Flexible Gas Infrastructures

Abstract

Abstract:The future natural gas network will deliver multiple services and the gas in the network will be a mix of various gasses like hydrogen and biogas. In our study we use asset management techniques and processes to create a flexible, futureproof infrastructure. Ultimately, we will develop a framework in which technical and institutional flexibility are considered. Our first modeling efforts led to a representation of such a changing gas grid, including its physical and operational performance. We used this model to execute some initial Monte-Carlo simulations. This first exploratory model allowed us to demonstrate the approach and to explore the value of flexibility in gas infrastructure asset management.Keywords: flexibility, uncertainty, gas infrastructure, systems engineering INTRODUCTIONEnergy provision in the Netherlands is to a large extent based on natural gas. To this end, a finely meshed natural gas grid is present in the Netherlands, practically reaching almost every household or company. The main source of natural gas is the large natural gas source in the north of the country. The future gas network will be different from the current operating network as sources are depleting and a move towards green energy is pushed. The future gas network will therefore need to deliver multiple services and the gas in the network will be a mix of various gasses like hydrogen and biogas. The current unidirectional, uni-gas network is undergoing a transition towards a network for sustainable energy sources. As a consequence, the future gas distribution and transport infrastructure will face the challenge of coping with the required increased flexibility of gas production (for example, distributed biogas production is less reliable than the current central sources) and the increased variability of gas quality (for example, in terms of calorific value). The current infrastructure needs to be able to accommodate this variety of gas qualities and quantities without compromising the current reliability and safety of our energy provision.