Power Consumption Minimization of Khormoj Compressor Station

Arguably, the natural gas transmission pipeline infrastructure in Iran represents one of the largest and most complex mechanical systems in the world. The optimization of large gas trunk lines known as IGAT results in reduced fuel consumption or higher capability and improves pipeline operation. In the current study, a single-objective optimization was conducted for Khormoj compressor station on the Iranian gas trunk line V (IGAT5). The system consists of over 504 kilometers of 56-inch pipeline from South Pars to Aghajari. This system passes through a tortuous terrain with changes in elevation which makes the optimization process even more challenging. Genetic algorithm (GA) was used in this optimization along with detailed models of the performance characteristics of compressors. The results show that in stations having the same compressor in parallel the minimum power (energy) consumption is reached when split flow in all the compressors is the same.