APPLICATION OF THE DEDUCTIONS FROM NAVIER STOKES EQUATIONS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF FLOW VELOCITY AND THROUGHPUT IN A GAS PIPELINE BY COMPUTATIONAL APPROACH

Abstract

Theoretical treatment of gas pipeline pressure-flow problem had been presented applying Navier Stokes equation reduced to their appropriate forms by applicable practical conditions. The results obtained from the theoretical analysis tally with the operating conditions of the case study pipelines. The pipelines being Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and ElfTotal Nigeria Limited. The results obtained by numerical discretization suggested that these pipelines are not optimally operated. Hence, the need to adjust the flow situation to bring pressure and flow throughput to optimal level of performance. Throughput in excess of the operating conditions could be accommodated by these operating pipelines. It is imperative that this could prevent the spread of these vital capital intensive assets. The funds so conserved could be diverted to sourcing for new gas fields to increase the nation's strategic reserves.

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to enable comparative analysis of the results of the deductions from Nervier Stokes equations with that generated by computer simulation of the discrete formulation.

Methodology: Outlining the deductions and developing the discrete formulation. Computer program was developed for the discrete formulation and operational data from operating gas pipelines injected both for the deductions and computational algorithmic coding and the deduced expressions from the Nervier Stokes equations. Results obtained were compared in a bid to address line throughput subject to the operational conditions of the specified gas pipelines in this study.

Findings: The output results of the Nervier Stokes deductions matched closed with operational throughput of the two gas pipelines. The numerical discretization simulation results confirmed that additional throughput far and above 1.8m3/s could still be accommodated by these gas pipelines.

Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: As earlier predicted, our existing gas pipelines are grossly under-operated. Additional capacity much more than the operational capacity could still be accommodated by these gas pipelines.