Study on downloading contaminated product at an intermediate station in Lanzhou-Chengdu-Chongqing multi-product pipeline

Lanzhou-Chengdu-Chongqing multi-product pipeline (LCY pipeline) is the first multi-product pipeline of large diameter and long transportation distance in China. This research aimed to propose a novel scheme of downloading contaminated product at an intermediate station of LCY pipeline. For this purpose, a new idea of combining Austin-Palfrey equation with OLGA simulation was employed, which considered the pipeline features and large amount of production data. Numerical model in OLGA was developed and modified based on pipeline information and production data. Contaminated volume variation in LCY pipeline was simulated against downloading different volumes at different intermediate stations. The feasibility of downloading contaminated product at an intermediate station was investigated. The optimal intermediate station and download volume were determined in economic terms. Chengdu station was found the optimal station by large superiority. The optimal download ratio was determined to around 60% among the total contaminated volume in LCY pipeline.