Reliability evaluation and management of PetroChina's large-scale system of natural gas pipeline networks

To adapt to the current situation of large-scale and network development of China's natural gas pipeline industry, we must pay attention to the gas transmission support capability of the entire pipeline network system during its operation period and evaluate its reliability with respect to the fulfillment of transmission tasks. This study focuses on the safe and efficient operation and management of large-scale natural gas pipeline network systems, with the objectives of analyzing the reliability indicators, system reliability, unit reliability, reliability data, and reliability management framework of the pipeline network system. The above incentives have lain a foundation for future sustainable reliability management of large-scale systems of natural gas pipeline networks in China. Herein, the purpose, significance, and content of reliability studies on natural gas pipeline networks are discussed in detail at the system level. We establish a distributed step calculation model of physical pipeline network system reliability based on pipeline process simulation technology, which can simplify and rapidly calculate the reliability of the pipeline network/pipelines/station system. The reliability calculation model of the system was tested in a compressor station. According to the sequence of station yard-typical structure-basic circuit-equipment unit, the network topology structure was divided into reliability block diagrams of different levels from top to bottom, which we used to calculate the reliability of individual equipment from bottom to top. Finally, the reliability of the compressor station under different start-up and shutdown schemes was obtained. Overall, the discussed methods are promising and will provide technical and decision-making support for the safe operation of natural gas pipeline networks.