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Title: Determination Of Leakage And Unaccounted For Gas
Author: David Wofford
Source: 2012 International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement
Year Published: 2012
Abstract: Leakage and unaccounted for gas volumes are of the most significant costs of operation for natural gas producers, gatherers, processors, transporters and distribution system operators. These operational costs are so significant that such are directly addressed in tariffs, rate case filings and contractual agreements between parties in order that such may be itemized as a cost of operation, equitably managed and responsibly mitigated. Common acronyms denoting lost and unaccounted for gas volumes are LAUF (Lost And Unaccounted For), LUG (Lost and Unaccounted for Gas) and UAF (UnAccounted For). All of these designations refer to the same issue - Product that you believe you should be able to account for but for some reason cannot. For the sake of this discussion, LAUF shall be our acronym of reference. So what is LAUF? It is the difference, or amount of imbalance, determined when performing physical system volumetric, energy or mass balancing analyses. The causes of LAUF are rooted in the inherent uncertainties associated with hydrocarbon measurement, as well as variances and errors that occur within the systems and processes employed to measure, record and calculate volumetric, energy and mass quantities. LAUF issues are quantified within defined categories that comprise a typical pipeline system balancing analysis. Several of the most prevalent are System Receipts, Deliveries, Fuel and Use, Metering and Quantity Calculation Integrity, Line Pack and Variance, Pipeline Retrograde Condensation, Gas Quality, Contaminants and Impurities, and Leakage. While this categorical list captures most of the issues that will arise during system balancing analysis and LAUF mitigation, there are inevitably outliers that creep in from time to time to cause hair-pulling grief for the system operator and balancing analyst. So a bit of advice when it comes to LAUF determination and mitigation - Remain open minded to any and all possibilities!

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