The Management System Based on the Dynamic Online Simulation for the CBM Gathering Pipeline System of Northern Fanzhuang

Abstract The coal bed methane (CBM) gathering pipeline system of Northern Fanzhuang is in Shanxi province of The People’s Republic of China, near the city of Jincheng. Its features include: low pressure, small throughputs, congestion of the landscape, and undulating terrain. As a result, the management and analysis of the system is very difficult because of the complex structure and the sensitivity to the pressure and to the flow. In response to these problems, a management system was developed using the Pipeline Simulation Network (PNS) pipeline simulation software, integrated with the geographic information system (GIS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system of the CBM gathering system. The management system can automatically generate the required simulation model for the selected systems, pipelines and stations from the GIS geometric information and database. It can perform online simulation with real time data from the SCADA for a quick, direct and precise evaluation of the pipeline system. All the simulation results are stored in the SQL database for history review, and are also sent to the GIS system. According to the simulation results, the status and the flow of the gathering pipeline system are visualized in GIS three-dimensional mode for a quick overall acknowledgement. In addition, more detailed information about the past and current data for each individual component in the gathering system can be searched, sorted and shown in GIS whenever required. The theory and methods for building the management system are discussed in this paper, including the architecture, the simulation model, the self-training of the model, the interaction between the PNS simulation and GIS system, and the three-dimensional search and visualization of the flow status in GIS. Finally, an example was presented to demonstrate the application using better management and regulation of the CBM gathering pipeline system.