ANALYSIS OF DEPENDENCE BETWEEN CAPITAL EXPENDUTURES OF CONSTRUCTION WORKS AND GAS DISTRIBUTION PIPELINE DIAMETER

Materials consumption rate is used by many authors as the criterion for the assessment of the economic efficiency of gas distribution networks in the course of their design. No doubt that control over the materials consumption rate is of particular importance. However, we believe that it represents one of several constituents of the overall cost of a gas network piping project. Labour expenditures and earth works that are, to some extent, dependent on the diameter of a pipeline, should also be taken into account. Presently, metal and polyethylene pipes of standard diameters are used in gas network development projects. Diameters of pipes of external gas distribution networks are rounded up to the closest standard diameter of pipes as a result of a hydraulic calculation. The cost of construction of a gas pipeline has multiple constituents that may be clustered into three principle groups: 1) earth works, 2) piping; 3) cost of materials. Calculation of the cost of construction of low and medium pressure pipelines to be made of steel and cross-linked polyethylene was performed to find out the cost of a pipeline. The calculations were made in the basic prices of the year 2000 adjusted to the figures of April 2011, given the standard piping conditions in a settlement within central Russia. The data were interpolated by means of a quadratic function. On the basis of the above data, a comparative analysis of capital expenditures in respect of steel and polyethylene piping may be performed. The research also contemplates the structure of expenses associated with the piping of gas distribution networks. Mathematical equations have been derived to perform sufficiently accurate calculations of costs of construction of various types and various lengths of gas pipelines