Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Ph.D. Student, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran,
2
Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran,
3
MSc, Department of Industrial Engineering, Jihad Daneshgahi, Kermanshah, Iran,
10.22050/ijogst.2026.576314.1775
Abstract
In the event of a main source outage, in the gas distribution network, the high-pressure gas stored in pipes, known as linepack, can be used as a short-term reserve to supply gas to consumers. Moreover, during the redesign of the distribution network, it is possible to convert a tree-structured network into a looped network by connecting two or more nodes. In reliability analysis approaches for networks under real conditions, due to the need to examine multiple and complex states and consequences, the computational burden in proposed network structures is very high, and therefore, simulation techniques are often used. In this paper, a novel approach is proposed to evaluate gas supply reliability in both tree-structured and loop-connected networks, considering the effect of linepack. Hydraulic analysis of the network was performed using the GP-NET software, and the overall reliability of gas supply in the pipeline network was determined, taking into account the random occurrence of failures in critical components that lead to network disruptions. The proposed approach was applied to the gas distribution system of a city in Kurdistan Province, Iran, and, through sensitivity analysis, the effect of changes in model parameters on the overall network supply reliability was also analyzed. The results indicate that creating loops and considering the effect of linepack lead to increased supply reliability and enhanced stability in providing services to consumers.
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