A techno-economic analysis framework for power system-aware co-expansion planning of integrated gas transmission networks and chemical industries toward a more sustainable management of multi-energy systems

Abstract

This study conveys a novel framework for co-expansion planning of an integrated gas network and methanol plant with natural gas feedstock while enforcing power network constraints. The framework is novel due the fact that it integrates the non-linear complexities and challenges induced by the chemical plant and power system constraints. The work also considers spatiotemporal and quantitative distributions of water sources, water withdrawal, and consumption rates of involved power and chemical technologies. Furthermore, the framework incorporates land resource characteristics, including geological surface features and elevation changes, and devises a strategy for practical cost estimation of different gas transmission expansion stages. Compared to conventional expansion approaches, which disregard complications of chemical plants and resource dependencies, the proposed framework provides a realistic view. Firstly, the study captures the expansion impacts of chemical plants and tackles the research challenge of prioritizing expansion planning alternatives in which natural gas can be supplied as the fuel of power plants to meet power demands, or it can be fed as the feedstock of new chemical plants to create added values. Secondly, the framework considers water resource limitations and characteristics and evaluates impacts of water usage policies on the integrated systems. Thirdly, the work reflects on land resource dependencies and categorizes expansion investments of the gas network. Results indicate that the chemical plant and power system integrations, incorporated water, land resource characteristics, and categorized construction costs considerably influence expansion alternatives of gas and chemical systems in terms of power and gas supply reliabilities and economic criteria. • A power system-aware expansion of integrated chemical plant and gas networks. • Incorporation of spatiotemporal and quantitative distributions of water sources. • Consideration of geological features and elevation changes of land resource. • Impact assessment of new chemical plants installation on power reliability. • Techno-economic analysis of new chemical plants and their gas supply routes.