The Effects of Pipeline Parameters on Dispersion Process of Odourant in Natural Gas Mixture
Abstract
This article discusses the possibility of natural gas odourisation, which is performed due to the fact that natural gas has no smell of its own. In order to facilitate the detection of potential gas leaks from distribution networks by the human sense of smell, the gas must be combined with an odourant. A concentration of such an odourant should be constant throughout the entire distribution network in order to facilitate the earliest possible detection of potential gas leaks.
This article also deals with the issues related to the odourisation of natural gas in a high-pressure pipeline in a gas distribution network. It presents a theoretical overview of the used types of odourants, odourant control methods, and a model of odourant behaviour in a distribution network in various conditions, which was created using numerical simulations performed in ANSYS software.
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Introduction
Natural gas is an important fossil fuel, which is used in multiple industries. When compared to other fossil fuels, the amount of harmful substances produced during the combustion of natural gas is smaller; moreover, natural gas does not produce any mechanical impurities, such as carbon black. Therefore, it may be classified as an ecological fuel. Due to the fact that it is odourless and lighter than the air, it is regarded as a problematic material in terms of safety. As a result, the detection of potential leaks of natural gas from a distribution network is conditioned by the presence of an odourant in a mixture.
Conclusion
The addition of odourants to natural gas is an important process, as it facilitates warning people in the event of an accidental gas leak from a gas distribution pipeline or from an end-user gas facility, and hence it prevents the risk of fire, explosion and intoxication. In our investigation, dispersion of an odourant in a natural gas distribution network was homogeneous, and the odourant together with natural gas formed a homogenous mixture, which remained unchanged in practically all sections of the pipeline. The pipeline inclination and length had no significant effects on changes in the odourant concentration.