Predictive control and suppression of pressure surges in main oil pipelines with counter-running pressure waves

This paper addresses pressure control in crude oil pipelines in onshore transportation systems. Maintaining pressure below the maximum rated load capacity in a linear section of an oil pipeline is considered as a control problem. We present a method for predicting of maximum allowed pressure excess using the method of characteristics and the first principles model of nonstationary flow of a slightly compressible fluid in a pipeline. The algorithm, based on the developed method, can suggest the automatic control action that will allow dampening potentially dangerous pressure surges in the linear section of pipeline utilizing counter running pressure wave. The simulations results show that the algorithm allows efficiently predict and suggest control action for suppressing the back-propagating pressure waves in oil pipelines caused by various technological operations. The suggested control action could be implemented without any modification of existing technological equipment at main oil pipeline by utilizing the available capabilities of upstream oil pumping stations.