Running Surge Studies for Batched Pipelines

DOT Regulations require liquid pipeline operators to provide controls that prevent abnormal operating transient pressures from exceeding 110% of the pipeline MOP. Typically, pipelines transporting a high-density product generate higher surge pressures compared to those moving low-density product for similar conditions. Batching dynamics may allow high-density products to achieve instantaneous rates greater than full line fill capacity resulting in higher surge pressures. Thus, surge studies on batched pipelines present challenges to identify and protect all possible operating scenarios on the pipeline. This paper discusses the challenges associated with running surge studies for a batched pipeline and proposes methods to model these surge studies.