Joint Peak Shaving Mechanism of Pipeline Gas Storage: Case Study of West-East Gas Pipeline

Abstract

Demand imbalance owing to gas supply is considered in the context of a surge in natural gas demand. Currently, a single method of storing gas at the end of a pipeline is commonly used to alleviate the peak shaving pressure. This method is economical, convenient, and able to respond quickly to fluctuations in user gas demand. However, because of its limited gas storage capacity, gas storage for peak shaving is still considered when the demand for peak shaving is high. With the increasing demand for natural gas inclined towards residential life, it is difficult to achieve a relative balance between the supply and demand of natural gas solely by relying on traditional pipeline-end storage and peak shaving. Based on this, a “pipeline gas storage integration” peak-shaving model is constructed. Furthermore, the model is combined with real-time analysis of the required peak-shaving amount of the pipeline to achieve synergistic effects of multiple peak-shaving methods. The established model is used to study the collaborative peak-shaving mechanism between pipelines and gas storage facilities under different supply and demand conditions. In addition, a quantitative relationship between the optimal economic benefits and different peak-shaving methods is constructed using the model. A peak-shaving mechanism of gas transmission considering different uniformity coefficients is also studied. Considering the case of the Jiangsu section of the West-East Gas Pipeline for simulation analysis, we reasonably plan the capacity and layout of gas storage facilities, optimize the peak shaving capacity of pipelines and gas storage facilities, and provide specific measures and guidance for actual engineering. Furthermore, we improve the efficiency and flexibility of the natural gas supply chain and achieve maximum economic benefits.