Computational Analysis of Natural Gas Supply Chains

Dear Colleagues,

The emissions of greenhouse gases around the world must be considerably reduced to combat global warming, and the energy and transportation sectors are presently the largest emitters. In the long run, all energy sources have to become renewable, but during the transition period, solutions with lower CO₂ emissions will play a key role. An increased use of variable and intermittent renewable energy sources also brings about challenges concerning operational flexibility, reliability, and sustainability of the power systems.

Natural gas (NG) is today the fastest growing energy source, and it is obvious that NG will play an important role during the energy transition phase: Its CO₂ emissions are lower than for other fossil fuels, and NG is a necessary complement to intermittent renewable energy sources in power production. However, because of its lower energy density and the globally distributed locations of the gas sources, it has become increasingly important to design efficient gas distribution chains. The supply chain of liquefied natural gas (LNG) calls for special transportation and storage solutions due to the low temperature (about  -160 °C) and the associated problem of boil-off gas handling.

The present Special Issue of Energies focuses on computational tools for the design and operation of efficient natural gas supply chains, including transportation of gas in pipelines, in compressed (CNG) or liquefied form by ships or by trucks. Studies of interest include but are not limited to optimal design and operation of gas pipeline networks, LNG or CNG supply chains, considering economic, reliability, and sustainability issues. Furthermore, papers addressing the interplay between gas supply and distribution of other energy forms (e.g., power), as well as planning, scheduling, and dynamic aspects of gas delivery are also welcome.

We would like to invite authors to submit papers related to computational analysis of natural gas supply chains. We also encourage experts to submit review papers that systematically summarize the progress and propose lines of future development in the field.

Prof. Henrik Saxén
Dr. Kwabena Addo Pambour
Dr. Frank Pettersson
Guest Editor

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