Pipelines and Storage Tanks for Gases and Petroleum Products

Abstract

The natural gas consumption for the year 1992 was worldwide around 2’150 Mrd m³ (1 Mrd = 1 billion = 10⁹), which corresponds to a primary energy consumption of 23%. In Western Europe the natural gas consumption for the same period reached 320 Mrd m³ (i.e., 14% of the world consumption). This corresponds to primary energy consumption of 17%. The need were covered to about two third by supplies from Western Europe own production and to one third by supplies from Russia, Algeria, and Libya. The most important production site in Western Europe is Norway (North-Sea), with 2’000 Mrd m³ of assessed reserves. The supply from this region amounts to 30 Mrd m³ per year, of which one part is distributed by pipeline to Great-Britain and the other to Continental Europe, corresponding to 9% of the consumption of Western Europe. The second largest producer are the Netherlands Groningen), with assessed reserves of 1,950 Mrd m³ natural gas. The natural gas is exported from Holland by “Gasunie” and amounts to 40 Mrd m³ per year. The natural gas pipeline network in continental Europe has a length of over 600’000 km and shows many ramifications, allowing a fine distribution to most important consumers (Figure 6.1).