Monitoring and controlling of unaccounted for gas (UFG) in distribution networks: A case study of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited Pakistan

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) is a natural-gas distribution company facing huge loss every year due to unaccounted for gas (UFG). In this research, a mathematical model has been developed to identify and control UFG losses in SNGPL. A survey of hundred gas consumers has been carried out to identify factors contributing to UFG. The significance of each contributing factor of UFG is determined using Hypothesis Testing. The results show that more emphasis should be on reducing leakage factor (17%). After necessary rectification of anomalies which were identified through site visits, UFG has been re-calculated for the selected network and per month average savings of 439 Hm3 in terms of gas volume and 7,549 PKR in terms of finances were recorded. Furthermore, a framework has also been developed to minimize UFG in Gas distribution networks. (C) 2018, IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) Hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.