Results: Searching for 'UK Gas Market'

This briefing is based on two propositions.

First, that gas security matters, because today in the UK gas plays a dominant role in the provision of energy services, accounting for almost 40% of total inland primary energy consumption in 2017. Thus, a short run failure of gas security would undoubtedly have significant political and economic consequences.

Second, that the current measure is far too narrow to offer a comprehensive assessment of UK gas security, particularly in a post-Brexit context. Discussions at the Gas Security Forum suggested that: the measure of gas security focuses only on infrastructure capacity and not supply (capacity does not equal flow); it fails to take account of the time-lag for gas delivery; it does not measure diversity or spare capacity; it ignores the impact of multiple asset failures; and, does not consider the costs associated with ensuring greater security.

It is in this context that this paper seeks to address the following questions:

• What are the constituent factors to consider in assessing gas security?
• What alternative measures exist?
• What potentially threatens gas security in the UK?
• What would a better approach to gas security look like?

The thinking behind this paper is that a more extensive approach to measuring UK gas security is needed to address the less dramatic challenges that face UK gas security, as well as the chance of managing a Black Swan event.

This report assesses the currently available evidence on the size of unconventional gas resources at the regional and global level. Focusing in particular on shale gas, it provides a comprehensive summary and comparison of the estimates that have been produced to date. It also examines the methods by which these resource estimates have been produced the strengths and weaknesses of those methods, the range of uncertainty in the results and the factors that are relevant to their interpretation.

This document is a progress report for the project titled 'Advanced Gas Detection'.

1. Project Scope
2. Project Objectives
3. Success Criteria
4. Performance Compared to the Original Project Aims, Objectives and Success Criteria
5. Required Modifications to the Planned Approach During the Course of the Project
6. Lessons Learnt for Future Projects

This document is a final report for the project titled 'Aerosol Sealants Stage 1A'.

As part of the Stage 1 Seeker Particles work, Steer Energy recognised that a sealant delivered as an aerosol could provide an alternative approach to the existing technologies used to repair leaks. It is appreciated that this is most likely to be directed towards smaller leaks when compared to the robotically applied liquid sealants, and is likely to require some form of enabling technologies to be used to assist that deployment. This work dovetails with the work carried out in Seeker Particles Stage 2 and Gas Polymerisation Stage 1 as well as a number of other intervention projects that SGN are currently running through the NIC / NIA funding mechanism. Initially this project was to focus on direct technology transfer from the HVAC industry into the Gas industry to produce aerosolised sealants for use in the gas network. Exceptional contractual circumstances prevented this however and a development project was undertaken with a wider overall target.

1. Project Introduction, Changes, and Outcomes
2. Aerosol Sealing in the Gas Network
3. WP1: Application and Sealant Specification
4. WP2: Deployment Methodology
5. WP3: Design of Aerosol Numerical Model
6. WP4: Experimental Set up and Testing
7. WP5: Enabling Technologies
8. Conclusions and Further Work

The scope of this project includes:

This document is a closedown report for the project titled 'Alternatives to Venting '.

Planned venting can arise from a number of sources around the network, including venting at compressor sites and pipeline decommissioning for repair, replacement or modification. Planned venting at compressor sites is monitored and recorded through the on-line control system. For 2011/12, this was reported as 2984 tonnes of natural gas.

This document is a progress report for the project titled 'Application of DC circuit-breakers in DC Grids'.

The European Union Renewable Energy Directive has committed the Member States to National targets for renewable energy production such that at least 20% of the EU's energy will be produced from renewable sources by 2020. Meanwhile, the creation of an internal market for energy remains one of the EU's priority objectives. The development of an interconnected internal market will facilitate cross-border exchanges in electricity and improve competition. The potential role of HVDC in integrating renewable energy generation and cross-border electricity exchanges is widely recognised and many ideas for dc grids linking the transmission systems of different countries and renewable generation are being promoted.

At present, no dc circuit-breaker is commercially available and any dc fault will affect the entire dc network. A dc grid is, therefore, restricted to a single protection zone at present and the capacity of generation connected to it may not exceed the infrequent infeed loss risk limit prescribed by the Security and Quality of Supply Standard. The dc circuit-breaker is therefore an essential technology in enabling the concept of a dc grid to develop.

The objective of the proposed work is to understand the application issues associated with dc circuit-breakers in dc grids. The work will study the impact of dc circuit-breaker operation on the dc system, the HVDC converters and the connected ac systems. In particular, the challenges presented by protection and fault clearance in dc grids will be addressed. The work forms an essential component of the risk-managed introduction of the dc circuit-breaker onto the transmission system in accordance with PS(T)013. The results of the work will inform technical specifications and risk-registers for the dc circuit-breaker and for the protection and control of dc grids.

This document is a closedown report for the project titled 'Architectural Design of Compressor Site'.

National Grid has to operate in an ever more stringent planning environment. The implementation of the Planning Act 2008 has resulted in all Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects being captured by the Planning Act. The result of this has been a greater responsibility on a developer to provide evidence that a full and open engagement has been undertaken with both statutory and non statutory organisations and particularly the public at large and further that opinions expressed by third parties have been properly noted and where possible used to influence the final design submitted for consent to the Planning Inspectorate.

1. Contemporary
2. Farmstead
3. Landscaped

This project will explore three environmentally sensitive architectural design alternatives that will be suitable for a typical compressor site, based on size (one small, two medium).

This document is a closedown report for the project titled 'Assessment of hydrophobic treatment for gas compressor air intake values & screens'.

Under certain climatic conditions it is possible for unacceptable levels of ice to build up on gas turbine air intakes. Ice build up on the air intake structures reduces the available cooling and combustion air for the gas turbine, reducing efficiency and the integrity of the unit if the ice should become ingested within the engine. This would have serious consequences for the integrity of the gas turbine unit and network supply capability due to unit failure.

There is considerable worldwide experience of operation gas turbine based infrastructure in low ambient temperatures and a number of ice treatment technologies are well defined. Dovetailing the most cost effective available ice treatments with the existing air intake structures. This and also employing any fortuitous effects such as surface roughness, will improve the overall effectiveness of water repulsion and ice management of gas turbine air intakes across the National Grid fleet.

The project demonstrated that pre treating air intakes with hydrophobic solutions, PTFE coatings or filter oil only offered a marginal delay (compared to equivalent non treated components) before the on set of icing conditions. This combined with some of the potential health and safety issues associated when applying these solutions (working at height) means that that the evaluation confirmed that this project will not be progressed further at this stage.

This document is a closedown report for the project titled 'Asset Health & Criticality Modeling'.

The purpose of the project is to provide a new methodology for delivering the requirements for Ofgem reporting. The collaborative working across the GDNs will provide a consistent benchmark for reporting a complex solution in a pragmatic way. The external service provider will be looking to determine pioneering research into deterioration models and probability of failure analysis using a nationwide data set. This will then be cross referenced with condition analysis based on current data and historical trends.

This document is the final report for the project titled 'Asset Health Modelling (Pipelines, Special Crossings & Block Valves)'.

Following submission of the Gas Distribution Network's (GDN's) business plans, Ofgem recognised the significant work carried out by the GDNs to report asset health, probability of failure and deterioration. However, it was recognised that the framework did not provide consistent results between the GDNs. Ofgem intended the framework to provide a consistent means of comparing information between GDNs and enable GDNs to compare information about the condition of assets over time. In addition, Ofgem sought evolution over time to combine information from different asset classes to form an overall view of the condition of GDN assets and risk therein.

This project looked to overcome the problem of reporting the health and criticality of one of the key group of assets - Local Transmission Pipeline assets; comprising the pipelines themselves plus all the associated assets such as block valves, special crossings and sleeves. The SRWG engaged with the industry experts in PIE due to the inherent knowledge that they held plus the level of interaction that they already had with the GDNs through the UKOPA (United Kingdom Onshore Pipeline Operators Association) group.

This report is contains an Executive Summary, and is split into two technical notes.

Technical Note PIE/14/TN113 :- Development of a Model for classifying the Health Index of non-piggable pipelines:

1. Summary
2. Background
3. Characteristics of external Corrosion
4. Application to Non-piggable Pipelines
5. Allocation of Health Index
6. Categorisation due to fatigue damage
7. Conclusions
8. References

• Appendix 1 - Procedures for 5-Yearly Inspection of Non-Piggable Pipelines
• Appendix 2 -Proposed Process for Defining "Intervention" to Extend Pipeline Life
• Appendix 3 - Calculation of Fatigue Damage due to Cyclic Pressure in Transmission Pipelines

Technical Note PIE/14/TN125 :- Models for Classifying the Health Indices of Block Valves, Sleeves and Above Ground Crossings:

1. Summary
2. Background
3. PoF Models for Block Valves, Sleeves and Crossings
4. PoF Model and Prediction of Health Index for Block Valves
5. Prediction of Health Index for Sleeves
6. PoF Model For Nitrogen Sleeves
7. Non-N2 Sleeves Health Index Predictions
8. Prediction for Health Index for Crossings
9. PoF Model for Above Ground Crossings
10. Prediction of Health index for Above ground crossings
11. PoF Model for River Crossings
12. River Crossings Health Index Predictions
13. Conclusions
14. References

• Appendix 1 - Proposed Definition of Intervention Process required to Reassign Block Valve Health Index
• Appendix 2 - Proposed Definition of Intervention Process required to Reassign Non-Nitrogen Sleeve Health Index
• Appendix 3 - Proposed Definition of Intervention Process required to Reassign Nitrogen Sleeve Health Index
• Appendix 4 - Proposed Definition of Intervention Process required to Reassign Above Ground Crossing Health Index
• Appendix 5 - Proposed Definition of Intervention Process required to Reassign River Crossing Health Index

This document is a closedown report for the project titled 'Asset Health Modelling'.

The objective of this project is to develop a Condition Based Risk Model (CBRM) that will determine the future health index of National Grid Gas Distribution's governors and pressure reduction assets in order to prioritise future investment decisions. The CBRM tool will allow the future Health Index (HI) and Probability of Failure (POF) of these assets to be simulated and assessed. This will enable understanding of asset condition and criticality, identifying and modelling different interventions to mitigate risk, and prioritise and select optimal expenditure via a condition based risk approach.

A CBRM model for a single asset group (District Governors) has been developed in order to provide National Grid the opportunity to understand the CBRM process. The District Governor CBRM model incorporates the factors that NGG consider to be relevant in terms of their impact on the health, criticality and risk of their District Governors, including asset age, expected service life, situation, location and duty and environment.

The main objectives of this project were to:

The project evaluated the relative merits of three different systems for burning low calorific value gas. These were a diffusion flame combustion system (current Värnamo/ARBRE build), a lean premix combustion system (based on the ALSTOM-Lincoln premium fuelled G30 design) and a catalytic combustion system. The evaluation was based on assembly and analysis of:

Natural gas plays a critical role in the UK’s energy system, providing twice as much energy as electricity, thus the secure and affordable supply of natural gas is an essential element of UK energy security and a key objective of Government policy. The starting proposition for this report is that Brexit is coming at a time when there are already major challenges to the UK’s future gas security.

This report deploys two aspects of previous UKERC research on UK gas security: first, a supply chain approach to assessing UK gas security; and second, a whole systems approach that places current and future gas demand within the context of the decarbonisation of the UK’s energy system. This is because there are key uncertainties in the wider system that have important implications for future gas demand. It is in this context that the Brexit decision has created additional uncertainty at a time when the UK energy sector needs to make critical investment decisions. In the current situation we can conceive of a ‘Brexit Interregnum’ whereby important decisions and policies are delayed because of the demands of the Brexit negotiations.

This report has three objectives:

• To identify the key challenges facing the UK’s natural gas market;
• To understand the role that EU policies and institutions currently play in the operations of the UK’s natural gas market; and,
• To identify the potential impact of Brexit and the key issues that should be addressed in a post-Brexit ‘UK Gas Security Strategy.’

Midstream Infrastructure

The Midstream Infrastructure briefing considers the critical infrastructures - both hard and soft - that are necessary to link gas suppliers to end users. In many ways this is the most complex, least studied and most important part of the UK's gas supply chain. This briefing describes the various elements of the Midstream, assesses their current status, considers the potential impact on Brexit, and the challenges they pose in relation to future UK gas security.

The key challenge that the Midstream has to manage is the strong seasonality of UK gas demand, which is driven largely by winter demand for domestic heating. However, in recent years the growth of low-carbon generation (wind and solar) has introduced the additional complexity of intermittency, which is resulting in swings in gas demand on a much shorter time-frame. This is a challenge that is only going to increase in the future as coal-fired generation closes (by 2025) and intermittent low-carbon generation continues to grow.

The Future Role of Gas

The majority of studies of energy security focus on upstream security of supply. More recently, as the low-carbon transition has gathered momentum, there has been increasing interest in security of future demand as a challenge to the integrity of the gas supply chain. 

This briefing is divided into five sections. The first section examines the current role of natural gas in the UK energy mix, as well as recent trends in power generation. The second section reports on recent research by UKERC on the future role of gas in the UK. The third section examines what National Grid’s (2017a) most recent Future Energy Scenarios have to say about the future role of gas. The fourth section reviews other industry analyses about the future role of gas. The fifth, and final section, examines the ways in which Brexit complicates the situation. The briefing concludes by highlighting the policy challenges in relation to future

This briefing reports the findings of the first UK Gas Security Forum, which brings together a range of stakeholders
from government, business, think-tanks and academia to consider the impact of Brexit on the UK gas industry. The aim of the Forum is to inform the Brexit negotiations and the formulation of a Post-Brexit UK Gas Security Strategy.

The Forum builds on previous research funded by UKERC on:The UKs Global Gas Challenge(Bradshaw et al. 2014) andThe Future Role of Natural Gas in the UK(McGlade et al. 2016). The approach adopted combines a supply chain analysis of energy security with a whole system approach, that places gas security within the wider context of the decarbonisation of the UK energy system. In keeping with the wider framing of UK energy policy within the energy trilemma, it is assumed that a future UK gas strategy must de

The report also focuses on the broadly ‘physical’ factors that may restrict the rate at which conventional oil can be produced, including the production profile of individual fields and the distribution of resources between different sizes of field. While these are invariably mediated by economic, technical and political factors, the extent to which increased investment can overcome these physical constraints is contested. Global oil supply is also influenced by a much wider range of economic, political and geopolitical factors (e.g. resource nationalism) and several of these may pose a significant challenge to energy security, even in the absence of ‘below-ground’ constraints. What is disputed, however, is whether physical depletion is also likely to constrain global production in the near-term, even if economic and political conditions prove more favourable. In practice, these ‘above ground’ and ‘below ground’ risks are interdependent and difficult to separate. Nevertheless, this report focuses primarily on the latter since they are the focus of the peak oil debate.

The report does not investigate the potential consequences of supply shortages or the feasibility of different approaches to mitigating such shortages, although both are priorities for future research.

• Firstly, questions around the configuration and cost of representative (or ‘generic’) networks applicable to particular situations.
• Secondly, questions around the potential impact of selected, identified innovations on specific types of network.

The objectives of this project are:

A wide variety of gasification systems are continuing to be developed around the world, including Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) and the UK developed Air Blown Gasification Cycle (ABGC) systems. Originally, these systems were developed to be fired on various grades of coal, but there is now interest in using a more diverse range of solid fuels (e.g. co-firing coal with waste or biomass, using low grade coals and heavy fuel oils) in order to reduce environmental impact and fuel costs.

All gasification technologies require a heat exchanger (often called either a syngas cooler or fuel gas cooler) between the gasifier and the gas cleaning system. The duty required from this heat exchanger varies depending on the type of gasifier, gas-cleaning requirements (e.g. hot dry cleaning or wet scrubbing) and steam cycle needs.

The data generated has been used to identify safe operating windows where factors do not combine to produce rapid heat exchanger failures. Aspects such as candidate heat exchanger materials, gasifier type, fuel and fuel gas compositions, deposit compositions and heat exchanger operating conditions have been investigated.

This UKERC working paper reviews the literature on modelling natural gas demand and supply. This includes modelling natural gas markets in isolation, and as part of its role in the wider energy system.

This review is part of the work on a new, global gas model at the Institute for Sustainable Resources at University College London, through a UKERC PhD Studentship. The focus of the new model is on global gas production and trade, and its coupling with the TIMES Integrated Assessment model at University College London (TIAM-UCL) to represent gas demand.

Trade-offs: simplifying complexity without diverging from reality

The main section of this working paper provides a review of existing methods which model both supply chain and demand dynamics of natural gas (Part 1: recoverable volumes and corresponding costs of natural gas; Part 2: wider energy-system models; Part 3: natural gas market models). As with any modelling, it was found that there is always a trade-off between necessary simplifications, and the uncertainties and complexities which surround energy-economic-environmental systems.

In Part 1, this paper reviews a range of studies that have estimated recoverable volumes of natural gas. This includes both deterministic (e.g. a single point estimates of natural gas) and stochastic (e.g. probabilistic estimates including ranges of uncertainty) modelling methods, and the strengths and limitations of the approaches employed. The overall conclusion is that some level of probabilistic assessment is required when estimating recoverable volumes of natural gas and the cost range of extraction, particularly given the huge uncertainties inherent in the development of these resources (techno-economic, geological, environmental).

A key contribution of this review, in Part 2, is how natural gas is represented in energy system and integrated assessment models. This represents how gas supply and demand dynamics are also driven by wider developments in energy and environmental systems. Standalone natural gas models, described in Part 3, include gas market complexities. These have more disaggregated time-slices/temporal horizons in order to capture seasonality and the interaction between market agents. However, there is a trade-off between the temporal disaggregation, and the overall scope of the model. In short, the decision to take gas consumption from TIAM-UCL yields the benefit of a whole systems approach in the long-run, whilst limiting seasonal disaggregation in the short-term.

Introducing a new bottom-up global natural gas production and trade model

In section III, the paper introduces a new natural gas production and trade model, which is linked to TIAM-UCL. This linkage includes an aggregation of supply cost curves from a field-level gas volume and cost database, into the regions in TIAM-UCL. The gas model is able to account for aspects of gas markets which TIAM-UCL does not have in its architecture; e.g. fiscal regimes, take-or-pay contracts, price indexation.

Given the proprietary nature of cost data for natural gas extraction, a linear regression model was used to assign supply costs (the capital and operating expenditures required to get the gas out of the ground) to gas fields where no public information was available. This gas model aims to provide insights by quantifying various parameters which determine supply costs for individual natural gas fields, both developed and undeveloped; these include water depths, reservoir depths, the levels of hydrogen sulphide or carbon dioxide, and assumed risks to investment (e.g. due to location, political conditions, etc.).

The combination of the two models is intended to model scenarios, providing new insights into future natural gas price formation mechanics and longer-term policy developments which could alter/influence supply and demand.

Nearly all types of coal gasification based advanced power generation systems under development incorporate hot gas cleaning stages to remove particulates and gas phase contaminants prior to the gas turbine. These hot gas cleaning systems offer significant benefits over conventional wet scrubber clean-up systems. However the development of a continuous fully integrated process, in which gas cooling, sulphur/halide removal, using regenerable sorbents would give substantial benefits.

Systems of this type have a number of advantages: the use of regenerable sorbents produces less waste and reduces the operating cost associated with disposal of classified waste products; the fuel gas cooler is located in a benign environment and can therefore be used to generate superheated steam at supercritical conditions yielding a further improvement in cycle efficiency. In addition, the removal of gas contaminants early in the hot gas path will directly improve the environment for downstream components, e.g. hot gas filter parts. On the basis of the expected reduction in the corrosivity of the fuel gas, components' lives may be extended by up to ten times. This benefit would apply to all types of gasifier, including conventional oxygen blown IGCC's where the introduction of hot gas cleaning would otherwise happen downstream of the raw gas cooler and the hot gas filter, both of which would have to operate in a highly aggressive environment.

This project was targeted at developing such a novel integrated raw gas cooler and sulphur and halide removal process for gasification plant. The desulphurisation process is based on a twin fluidised bed system employing direct solids transfer between adjacent vessels. Halide removal is achieved by means of sorbent injection.

The first stage of the project developed a series of mathematical models for the twin-bed desulphurisation concept. Then a 2-D cold model was designed and manufactured to demonstrate the concepts and the validity of the mathematical models produced. After a series of modifications were carried out and their effects assessed, a twin bed unit was designed and manufactured that was capable of being used initially as a 3-D cold model and then being retrofitted to an existing atmospheric pressure gasifier. The 3-D unit functioned as anticipated as a cold model, demonstrating the expected particle flux between the twin beds, and also showed that there were low gas leakage rates between the two beds. After being retrofitted to an existing atmospheric pressure gasifier, the twin bed unit was used to demonstrate the effect of sulphur sorbent on real gasifier derived fuel gases. Limestone, a well known sulphur sorbent in oxidising atmospheres and reducing atmospheres, was selected to test the effectiveness of the twin bed unit in this project. The twin bed was operated with the outlet gases from the gasifier in one side (absorber side) and with air in the regeneration side of the system. Several operating conditions and variables have been studied in the system: gas velocity, bed temperature. The use of the limestone sorbent in the twin-bed reduced the H2S level in the fuel gas stream under all the conditions investigated.

The twin bed system seems to be a promising technology for a heat exchanger system, due to the good particle flows between the two fluidised beds, and for the reduction in contaminant emissions. However, further work is required to improve the understanding of the twin-bed hydrodynamics, as well as to develop sorbents with operating temperatures that are compatible with the twin-bed concept. Two options for the twin bed system have been suggested as worth pursuing as viable use of this technology in gasification plant design. The first involve a twin-bed gasification-heat exchange system where gas from a gasifier is fed to one vessel and heat is transferred to a second by means of re-circulating solids. The second option is a triple-bed adsorption-regeneration-heat exchange system, where the gas from the gasifier is fed to a vessel and the H2S is removed. Catalyst/sorbent is transferred to a second bed for regeneration, and solids are transferred to a third vessel where heat is removed.

1. Introduction and Background
2. Aims and Objectives
3. Reactor Design
4. Pilot Scale Desulphurisation Studies
5. Halide Removal Studies
6. Scale-Up Issues
7. Conclusions
8. Recommendations
9. References
10. Meanings of Symbols

The overall aim of the project was to develop a novel integrated fuel gas cooler and sulphur and halide removal process for coal gasification plants. Specific objectives were:

This project was targeted at developing a novel integrated raw gas cooler and sulphur/halide removal process for gasification plants. This desulphurisation process is based on a twin fluidised bed system employing direct solids transfer between adjacent reactor vessels, with halide removal being achieved by means of sorbent injection.

Within this project a series of mathematical models were developed for the twin-bed desulphurisation concept. Then a 2-D cold model was designed and manufactured to demonstrate the concepts and the validity of the mathematical models produced.

Following on from this, a twin-bed unit was developed from initial design through construction to operation in the hot gas path of an air blown fluidised bed gasification pilot plant. Initially the unit was used as a 3-D 'cold model' for further testing of the twin-bed concept and producing model validation data (particle and gas transfer rates between the twin-beds).

The twin-bed gas cleaning/heat exchanger system shows promise for use on gasification systems, as has been demonstrated by inter-bed heat flux and reduced H2S emissions in all the experiments carried out in the pilot scale hot test rig during this project. However, further work is necessary to understand the complex nature of this process.

The objective of the 40mm Serviflex project is to prove the suitability of using a 40mm Serviflex pipe to renew 2" steel on Great Britain's (GB) gas network. The main application that this will be beneficial to is the replacement of the below ground approach mains for network risers.

SGN have almost 200 thousand network risers within multiple occupancy buildings throughout its Scotland and Southern networks. A common factor that results in risers being deemed unsuitable and subject to a full replacement is the deterioration of the below ground approach mains sections of risers, which are commonly found to be constructed from 2" steel. Serviflex is a corrugated dual wall liner manufactured by Radius Systems Ltd that when used with specialist installation equipment can negotiate tight bends without compromising its design life. SGN currently utilises the 20mm Serviflex pipe to renew gas mains services up to 1 ¼" back to the original meter position.

The use of 40mm Serviflex in riser repair applications will allow the partial repair and refurbishment of existing risers as opposed to the full replacement of them, resulting in reduced time required by SGN and minimising disruptions. It will also allow for these activities to be carried out with less disruption (excavations, lifting floor boards etc.) both within and out with consumers premises.

Project recommendations:

• Appendix A - Training presentation
• Appendix B - Trainers manual
• Appendix C - Training course test paper
• Appendix D - Course registers
• Appendix E - Draft GIS/PL5-1:2015
• Appendix F - SGN draft work instruction
• Appendix G - Field trial report
• Appendix H - Cost analysis from 'The Sunshine' pub Farlington
• Appendix I - Pipe sizing analysis

The Acoustic Communication in Gas Pipes project is concerned with developing an alternative communication method to interconnect pressure monitoring and control equipment.

This project aimed to potentially replace the rented telephone landlines and mobile communication links presently used, and also provide improved network pressure control to minimise gas leakage.

Currently many of the low pressure gas networks employ data logger and electronic control equipment to monitor pressures and profile control governors. These collect operational data for management and planning purposes and minimise network pressures to reduce gas leakage.

The technique to be investigated is the use of acoustic communications within low pressure gas networks. The acoustic technique, through laboratory simulation and field trials was anticipated to provide gain an understanding of typical pipe network acoustic characteristics under operational gas conditions to ascertain a suitable transmission signature signal for data transfer and to discover the potential restrictions of the technique.

Having discussed potential new solutions with existing suppliers, it was deemed more valuable to send invitations to partner to Universities that have relevant experience in this area of work. Various Universities were contacted throughout Great Britain (GB), from which SGN received one positive response from the University of Southampton's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research. Their extensive experience in the analysis of sound and vibration propagation in pipe work systems demonstrated their pertinence in working on this project. Additionally, the University of Southampton extensive specialist research facilities for laboratory testing provided reliable and available testing conditions. SGN would provide access to typical low pressure networks to gather acoustic data for analysis and information to allow network models to be built and assessed for acoustic propagation.

To achieve the project aims, the University of Southampton proposed to develop suitable measurement, testing and recoding techniques capable of gathering acoustic data based on their understanding of SGN's pipe networks' acoustic characteristics. Laboratory simulation to test this new method would then be carried out, followed by an acoustic study on a typical gas main network. The equipment and techniques used to receive suitable acoustic signals would also be assessed. The received signal transmission would then be analysed to establish the characteristics of a potential suitable signature acoustic signal for transmission.

Following the testing of the electroacoustic instrumentation on metallic and plastic pipes, the equipment demonstrated that sound can be transmitted and measured along distances of up to 750 metres. A suitable sound signal level was also established to be typically below 1800 Hz in a 100mm plastic pipe diameter. Acoustic communication is possible using the electroacoustic instrumentation. However, sound reflected along metallic pipes and against certain pipe layouts, makes it difficult to communicate information accurately. Therefore, since pipes cannot be adjusted for acoustic communication purposes, the next steps would be to develop more suitable frequency modulated signals.

1. Introduction
2. Investment options
3. Project delivery
4. Project team structure
5. Site preparation works
6. Results of testing
7. Conclusion
8. Recommendations
9. University of Southampton Executive Summary
10. Introduction
11. Scope of document
12. Project objectives
13. Summary of test conducted
14. Results
15. Prediction model of sound transmission
16. Conclusions
17. Recommendations
18. References

A UKERC Research Report exploring the UK's global gas challenge. This report takes an interdisciplinary perspective, which marries energy security insights from politics and international relations, with detailed empirical understanding from energy studies and perspectives from economic geography that emphasise the spatial distribution of actors, networks and resource flows that comprise the global gas industry.

Natural gas production in the UK peaked in 2000, and in 2004 it became a net importer. A decade later and the UK now imports about half of the natural gas that it consumes. The central thesis of the project on which this report is based is that as the UK’s gas import dependence has grown, it has effectively been ‘globalising’ its gas security; consequently UK consumers are increasingly exposed to events in global gas markets.

UKERC research highlights ‘lack of a clear vision of the future role for gas’ in the UK’s energy system, and cautions that, without CCS, a second ‘dash for gas’ could compromise decarbonisation ambitions. Please download the report using the button above.

This systematic review assesses the insight offered by thesemethodologies and critically evaluates their usefulness in projecting future oil production.It focuses on models that project future rates of oil production, and does not address themodeling or estimation of oil resources (e.g., ultimately recoverable resources, or URR).Models reviewed include the Hubbert methodology, other curve-fitting methods, simulations of resource discovery and extraction, detailed bottom-up models, and theoretical and empirical economic models of oil resource depletion. Important examples of published models are discussed, and the benefits and drawbacks of these models are outlined. I also discuss the physical and economic assumptions that serve as the basis for the studied models.

This report provides a detailed comparison and evaluation of fourteen contemporaryforecasts of global oil supply. The forecasts are based upon mathematical models ofvarious levels of complexity, embodying a wide range of modelling approaches andassumptions. In addition, the views of two oil companies on the likely adequacy of future oil supply are also summarised.

This submission focuses on the potential impact of shale gas production on the global gas industry. Firstly, it suggests that the rapid development of shale gas production in the United States (US) has had a significant impact as it has resulted in the loss of a major market for LNG exporters. Events in Japan post-Fukushima are also an important factor in explaining the current situation. Secondly, the very low price for gas in the US, as a result of shale gas production, is putting pressure on gas price formation, both in Europe in relation to long-term oil-indexed pipeline imports and in the Asia-Pacific region in relation to long-term oil-indexed LNG imports. However, the high-price of oil is also a key factor in the current debate over the future pricing of natural gas. To conclude, the potential for significant shale gas production is an important factor in the current uncertainty over the future of the global gas industry, but it is not the only factor at play and any assessment of shale gas must be made in the wider context of multiple uncertainties.