Rational methods of operation of underground gas storages and mitigation of energy losses

The fuel and energy complex of Ukraine, like most developed countries of the world, is a complex system of material production incorporating a set of many subsystems that cover the extraction, conversion, distribution, storage and consumption of energy. Ukraine's gas transportation system has an extremely complex system, which consists of gas pipelines of various purposes and capacities, compressor stations, compressor shops, gas distribution stations and underground gas storage facilities. Compressor stations, allied with underground storage, ensure full pipeline use, reliability of work, modes of regulation of transit flows and maintenance of uninterrupted supply. Their co-employment is considered one of the most effective methods of increasing reserves for reliable gas supply and efficiency of gas sales in the country and abroad. The use of storage reduces the unevenness of seasonal consumption and enables timely delivery. This is justified by the fact that during the year, gas production is uneven, as is consumption. In winter, the amount of gas extracted does not provide the amount of gas consumed. Therefore, underground storage facilities are an integral part of the gas transmission system, which must function efficiently. The Ukrainian gas transportation system is part of the European energy system, despite the fact that the country itself is not yet a member of the EU. To research the issues of improving the efficiency of the system and underground storage facilities, it is necessary to analyse the parameters of their work and study the problems of reducing costs during storage and transportation. In the work on the basis of the analysis of the cyclic operation of the Dashavsky underground storage, the energy approach to an estimation of losses of gas at storage is offered. This will streamline and specify the general ideas and the level of irreversible losses of natural gas as an energy source and will increase the efficiency of operation of the underground gas storage as a whole. At the same time, taking into account the energy characteristics of natural gas when forecasting its losses during storage will significantly affect the organisation and optimisation of maintenance of storage equipment and, in particular, the compressor station.