Computation of Natural Gas Pipeline Transients, Including Frictional and Heat Transfer Effect

Abstract

To achieve an economical design of natural gas pipeline it is necessary to do a detailed analysis of the transients caused by various operating flow conditions. In this work, unsteady flow in natural gas pipeline was modelled as one dimensional frictional flow with the effect of heat transfer included. The model was used to compute the flow in a ruptured underwater gas pipeline. The predicted mass flow rates out of the pipeline were between 8 and 25 % higher than the results obtained earlier for isothermal unsteady flow.