Presentation: Using PI AF and PI Analytics to Satisfy Demand Fluctuations with Minimum Operational Expenditures

The line pack is the total quantity of natural gas in the pipeline at any time. The compressibility of natural gas allows the use of line pack to compensate for fluctuation of gas demand. Using linear programming models, GRTgaz optimizes its line pack, satisfying the demand fluctuation with minimum operational expenditures. This talk will show how the PI System helped GRTgaz apply a new real-time line pack calculation method.

In this environment, it is essential to have a real-time line pack calculation method characterized by a high level of precision and updating frequency. Therefore, GRTgaz decided in 2013 to change the real-time line pack calculation method. A prototype was developed using Excel (VBA & PI DataLink). Although the results were satisfying in terms of values, many issues were also identified. Since the new method used more than 2000 real-time data points in the PI System, the file was big and difficult to query directly. A different methodology was needed.

IT discovered new features in the next version of PI Asset Framework (PI AF) and a newly released add-on product called Asset-Based Analytics (ABACUS). New functionalities in this version of PI AF could be very useful in many GRTgaz projects, especially implantation of the new line pack calculation method. The talk will explain how ABACUS solved most of the problems found during the prototype phase and how it build a satisfying POC. It will summarize benefits of using ABACUS (Financial, IT and Business) and an inventory of future functionalities requests that will help optimize the solution for GRTgaz (requests were made during the project).