A medium-term operation model for a natural gas system

During last decades, consumption of natural gas has been continuously increasing worldwide. Hence, infrastructure has been developed to transport the natural gas from the well to the final consumer. Natural gas chain value can be segmented in upstream and downstream sectors. The organization of the upstream sector is similar to that of the oil sector, whereas the organization of the downstream sector resembles much that of the electricity sector. The frontier between both sectors is usually placed in the international borders. Specifically, the operation model focuses on the downstream sector. The supply activity and the utilization of the different infrastructure such as the liquefied natural gas terminal or the storage facilities are considered. The upstream sector is not completely ignored as it is characterized in the supply activity. The operation model can be a support for taking decisions in the medium term on behalf of involved companies in the gas market as illustrated by the case study.