Pipeline sharing: Remaining capacity estimation of multiproduct pipelines

Abstract

Accurate estimation of remaining capacity is crucial for pipeline companies to improve their service quality and economic benefits. Considering the delivery of multiple batches in long-distance pipelines, the remaining capacity is affected by technical capacity, delivery time, booked capacity, injection location, transmission and so on. Taking the maximum revenue as the objective, this paper develops a mathematical model for the multiproduct pipeline containing dual-purpose nodes to obtain its optimal remaining capacity at different injection nodes during different periods. The proposed model is validated by a real-world pipeline in China, and the sensitivity analysis is also conducted to identify the driving factors of the optimal remaining capacity. The comparison reveals that the tightness of delivery time has a major impact on the optimal remaining capacity, especially at downstream nodes of the pipeline. Finally, relevant suggestions are put forward based on the results to help pipeline operators make decisions.