A computer-aided model for design of a simulation system for the natural gas pipeline network system

Pipeline network operation is a common method for transmitting natural gas from the natural gas suppliers to the customers. Pipeline network simulation is an essential tool for control and operations of pipeline systems because it can be used to simulate and analyze network behaviors under different operating conditions. This is important for ensuring demands of customers can be met. However, the design and implementation of such simulation systems is difficult since there are many factors that must be considered. The most important considerations include properties of gas such as viscosity, compressibility, temperature, and other factors such as the diameter of pipe, pressure and flow rate of gas. The objective of the computer-aided model is to help developers create a system that simulates the dynamic behavior of a pipeline network system with different system configurations and varying diameters, lengths of pipes and sizes of compressors, and total natural gas consumption. The model provides information on hardware needed to build the simulation systems for a specific set of parameters. The model can facilitate construction of a new pipeline network system or extension of an existing system. The model was built using Flash5 which enables the model to be accessible on the World Wide Web and allows developers to create a pipeline network simulation system on the Web. Also, the model includes a forecast model that can determine future demand of customers based on historical data stored in the database. The forecast model generates predictions that can be compared with the simulation outputs so that adjustment can be made to verify the actual system conditions.