Composite gas pipelines: prospects of energy conservation

Abstract

This article is devoted to the issue of assessing the feasibility of using alternative materials for the construction of gas mains. In this perspective, one of the most promising areas of the industry development is now the use of composite PE-RT polymer-based metal-plastic pipes. Such materials come with high durability, low unit weight and comparable cost to the traditional ones. The main operational advantage of composite pipelines is absolute stability in relation to corrosion.This makes it possible to exclude from a project of a gas transportation system the main facilities and auxiliary equipment of the electrochemical protection of pipelines.That substantially reduces the costs of CAPEX (for construction) and OPEX (electricity costs for the operation of the linear part of the main gas pipelines in terms of providing protection against corrosion). As a result, the guaranteed lifetime of composite gas pipeline systems reaches 80-100 years. In addition, composite pipes have minimum internal roughness. This beneficial characteristic allows gas to be pumped at a lower pressure and consequently reduce the consumption of fuel gas for gas-compressor units. The rationale for the work was the results of multiple joint meetings between the management of gas industry and the country’s power-generation system. During these meetings, long-term plans for the development of nanotechnologies and the introduction of composite pipes into the structure of the gas transportation system were adopted. A comparison of energy efficiency of steel pipes, steel pipes with an internal smooth coating and composite pipes was performed for a gas transportation system. The economic advantage of composite gas pipelines is established at the level of 7 times over the steel analogies.