Contents Under Pressure by Sylvia F. Munson

Regular readers of this blog may recall that about two and a half years ago I read several books about utility depreciation. This was part of my preparation for a new job at the time. I recently changed jobs, and that is starting a new round of reading.

A book that came highly recommended by my new supervisor is Contents Under Pressure by Sylvia F. Munson. In this book, Munson describes the business processes and operations of natural gas pipelines.

This book provides a very straightforward description of the process. It is complicated. Munson does not avoid the complexity, but neither does she get bogged down in trying to describe every situation that may arise.

Readers of this book can gain an understanding of how the business of a natural gas pipeline is set up. It shows how the industry and regulators have solved a lot of practical problems. How does a customer of a pipeline (shipper) tell the pipeline how much gas it wants to transport (nomination)? How does the pipeline figure out how to balance the gas available and wanted and how to move it (scheduling)? How does the pipeline reconcile what was schedules with what actually happens (allocation) because gas moving in a pipe is a complex thing? Munson describes these processes and the regulations and standards that govern them.

Munson does not try to be excessively comprehensive. Anyone who works doing this type of work for a pipeline or shipper will need to become familiar with a lot of rules, standards and company-specific procedures. However, Contents Under Pressure is a place to get started. It is also a book that shows the process from beginning to end so one can see how one step leads to the next.

The book has several short segments that are contributed by other authors. These contributors have experience in the energy industry and most are connected to the North American Energy Standards Board through positions of leadership or committee service.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in

Depreciation Systems by Frank K. Wolf & W. Chester Fitch

Public Utility Depreciation by NARUC

Munson, Sylvia F. Contents Under Pressure: The Complete Handbook of Natural Gas Transportation. Houston, TX: Farris Ventures.