ABSTRACT
The objective of optimal gas pipeline design is to determine the optimal number of compressor stations and their locations; to select the model, number, and configuration ofcompressor units in each station; and to select the optimal pipe diameter and maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP). For capacity expansions, only pipe loopings, new compressor stations, and/or possible additional compressors need to optimized. Nonlinear objective function and nonlinear constraints make pipeline design optimization complicated. A number of different methods have been proposed and tried with limited success. The method proposed is a modification to Bellman's dynamic programming. Each stage of the optimization procedure is based on a potential location for a compressor station. However, the distance covered is variable and can be fixed only if the compressor station location considered establishes an optimal trajectory.
