SIMONE Research Group
Solutions For Simulation And Optimisation In The Gas Industry

SIMONE SOFTWARE

Optimisation

The optimisation part of SIMONE consists of the following three branches:

  • Operational optimisation of gas transport or distribution within the short time horizon of hours/days/weeks, aimed at maintaining an optimum network control
  • Long-term optimisation of pipeline network design and development within time horizon of years or decades
  • Cost tracking for detailed monitoring of transport costs of different kind

Operational Optimisation

SIMONE Steady-state Optimisation serves as a tool for finding optimum steady-state control of the network. For given transport requirements and network switching, it finds the set-points for all compressor stations and controlled valves as well as the internal configuration of machines in all compressor stations, for which the energy demands or energy costs are minimised.

Several successful applications have proven SIMONE SSO as a robust and efficient solution for energy and pollution savings.

Long-Term Optimisation

Planning of network development for the future is mainly determined by:

  • The set of contracted transport services (supplies and off-takes)
  • Development of the network, i.e. the schedule of a new equipment input into an operation increasing the transport/store capacity
  • Transport operation influencing the costs (or return or losses)

The task is to find the optimum development schedule over a long time period, stated usually by decades.

SIMONE long-term optimisation offers a tool for unbiased optimum decision making and finding the optimum development scenario subject to the constraints.

Cost Tracking

The SIMONE cost tracking tool is based on the concept of a cost variable expressed in money units. Each quantity of gas entering the system gets a virtual account containing the purchase price. The account quantity develops while moving through the pipeline system, considering mixing of different gases, the wear and tear off on the pipeline and compressor stations, the running cost of an equipment etc. The total delivery cost is shown at each off-take node.