The simulation of natural gas pipeline systems is based on the partial differential equations describing the pipeline fluids. The division of time and space has a great influence on the results of the numerical method adopted in the simulation. In this paper, the state equation is used to model and analyze the hydraulic characteristics of pipelines. The model is a lumped parameter model that is a common model in control theory. The modeling process includes approximation and linearization, so the applicability of the model needs to be analyzed. Pipe length selection is an important factor in modeling. Short pipe divisions will lead to too many modules and complex modeling of the whole pipeline, while long pipe divisions will lead to model distortion.Taking 1016 mm diameter natural gas pipeline as an example, the state space equation is deduced based on the basic equation of pipeline flow. Through comparative analysis of the state space model and commercial software simulation, the applicability and robustness of the model show that the proposed state space model can better describe the flow characteristics of 1016mm diameter pipelines. Thus, the state space model can be used in the control analysis of natural gas pipelines.