ENG. ANDREW OMWENGA
Chemical & Process Simulation Engineer • Thermodynamic Specialist
Cross-Country Natural Gas Pipeline Simulation | Terrain & Pipe Sizing
Section 1.0 — Simulation & Facility Metadata
Section 2.0 — Executive Summary
Modeling a 120 km high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline in Aspen HYSYS, assessing hydraulic pressure drop, elevation/terrain impacts, sizing requirements, and compressor station power.
Section 3.0 — Problem Statement & Operating Bottlenecks
Gas transmission across undulating terrain causes liquid condensate dropout, localized pressure drops, and risk of hydrate formation when gas temperature falls below dew point.
Section 4.0 — Objectives & Rigorous Simulation Methodology
Sub-nodal pipe hydraulic modeling using Peng-Robinson EOS with Beggs & Brill two-phase flow correlation. Terrain elevation points mapped every 5 km across a 120 km route.
Section 5.0 — Simulation Results & Thermodynamic Findings
Sizing the line at 30 inches eliminates the need for an intermediate booster station, lowering capital expenditure by $4.2M despite higher initial piping costs. Heat loss model verified minimum gas delivery temperature at 14.8 °C.
Section 6.0 — Core Engineering Takeaways
Section 7.0 — Model Assumptions & Future Recommendations
Assumes constant ambient soil temperature (15 °C) without seasonal freeze-thaw variations.
Transient flow simulation in Aspen HYSYS Dynamics to model pigging operations and sudden valve closure shock waves.
Section 8.0 — Consultant Conclusion & Verification Sign-off
Rigorous terrain profile integration in Aspen HYSYS prevents liquid holdup slugging and optimizes compressor power consumption in cross-country natural gas delivery.
