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Technology Collaboration Programme by IEA

Explore our Publications Library

Discover the latest advances carbon capture and storage research

Technical Review

Evaluating the Costs of Retrofitting CO₂

  • 1 April 2017
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

The purpose of this report is to present a reference document that describes the technical basis and key assumptions to be used in evaluating the performance of the integrated oil refinery without and with CO<sub>2</sub> capture. The engineering and design basis, and various assumptions on feedstock, additives, products and by-products, and the specification of the CO<sub>2</sub> that are outlined in this report will be used as a reference for developing the refinery configurations to be developed in the study which will be published once the project is completed. Where applicable, information retrieved from IEAGHG document “Criteria for Technical and Economic Assessment of Plants with Low CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions” Version C-6, March 2014, are included.

Technical Review

Ethane and CO₂ shipping

  • 1 March 2017
  • Transport

The study is a first stage assessment of a novel concept of transporting ethane from the USA in dedicated maritime carriers to Europe, which are modified from standard designs to be equipped to carry both ethane and CO<sub>2</sub>, so that CO<sub>2</sub> can be transported back (back hauled) to the USA for use in CO₂-EOR operations.

Technical Review

Reference data and Supporting Literature Reviews for SMR Based Hydrogen Production with CCS

  • 1 March 2017
  • Capture
  • Industry Insights

Over the past years a number of demonstration CCS projects have been developed around the world with the aim to provide valuable information, assist in the design of large CO<sub>2 </sub>capture plants and to advance the understanding of CO<sub>2 </sub>behaviour in the subsurface. The objectives of the CCS demonstration projects can be summarized as follows: <!-- wp:acf/columns {"name":"acf/columns","data":{"padding_top":"1","_padding_top":"field_columns_fields_padding_top","padding_bottom":"1","_padding_bottom":"field_columns_fields_padding_bottom","margin_top":"0","_margin_top":"field_columns_fields_margin_top","margin_bottom":"0","_margin_bottom":"field_columns_fields_margin_bottom"},"mode":"preview"} --> <!-- wp:acf/column-content {"name":"acf/column-content","mode":"preview"} --> <!-- wp:list --><ul> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Demonstrating the technical feasibility of a particular technology</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Gaining operational experience and economic information</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Gathering data to support the development of large scale projects</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --></ul><!-- /wp:list --> <!-- /wp:acf/column-content --> <!-- /wp:acf/columns --> The purpose of this technical review is to provide an overview of the major on-going Demo CCS projects applied to SMR Hydrogen Plants with a focus on the CO<sub>2 </sub>capture system. In particular, the technical approach used for the design and execution of the Demo Plants and the relevant peculiarities are outlined.

Technical Report

Techno - Economic Evaluation of SMR Based Standalone (Merchant) Hydrogen Plant with CCS

  • 1 February 2017
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

This study aimed to provide baseline information presenting the performance and costs of incorporating the CO<sub>2</sub> capture technologies to a SMR based hydrogen plant operating as merchant plant (as a standalone plant). The basis of the design of the hydrogen production process are presented in the main report. These are briefly described in this overview. The selection of technology options for CO<sub>2</sub> capture is based on the available information and performance data that could be provided by equipment manufacturers and suppliers.

Technical Report

Techno-Economic Evaluation of HYCO Plant Integrated to Ammonia / Urea or Methanol Production with CCS

  • 1 February 2017
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

The ammonia and methanol industry is an allied industry very related to the production of hydrogen or HyCO gas. Globally, around 60% of the produced hydrogen is consumed by these industries. Outside China, production of these chemicals from natural gas is predominant. In fact, the production of ammonia and methanol is always an important strategy on how natural gas assets are monetised. An important aspects of this study is to demonstrate how an SMR based hydrogen/HyCO production is integrated to an industrial complex. Furthermore, it is essential to understand the different aspects of the production process and how will it be affected when additional CO<sub>2</sub> is captured from the SMR’s flue gas. IEAGHG has commissioned this study to evaluate the performance and cost of deploying CO<sub>2</sub> capture and storage in mega-plants producing urea and methanol from natural gas as feedstock. The results presented in this study should form the basis of future studies in industrial CCS and CCU.

Technical Report

Monitoring & Modelling Meeting

  • 1 February 2017
  • Event Proceedings
  • Storage

The combined meeting of the IEAGHG Monitoring and Modelling Networks took place at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation from the 6-8th July 2016. The meeting brought together leading experts from research and industry to discuss the latest work and developments, with around 60 participants from 11 countries participating.The theme for this meeting was ‘using the modelling-monitoring loop to demonstrate storage performance more effectively’. Sessions on monitoring included induced seismicity, novel monitoring techniques, monitoring costs, near-surface natural variability, monitoring CO<sub>2</sub>-EOR, wellbore integrity issues, modelling environmental conditions, updates from ongoing and closed projects, lessons from other industries, modelling reservoirs and overburden, pressure measurements and conformance in the monitoring modelling loop.

Technical Report

Case Studies of CO₂ Storage in Depleted Oil and Gas Fields

  • 1 January 2017
  • Storage

CO₂ storage has now been tested at a number of demonstration sites around the world, including some depleted oil and gas reservoirs. The use of depleted reservoirs can offer some advantages because the geological characteristics that are pertinent to CO₂ storage, such as the distribution of porosity and permeability, have been pre-determined. Although depleted hydrocarbon fields can show strong evidence of fluid retention, there are risks associated with existing wellbores and the possibility of caprock deterioration. The aim of this study is to highlight key factors that influence CO<sub>2</sub> storage in depleted oil and gas fields based on four detailed examples. Comparisons were made between storage operations in depleted fields (with or without enhanced hydrocarbon recovery) and storage in saline aquifers with the approaches required in modelling, monitoring, reporting, economics, and operational strategies. Fundamental differences in the reservoir pressure and risk profiles between the different storage sites have been explored. These studies have also allowed a comparative assessment to be made of the requirements for CO₂ storage projects from different geographic and regulatory regimes. The work was led by the British Geological Survey with support from the Gulf Coast Carbon Center based at the University of Texas at Austin.

Technical Review

Review of CO₂ Storage Basalts

  • 1 January 2017
  • Storage

This technical review has been undertaken with the aim of providing a high level overview of the current status of basalts as an option for the geological storage of CO₂. The review also includes a short section on the storage potential of ultramafic rocks.<br />Two high profile sites, CarbFix in Iceland and the Wallula project in Washington State have both injected and monitored CO₂ storage in basalts since 2012 and research has recently been published for both sites. Basalts are important storage sites to consider for CCS as they comprise approximately 10% of the Earth’s surface and are often located in areas where no other storage options exist. Basalts have a high weight percentage of Ca, Mg and Fe rich minerals which react with CO₂ to form carbonates. At the pilot projects Wallula and CarbFix, in-situ carbonisation has been proven to occur and within much shorter timescales than initially predicted. In conventional deep sandstone aquifer storage sites, CO₂ remains buoyant for 1,000s to 100,000s of years and consequently this form of storage relies predominately on structural and solution trapping within the reservoirs to prevent CO₂ leakage.

Technical Report

Techno-Economic Evaluation of Retrofitting ccs in a market pulp mill and an integrated pulp and board mill

  • 1 December 2016
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

This study assessed two hypothetical reference mills situated in the west coast of Finland as a basis for evaluation. The pulp mill (Base Case 1A) has an annual production of 800,000 adt of bleached softwood Kraft pulp (BSKP) which is sold as market pulp. The integrated pulp and board mill (Base Case 1B) has an annual production of 400,000 adt of board. This mill also consumes 60,000 adt/y of the softwood Kraft pulp that it produces, thus only 740,000 adt/y of BSKP is sold to the market. This study aims to evaluate the performance and cost of retrofitting post-combustion CO₂ capture technology to the pulp mill and understand its implication on the mill’s operation in terms of fuel balance, utility requirements (i.e. steam and electricity balance) and the mill’s financial performance.

Technical Report

RESERVED CO₂EOR Accounting JK

  • 1 October 2016
  • Policy & Regulation
  • Storage

The report attempts to review issues associated with greenhouse gas emissions accounting where anthropogenic carbon dioxide is captured and used for enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) in conjunction with long-term geological storage of CO₂. Whilst this suggests a fairly narrow scope of research, it in fact opens up several lines of complex enquiry, requiring a strong understanding of global oil production, trade, supply and demand. This is a topic to which countless hours of debate and consideration are made on an ongoing basis, generally without any clear consensus in respect of matters such as ‘peak oil’, ‘carbon lock-in’ and fossil fuel ‘demand destruction’. It is also a topic that is highly political, with oil being at the heart of economic activity and life-style behaviour. As such, the analysis presented herein has required some simplifying assumptions in order to provide limits to the discussions presented. This has been carried out to the best of the authors’ capacity, commensurate with the time and resources available for the study. The report does not claim to provide a definitive view on how to resolve issues of greenhouse gas emissions accounting for CO₂- EOR, but rather provides a source of ideas on how to establish a framework for considering the issues at hand, and food for thought in respect of further discussion and debate.

Technical Report

Regional assessment of the economic barriers to carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery in the North Sea, Russia and GCC States

  • 1 October 2016
  • Storage

The objective of this study is to explore the economic conditions that would be necessary for a CO<sub>2</sub> EOR project in the North Sea and in the Middle East. Traditional oil production can recover up to 20-40% of the original oil in place (OOIP). The application of an EOR technique, typically performed towards what is normally perceived to be the end of the life of an oilfield, can increase the cumulative recovery by an additional 5-15%. The investment decision for a CO<sub>2</sub> EOR project hinges on key factors relating to geological site suitability, capital and operational costs. A number of identified success factors for the well-established CO<sub>2</sub> EOR industry in the U.S. are listed below: <!-- wp:acf/columns {"name":"acf/columns","data":{"padding_top":"1","_padding_top":"field_columns_fields_padding_top","padding_bottom":"1","_padding_bottom":"field_columns_fields_padding_bottom","margin_top":"0","_margin_top":"field_columns_fields_margin_top","margin_bottom":"0","_margin_bottom":"field_columns_fields_margin_bottom"},"mode":"preview"} --> <!-- wp:acf/column-content {"name":"acf/column-content","mode":"preview"} --> <!-- wp:list --><ul> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Depth and oil composition can enable CO<sub>2</sub> to form miscibility lowering viscosity</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>There is sufficient unrecovered oil after primary and secondary recovery (usually water flooding)</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>There is sufficient access to a reliable supply of CO<sub>2</sub></li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Operator knowledge and experience can be applied</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Tax incentives to promote profitable implementation</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --> </ul><!-- /wp:list --> <!-- /wp:acf/column-content --> <!-- /wp:acf/columns -->

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