Network Design Optimization for Biomethane Feed-in from Decentralized Production Sites

Abstract

Biomethane can serve as an alternative to fossil fuels. Pipeline and compressor infrastructure must be built to enable the feed-in of biomethane from decentralized production sites into the existing gas network. Costs can be reduced by sharing this transport infrastructure among individual biogas plant operators. To find the cost-optimal layout, a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problem is formulated. The model is expanded to show the effect of considering not only pipe cost but also compressor cost in the objective. It is applied to an Austrian region to find the optimal network for 14 biogas plants. After optimization, two allocation methods for sharing investment costs among biogas plants are explored: an equal cost approach and a volumetric share approach. Optimal network topology changes due to the modified objective, resulting in significant cost savings of 9 % for the total region and 19 % for a subregion. Investment costs for individual biogas plant operators vary widely, depending on network configuration and chosen allocation method.