Determination of Gas Pressure Distribution in a Pipeline Network using the Broyden Method

A potential problem in natural gas pipeline networks is bottlenecks occurring in the flow system due to unexpected high pressure at the pipeline network junctions resulting in inaccurate quantity and quality (pressure) at the end user outlets. The gas operator should be able to measure the pressure distribution in its network so the consumers can expect adequate gas quality and quantity obtained at their outlets. In this paper, a new approach to determine the gas pressure distribution in a pipeline network is proposed. A practical and user-friendly software application was developed. The network was modeled as a collection of node pressures and edge flows. The steady state gas flow equations Panhandle A, Panhandle B and Weymouth to represent flow in pipes of different sizes and a valve and regulator equation were considered. The obtained system consists of a set of nonlinear equations of node pressures and edge flowrates. Application in a network in the field involving a large number of outlets will result in a large system of nonlinear equations to be solved. In this study, the Broyden method was used for solving the system of equations. It showed satisfactory performance when implemented with field data