REDUCTION OF OIL PIPILINE OPERATING COST BY OPTIMIZING PIPELINE OPERATION SEQUENCE PLAN

Abstract

To reduce electricity costs related to oil transportation is one of the challenges of the Russian Federation State Program «Energy Efficiency and Development of Energy Industry» [1], and the program of Transneft, JSC strategic development up to 2020 [2]. For example, 1% of energy costs reduction in 2012 would have saved 320 million rubles a year to Transneft, JSC. [3]. It is possible to cut the electricity costs by the following ways: - using anti-turbulent additives; - developing optimal (in terms of energy costs) sequence plan of pipeline operation; - regular pigging of a main line (ML), etc. This paper highlights the issue of operating costs reduction by means of optimal sequence plan of pipeline operation (in terms of energy costs). Two approaches to the issue are analyzed and compared, taking into account several parameters: energy costs, the number of pump start-ups, and transportation costs. The first approach involves switching between operational modes during a day twice to minimize energy costs in periods of peak demand, whereas the second approach does not imply any switches. The first approach is more economically feasible in terms of operating costs reduction, but the second approach contributes to operating reliability. It is for an operating company to choose whether to implement this or that approach.