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IBP1286_12 ENERGY COST REDUCTION IN OIL PIPELINES, Fbio Machado Limeira, Joo Luiz Lavoura Corra2, Luciano Macedo

Josino da Costa3, Jos Luiz da Silva4, Fausto Metzger Pessanha Henriques5

Copyright 2012, Instituto Brasileiro de Petrleo, Gs e Biocombustveis - IBP Este Trabalho Tcnico foi preparado para apresentao na Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012, realizado no perodo de 17 a 20 de setembro de 2012, no Rio de Janeiro. Este Trabalho Tcnico foi selecionado para apresentao pelo Comit Tcnico do evento, seguindo as informaes contidas no trabalho completo submetido pelo(s) autor(es). Os organizadores no iro traduzir ou corrigir os textos recebidos. O material conforme, apresentado, no necessariamente reflete as opinies do Instituto Brasileiro de Petrleo, Gs e Biocombustveis, Scios e Representantes. de conhecimento e aprovao do(s) autor(es) que este Trabalho Tcnico seja publicado nos Anais da Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012.

Resumo
Um dos principais questionamentos da sociedade moderna sobre o uso racional dos recursos naturais e da energia no planeta. Muitas empresas so foradas a reduzir a carga de trabalho pela falta de energia, principalmente no horrio de ponta onde o consumo residencial tem seu pico e falta energia para abastecer as necessidades das grandes indstrias. Utilizar a energia de forma mais racional virou questo estratgica para a qualquer empresa seja pela falta da energia, seja pelo custo excessivo da mesma. Visando a economia de energia e a reduo de custo em oleodutos, foi identificado que o maior consumo de energia proveniente de estaes de bombeamento e que muitas instalaes funcionam de modo diferente da qual foi projetado. Percebendo esta oportunidade de otimizao do processo, foi elaborado este artigo para analisar as possibilidades de ganhos avaliando as alternativas de mudana na configurao de bombas e da no utilizao da estao no horrio de ponta. Inicialmente foi escolhido um oleoduto com potencial para reduo de custos, aps a escolha foi analisado o histrico de movimentao atual, para verificar se o duto possui folga suficiente para mudar o modo de operar. Aps a confirmao de que o oleoduto uma boa escolha, descreve-se sucintamente o sistema e revisa-se a literatura explicando como feito o clculo do custo da energia eltrica e as principais caractersticas de um sistema de bombeamento em srie e em paralelo. Na sequncia so estudadas formas alternativas de se operar e de negociar o contrato de demanda que so tecnicamente viveis. Por fim, so calculados os custos para conhecer qual a alternativa mais vivel economicamente para duas projees de movimentao, uma sem considerar aumento de movimentao e a outra considerando um aumento de cerca de 20% no volume. A concluso deste estudo mostra que o duto escolhido pode ter uma reduo de at 25% sem a necessidade de investimentos em novas instalaes, o que bem significativo.

Abstract
One of the key questions of modern society consists on the rational use of the planets natural resources and energy. Due to the lack of energy, many companies are forced to reduce their workload, especially during peak hours, because residential demand reaches its top and there is not enough energy to fulfill the needs of all users, which affects major industries. Therefore, using energy more wisely has become a strategic issue for any company, due to the limited supply and also for the excessive cost it represents. With the objective of saving energy and reducing costs for oil pipelines, it has been identified that the increase in energy consumption is primordially related to pumping stations and also by the way many facilities are operated, that is, differently from what was originally designed. Realizing this opportunity, in order to optimize the process, this article intends to examine the possibility of gains evaluating alternatives regarding changes in the pump scheme configuration and non-use of pump stations at peak hours. Initially, an oil pipeline with potential to reduce energy costs was chosen being followed by a history analysis, in order to confirm if there was sufficient room to change the operation mode. After confirming the pipeline choice, the system is briefly described and the literature is reviewed, explaining how the energy cost is calculated and also the main characteristics of a pumping system

______________________________ 1 Mechanical Engineer - TRANSPETRO 2 Mechanical Engineer - TRANSPETRO 3 MSc, Mechanical Engineer - TRANSPETRO 4 Shift Coordinator - TRANSPETRO 5 Mechanical Engineer - TRANSPETRO

Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012 in series and in parallel. In that sequence, technically feasible alternatives are studied in order to operate and also to negotiate the energy demand contract. Finally, costs are calculated to identify the most economical alternative, that is, for a scenario with no increase in the actual transported volume of the pipeline and for another scenario that considers an increase of about 20%. The conclusion of this study indicates that the chosen pipeline can achieve a reduction on energy costs of up to 25% without the need for investments in new facilities, which is quite significant.

1. Introduction
The transport of petroleum and its derivatives is a strategic field for any country, as they move trucks, buses, cars, to name a few, and without them the mobility of the majority of people and cargo would be compromised. The transportation mode by oil pipelines is very interesting when there is a major consuming center as it presents some advantages, that is, safety in the transport of dangerous goods, less vulnerable to thefts, no need for packaging since the product moves inside the pipe, reduced maintenance cost when compared to other transport modes, etc. CNCO (Centro Nacional de Controle Operacional), is Transpetro department responsible for controlling oil and gas pipelines in Brazil. Its network has 100 oil pipelines, covering from north to south. Among its duties are: operation of pumps, operation of control and block valves along with the supervision of instrumentation. Realizing the tremendous growth of this transport mode in the past few years, the consumption of energy has increased as a consequence, becoming a strategic cost. It has been observed that there is a great opportunity for gains in the energy field, since many products operate in different conditions regarding the pipeline project. Thus, there are different methods for reducing the specific energy consumption, such as: use of new technologies, modifications in the logic of the network transport, change in the operation scheme of pumping stations and renegotiation of the demand contract. The approach used in this article will be towards the change in the operation scheme of the pump station and renegotiation of the energy contract.

2. Method
The method developed by CNCO intends to identify opportunities that will lead to the reduction of energy costs without considerable initial investments, so that it can be more easily reproduced in other pipelines. Basically, the method used consists of the following sequence: Initially, select an oil pipeline with potential to reduce costs; Study the operation history to evaluate the usage rate of the pipeline, so that it can be determined whether the pipeline has sufficient operational room for the analysis; Calculate theoretical costs for the pumping station in similar configurations to those used during operation and compare with the energy cost; After performing these steps, operation alternatives will be compared, taking in consideration options with reduced energy cost, such as reducing the use during peak hours, changing the configuration of pumps in operation besides others. 2.1 Pipeline Selection Pipeline X, initially reviewed, was chosen because of its representativiness in terms of flow, length and operational flexibility. Its flow is above average, considering the cast of derivatives pipelines operated by CNCO, its length is in the average of the operated systems and it also has operational flexibility, that is, it can operate with more than one product and work with tanks to stock the transported products. Historical information was gathered for the period of a year, in order to analyze the system usage in terms of monthly transported volume and operational flow of the pipeline. The pipeline history is crucial, because it allows the calculation of the pipeline usage rate (TUD) and also makes possible the analysis whether the pipeline can effectively operate with its full capacity for long periods. The mentioned information is shown in the table below:

Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012 Table 1. Annual History dec/10 Monthly Volume (1000 x m) Usage Rate Non Peak Usage Rate 163 52% 57% jan/11 148 47% 51% feb/11 126 44% 49% mar/11 apr/11 may/11 jun/11 177 56% 61% 168 55% 60% 171 54% 59% 187 61% 67% jul/11 197 62% 68% aug/11 194 61% 67% sep/11 179 58% 64% oct/11 249 78% 86% nov/11 230 75% 83%

It is important to address that the usage rate for pipeline X is based on a pumping scheme that uses two main pumps. It has been found, based on the collected data, that the system has an average usage rate of 60%, reaching a peak of 78%. Even considering the usage rate without the energy peak hours the PUR remains below 85%, which is a reference value that leaves space for the pipeline maintenance. Through these data, it has been verified that the system has sufficient clearance and that studies can be conducted regarding alternative pump scheme configurations and/or renegotiation of the energy contract.

3. Pipeline X Description
Pipeline X system consists of one supplying terminal and one delivery terminal; there is no intermediary pump station as there is no intermediary striping along the pipeline. The transported products are Diesel and Naphtha.

Supplier

Delivery

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the pipeline The pumping station consists of three auxiliary pumps in series and three main pumps in parallel as described in the following figure:

Supplier

Auxiliary Pumps

Main Pumps

Pipeline

Figure 2. Pumping Station Schematic diagram The usual operational pump configuration for this system is 2B x 2M (two boosters and two main). One main pump and one booster normally act as reserves devices. The flow rate for the transportation of naphtha is slightly greater 3

Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012 than the flow rate for diesel and it is necessary to operate the system during energy peak hours. The elevation profile of pipeline X is very irregular, having a big increase of elevation near the beginning while at the delivery the height is by far superior from the one at the supplier.

4. Literature Review
In this section two aspects will be covered, that is, the characteristics of the pump configuration scheme in series and in parallel and the calculation of the electricity cost. 4.1 Pump Configuration Regarding the pump system configuration, there are two kinds: in series and in parallel. Assuming that all pumps are equal and that the system is ideal, we can say that: Pumps configured in series are best suited for systems where the required operational pressure is higher and not achievable by a single pump. Ideally used on pipelines with elevation profiles that arent favorable (elevation profiles with significant peaks and systems with higher pressure drop). With this type of arrangement, the flow is unique throughout the pumps and the pressure increase is proportional to the number of pumps. Pumps configured in parallel should be used when the required flow through the system is greater than the discharge flow of a single pump and systems with lower pressure drop. In this case, the pressure increase is the same through each pump while the flow rate increases proportionally to the number of pumps. 4.2 Energy Cost The electricity cost calculus depends on three components: demand cost, consumption cost and surpassing of the demand cost. Power: in a simplified manner, it is the consumption capacity of an electrical device. Energy: it is the amount of electricity used by an electrical device to stay connected for a period of time Consumption: it is the accumulated value due to the use of electricity, which is provided to the consumer. Demand: it is the cost related to the energy availability, that is, even if the energy is not used it will be available, which has a cost. This cost is based on the maximum power achieved during the month. Demand Surpassing: it is the tax that must be paid if the demand contract value is exceeded. Peak Hours: it is the period of the day when the demand of the electrical system is higher, which leads to a higher cost of energy. Runs on weekdays and is equivalent to a 3 hour period. For the calculus, the considered energy fare was the blue hourly-seasonal without exceeding the demand. CONSUMPTION = CONSUMPTION FARE AT PEAK HOURS X MEASURED CONSUMPTION DURING PEAK + CONSUMPTION FARE AT NON PEAK HOURS X MEASURED CONSUMPTION DURING NON PEAK HOURS DEMAND = DEMAND FARE AT PEAK HOURS X CONTRACTED DEMAND AT PEAK HOURS + DEMAND FARE AT NON PEAK HOURS X CONTRACTED DEMAND AT NON PEAK HOURS

5. Alternatives
Four options were studied, which will be evaluated regarding the technical feasa1ibiliy and economical advantages. Alternative 1: Modify the pump scheme configuration to 1B x 2M (one booster and two main). This option is not technically feasible due to the low suction pressure provided to the main pumps. Furthermore, the booster pump power is much smaller than the main pumps and would not provide the desired results (the booster pump power is about 10 times smaller than the main pump). Alternative 2: Modify the pump scheme configuration to 2B x 1M (two boosters and one main). Since the main pumps work in parallel and are identical, the reduction of one main pump will produce a reduction of 50% in the flow rate. As PUR (pipeline usage rate) is greater than 50%, the average flow rate is greater than 50%, so this solution does not meet logistics needs. Alternative 3: Renegotiation of the energy demand contract, considering the usual pump scheme configuration for pipeline X of 2B X 2M (two boosters and two main). This arrangement meets all operational safety requirements for this system. Considering this scenario, the economic evaluation will be performed with the objective of working only during non peak hours, using the available operating margin. 4

Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012 Alternative 4: Renegotiation of the energy demand contract, considering the pump scheme configuration of 3B X 3M (three boosters and three main). This arrangement meets all technical requirements, since there are reports that allow the use of the third pump without any risk to the pipeline and facilities. The economic evaluation will have the objective of not using the available peak hours, due to the increased flow rate that this pump scheme configuration supplies.

6. Cost Evaluation
As previously stated, only alternatives 3 and 4 are technically feasible, so only these two cases will be evaluated and compared with the current situation. Theoretically analyzing the options, Alternative 4 has a lower overall cost than the current operation, since there is no need to operate during peak hours and also produces a greater flow rate by using an extra pump Alternative 3 will have a lower demand cost than Alternative 4, since it will use only two pumps and will also produce a lower flow rate that may not meet the current required volume. Considering the fore mentioned analysis, for a higher volume demand, the analysis will be initiated by Alternative 3, because it is the most economically viable. If Alternative 3 does not meet the requirements, Alternative 4 will be evaluated for a similar volume demand. It has been considered throughout this work; peak hours only on working days totaling 66 hours per month. Costs are related to the higher value on Table 3 (transporting Diesel and working at peak hours) and the considered power demand is a sum of the pumps power on the supplying Terminal using Diesel, which is the worst case (highlighted with an asterisk). The studied cases consider the following premises: pipeline Usage Rate (PUR) of 85%, without operating during peak hours, pump scheme configuration: 2B + 2M. The scenarios are: Operation with demand cost and consumption of 66 hours during peak hours period; Operation with demand cost and no use during peak hours; Operation without the demand cost on peak hours. Table 3.Energy cost without changes in the pump scheme configuration - Alternative 3

Table 4.Cost Reduction - Alternative 3

If a significant increase in the current usage rate is considered, with the value reaching 91%, in situations with and without the peak hour fare, the analyzed scenarios for each product (Diesel and Naphtha) are described below: Operation with two boosters pumps and two main pumps (2B x 2M), using the peak hour period; Operation with three boosters pumps and three main pumps (3B x 3M), without use during peak hours. The results are shown in Table 5: Table 5. Energy cost by altering the pump scheme configuration - Alternative 4

Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012

Table. 6 Cost Reductions - Alternative 4

7. Conclusions and Final Remarks


Whereas no investments in infrastructure were performed, the results of this study were revealing, since gains above 25% are achievable. Similar studies should be conducted for the adequacy of the new energetic reality, including logistics network studies and evaluation of new technologies adoption, in terms of energy. According to the results, it can be inferred from tables 5 and 6 that the operation cost without use during peak hours, using a pump scheme of 3B x 3M is lower than the operation cost using peak hours with a pump scheme of 2B x 2M, with operational safety as mentioned in item 5. Assuming no changes in the pump configuration scheme, it is reported in tables 3 and 4 that the operation restriction due to the pause during the peak hour period is even more economical, reaching over 25% when changing the current energy demand contract. Table 2 confirms that the usage rate without operating during peak hours is below 85%, which gives an acceptable margin for the pipeline maintenance.

8. References
ABBASI , Ehsan., GAROUSI, Vahid. Multi-objective optimization of both pumping energy and maintenance costs in oil pipeline networks using genetic algorithms. In: International Conference on Evolutionary Computation, Valencia, Spain: ICEC, oct., 2010. BLOCH, Heinz P., BUDRIS, Allan R. Pump Users Handbook: Life Extension, Fairmont Press, 2010. BOSCHETTO, Suelen N. An Operational Scheduling Model to Product Distribution through a Pipeline Network. Ind. , Eng. Chem. Res., v.49, p.56615682, 2010. BRASIL. Programa Nacional de Conservao de Energia Eltrica. Manual de tarifao da energia eltrica, ELETROBRS, 2001. NELIK, Lev. Centrifugal & rotary pumps: fundamentals with applications, CRC Press, 1999.

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