Otimização do planejamento multiperíodo do projeto de redes para transporte de gás natural

Abstract

Transport pipelines are pipes used to move natural gas over long distances and represent the safest and most economical way to transport large fluid flows in most cases, being used to carry natural gas from production fields or gasification terminals to the consumer centers. Since the construction of a network infrastructure for the flow of natural gas implies high investments in materials and equipment, the present work aims to propose a search tool for the optimum design of natural gas transportation networks, with a multi-period approach, aiming at the construction of these structures in stages. The final problem formulated includes restrictions associated with the gas flow, the operation of the compression stations, and the economic aspects involved, which the solution provides an optimum design while maximizing the profit. The model was applied to a set of case studies with scenario variations, including replication of examples reported by other authors in the literature. The results showed that the proposed tool is capable of providing subsidies that help the entrepreneur to make decisions regarding the feasibility and the best configuration of the infrastructure