Optimal Operation and Maintenance of Gas Compressor Stations: An Integrated Framework Applied to a Large-Scale Industrial Case

This paper presents a framework which integrates maintenance and optimal operation of multiple compressors. The outcome of this framework is a multiperiod plan which provides the schedule of the operation of compressors: the schedule gives the best decisions to be taken, for example, when to carry out maintenance, which compressors to use online and how much to load them. These decisions result in the minimization of the total operational costs of the compressors while at the same time the demand of the plant is met. The suggested framework is applied to an industrial gas compressor station which encompasses large multistage centrifugal compressors operating in parallel. The optimization model of the framework consists of three main parts: the models of compressor maps, the operational aspects of compressors, and a maintenance model. The results illustrate the optimal schedule for 90 days and an example of the optimal distribution of the load of the compressors for 5 days. Finally, the results show the economical benefits from the integration of maintenance and optimization.