Analysis of gas network storage capacity for alternative fuels in Poland

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) Vol. 172; pp. 343 - 353
• Main Authors: Szoplik, Jolanta, Stelmasińska, Paulina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2019; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Alternative fuels; Biogas; Biomethane storage; combustion; energy; Energy storage; Flow simulation; Gas dynamics; Gas flow; Gas mixtures; Gas pipeline network; Gas pipelines; heat; Liquefied natural gas; liquids; Low pressure gases; methane; Natural gas; Network storage; Pipelines; Poland; Renewable energy sources; Steady-state simulation; Storage capacity; Storage capacity of the network; Transport; Poland; Gas pipeline network; Biomethane storage; Storage capacity of the network; Steady-state simulation
• ISSN: 0360-5442; 1873-6785
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2019.01.117

The paper presents two stages of an analysis of the storage capacity of low-pressure gas network for biomethane with a low value of combustion heat. The subject of the study is up-to-date, since it concerns an important issue of the storage and transport of energy generated from renewable sources. Based on the results of the gas flow simulation in the network in Polish city, the distributions of parameters describing the gas dynamics in the network were analyzed and the weak points of gas mixtures and alternative fuels transport in the network pipelines were indicated. Then, two methods of biomethane introducing and storing in the natural gas or regasified liquid natural gas LNG transported through the network were compared. The advantages and disadvantages of each solution were discussed, and the size of the biomethane stream, which can be introduced into the gas network pipelines and supplied to the recipients together with the gas was quantified. It was demonstrated that the highest volume of biomethane can be stored in the network transporting regasified LNG, and the biomethane stream, regardless of the network load, constitutes 39% of the mixture of biomethane and regasified LNG. In turn, the lowest biomethane volume can be stored in the network in the case of constant over time biomethane stream introducing into the natural gas. •Biomethane storage in a low-pressure gas network.•Steady state simulation of gas and biomethane flow in a network.•Different variants of biomethane introducing into the gas network.•Analysis and evaluation of storage capacity of the gas network for biomethane.