A Phenomenological Approach to the Analysis of Gas Pipeline Operation Data

This study examines how pressure and flow-rate records from the supervisory control and data acquisition system of a main gas pipeline can be interpreted in relation to gas-flow dynamics and measurement consistency. The phenomenological approach combines analysis of observed fluctuations with consideration of irregular, threshold-based data transmission, statistical characterization of recorded sequences, and comparison of concurrent readings with physical relationships between parameters. Records collected under standard operating conditions at pipeline valve units, compressor stations, and gas distribution stations show that transmission-session order and physical time provide different representations of the dynamics. For the examined sequences indexed by transmission session, the original values are non-stationary, whereas their first differences are stationary and consistent with white noise; an autoregressive integrated moving average model of order (0, 1, 0) provides an adequate statistical description. Registered oscillations include nearly periodic fluctuations with varying periods and amplitudes; a flow-rate example links them to uneven gas consumption. Averaging suppresses rapid fluctuations, but the result depends on the indexing used. A possible contribution of analog-to-digital conversion noise remains a hypothesis and is not established by the statistical model. Comparison of concurrent pressure readings also reveals inconsistencies with expected physical relationships. These findings support interpretation of dispatch records and measurement-consistency checks; their use for targeted metrological verification and refinement of gas-transport models requires further validation.