SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

This is intended to be a multi-year project that will combine the expertise in energy, surety and economics from organization both here in the U.S. and in the R.F. The primary participants will include Sandia National Laboratories (management and surety), Purdue University (economics and energy trading), VNIIEF (management and modeling), Gazprom (Russian natural gas) and RAO ES (Russian electricity). To address the problem of how to best to distribute the vast natural gas resources of the Russian Federation, we propose to look at gas pipeline/electric power grid reliability along with its vulnerabilities while keeping a very close eye on the economic realities in the RF. The expected results of this proposal are an integrated model of Russian energy flow and infrastructure with aspects of both surety and economics embedded within it. From this modeling effort, optimization and simulations can be assembled and run to determine the best strategies for maintenance and repair, energy resource trading, and future investment.

In its initial phase (first eighteen months), the effort would consist of data collection, refinement of the energy trading and surety models to accommodate the data, integration of these models, and proof-of-principle simulations to demonstrate optimization with respect to both energy economics and energy surety. The first phase would also initiate the development of the technologies for smart pipes that can monitor gas flow and third-party contacts in real time; robots that can perform internal detection and repair; systems that can remotely detect methane emissions. The long-term vision for the management system includes instrumentation, telemetry, and process control, in addition to the modeling/optimization capability. The IRM would function as the operational and training center within which these capabilities would be exercised.

Proposal

"The Development of a Regional Gas & Electricity Resource Decision Support System (DSS) for the Russian Federation," Richard Smith, John Espinoza (Sandia Laboratories), F.T. Sparrow, Dennis Engi, Brian H. Bowen (Purdue University), April 2001.
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