The optimization of natural gas utilization network in single region using pinch analysis method

Natural gas is one of the cleanest energy resources and may have the potency to replace crude oil as the primary energy resource in several decades. A natural gas supply network should be developed to maximize the utilization of natural gas. Pinch analysis could be used to create the optimum natural gas network in single region supply-chain due to their different time scale, flowrate, and capacity. Therefore, in this study, a systematical method was developed to design a natural gas network system in a single region (East Java) using pinch analysis with 0-year and 3-year minimum time differences. The minimum time difference (Δt_min) represents the time delay of operation time in natural gas distribution. The concept of natural gas cascade calculation was introduced. The heuristics of natural gas pairing between source and sink streams in grid diagram analysis was developed. Using a 0-year minimum time difference gives the amount of unutilized supply with a value of 258.4 billion standard cubic feet (BSCF). In contrast, a 3-year minimum time difference gives the amount of alternative and unutilized supply with values of 639.3 BSCF and 897.7 BSCF, respectively. The grid diagram heuristics developed in this study provides the same results with the cascade calculation result. By knowing the amount of alternative supply and unutilized supply in a specific minimum time difference, it can be known the amount of required imported natural gas and the amount of exported natural gas based on the region and operating time span studied.