Development of numerical tools for the simulation of natural gas system and its interactions with the electricity system

The increasing share of renewable energy presents several challenges, however, and particularly with regard to the effects on the natural gas system, which must balance the intermittent and variable electricity production of uncontrollable renewable sources. The key issues regarding the natural gas system are:

- Significant and frequent pressure fluctuations in the natural gas system resulting from the integration of intermittent renewable energy.

- Optimizing the size and the location of gas storage facilities 

- Optimizing the type and ideal location of compressor facilities 

- Introduction of new types of natural gas consumers and its impacts on the NG system 

- Coupling between the natural gas and the electric system for optimizing their reliability 

Tackling these issues requires the use of complex numerical tools. The existing commercial energy system modeling software do not have a modular approach and have to be set up in a labor-intensive manner. There is a need for flexible tools, based on open source codes, which will consider the last up-to-date theoretical development in the field. The team are using the GRAIL code developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, written in JULIA programming language. These tools ensure automated analysis and optimization, which may be of interest not only for the future planning of the electrical network, but to its daily control as well. These generic tools are tested specifically for the Israeli case. These tools ensure optimal integration of renewable energy whilst keeping the electricity system reliable and resilient
The outcome of the collaboration will be a collection of computational models that address specific questions about design and operations of integrated gas and electricity delivery systems. These tools will enable automated analysis and optimization that is not possible with current energy system modeling software for which analysis must be set up in a labor-intensive manner. These tools will be based on new theoretical approaches developed at the University of Arizona. The team will then test these tools on the Israeli system and develop a set of detailed scenarios that will guide decision-making for the IISO. The transfer of confidential data from the Israeli Natural Gas system will be subject to the authorization of IISO Data Security Department