Patent ID: 7587326

Claim:
A method of analyzing and balancing one or more logical pools in a gas transmission network for the purpose of scheduling the movement of gas through the gas transmission network, wherein the method is executed as a computer program on a digital computer, the method comprising the steps of: (a) identifying at least one logical pool within said gas transmission network, each of said identified pools having at least one input link and one output link, (i) wherein each of said pool input links either connects two of said identified pools together or is associated with an external receipt, and (ii) wherein each of said pool output links either connects two of said identified pools together or is associated with an external delivery; (b) determining for each of said identified pools an input amount of gas available for that pool, wherein said input amount of gas available for each pool is greater than or equal to zero; (c) for each of said identified pools for which said input amount of gas available is greater than zero, using said pool output links to numerically distribute said input amounts of gas through said identified pools until each of said input amounts of gas reaches an external delivery; (d) deriving a pool balance solution according to the numerical calculation of step (c); and (e) outputting from the digital computer the pool balance solution for the identified pools.