Research on capacity allocation optimization of natural gas pipeline networks under separation of transportation and marketing

A capacity allocation optimization framework based on the contract path method, which is also called the point to point trading method, was proposed for multi-sources and multi-users gas network. The gas network model and shippers̍ model were solved iteratively in a distributed way until a consensus on capacity allocation was achieved. The results show that, the proposed distributed optimization strategies can coordinate the multi-stakeholder. The shippers̍ cost of per unit natural gas is related to the location of gas resources and gas users, thereby promoting fairness to some extent in allocation outcomes. There are still transmission bottlenecks among regions of China̍s natural gas market. The separation of transportation and sales will lead to fierce competition in gas transmission routes and network capacity, causing local contract congestion and high load rates. In practical cases, a market-based capacity allocation would raise the cost of gas purchase by 6. 94%, the cost of network services by 10. 18% and the total cost of shippers by 6. 80%, which increases the revenue of pipeline network companies but is not conducive to reduce the cost of gas users. © 2024 University of Petroleum, China. All rights reserved.