The Challenge: Natural gas distribution systems change over time, making existing hydraulic models less reliable if they are not regularly updated and verified.
The Solution: Venturi’s Model Build & Verification (MBV) services update hydraulic models and verify their accuracy against actual operating data.
The Results: More reliable models help utilities identify system limitations, assess capacity, and make better-informed operational and infrastructure decisions.
The Bottom Line: Verified hydraulic models allow utilities to manage costs, make better use of existing infrastructure, and plan for future demand with greater confidence.
The Challenge
Natural gas distribution systems are constantly evolving. Communities grow, infrastructure changes, and customer demand increases. These changes can affect system pressures, gas flows and overall capacity. It then becomes challenging for utilities to understand how their networks perform under different conditions.
That’s when hydraulic modeling comes into play. It provides a clearer understanding of how gas distribution networks perform under various conditions. By simulating gas flow and pressure throughout a network, hydraulic models reveal potential limitations and system behavior.
Hydraulic models are essential engineering tools for natural gas distribution planning. However, they are only as reliable as the data and assumptions behind them. Over time, operating conditions, equipment, and demand can change, making the original model outdated. Without regular verification, the model may no longer reflect actual system conditions, leading to unreliable results and less informed decisions.
Without an accurate and verified model, utilities face greater uncertainty when evaluating their system.
The Solution
At Venturi, our Model Build & Verification (MBV) services address this challenge, helping natural gas utilities maintain accurate and reliable hydraulic models that reflect their actual distribution systems.
The process involves two key steps:
1. Model Building and Updating
We review and update hydraulic models to incorporate system changes, confirm network connectivity, validate facility information, and ensure customer demand is accurately represented. This helps create a strong foundation for further analysis.
2. Model Verification
We evaluate model performance against actual field operating conditions. By comparing simulated pressures and flows with corresponding field measurements, we assess how accurately the model represents the distribution system.
If significant discrepancies are found, the model can be reviewed and adjusted to better match actual system behavior. Together, these steps help ensure the model can be trusted for engineering decisions.
The Results
Key benefits of an accurate and verified hydraulic model include:
- More reliable results: Greater confidence that simulated pressures and flows reflect actual system behavior.
- Better infrastructure planning: A clearer understanding of future demand, system capacity, and where infrastructure updates may be needed.
- Easier identification of system constraints: Better insight into potential low-pressure areas, capacity limitations, and other system performance concerns.
- More informed decisions: Less uncertainty when evaluating system changes and comparing infrastructure alternatives.
Beyond assessing current system conditions, a verified hydraulic model provides a valuable foundation for long-term distribution system planning. It allows utilities to assess various development scenarios, plan ahead, and prioritize investments.
Ultimately, verified hydraulic models help utilities operate more efficiently, manage costs, and make better use of existing infrastructure. They support more reliable service, smarter resource allocation, and sustainable system growth over the long term.
The Bottom Line
A hydraulic model is only valuable if it reflects how the system actually performs.
Venturi’s Model Build & Verification (MBV) services help utilities maintain accurate, reliable models that support better engineering decisions, more efficient use of existing infrastructure, and long-term planning. With a verified model, utilities can better prepare for future demand while keeping costs under control.
About the Author
Lester Evangelista is a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with 12 years of experience in natural gas distribution engineering. He currently serves as the Gas Hydraulics Division Lead at Venturi, specializing in hydraulic modeling, system capacity assessments, and long-term infrastructure planning.
Prior to joining Venturi, Lester spent 10 years at ATCO Gas, gaining extensive experience in distribution system design, operations engineering, and system planning. His combined technical and operational background provides a comprehensive understanding of natural gas distribution systems, allowing him to lead engineering projects that support system reliability, infrastructure development, and informed investment decisions for utility clients.
