning tree; location-allocation cost; pipe diameter sizing; mixed integer programming; MIP; modelling; gas flow rates; gas pipelines; Iran; gas velocity; gas pressure.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISE.2012.049416

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 2012 Vol.12 No.3, pp.346 - 368

Published online: 20 Dec 2014 *

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