Compressor Scheduling in Oil Fields: A Piecewise-Linear Formulation

The scheduling of compressors to gas-lifted oil wells received little attention despite its theoretical and practical relevance. The problem consists of deciding which compressors (facilities) should be installed and how they should service the wells (clients). A compressor is modeled by a performance curve relating output rate and pressure, while a well demands lift-gas at a given rate and pressure. The compressor scheduling problem can be thought of as a generalized facility location problem and formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear program. This paper develops a piecewise-linear reformulation, states simplifying conditions, and starts an analysis of the convex hull of integer solutions by proposing valid inequalities. The paper ends by reporting computational results and suggesting directions for future research.