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Technology Collaboration Programme by IEA

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Discover the latest advances carbon capture and storage research

Technical Report

Oxy-combustion turbines

  • 1 August 2015
  • Capture

Post combustion capture is usually considered to be the leading option for capture of CO₂ at natural gas fired power plants but there is increasing interest in the alternative of oxy-combustion turbines which use recycled CO₂ and/or H2O as the working fluid instead of air. Large component tests have taken place and a 50 MWth demonstration plant is scheduled to be commissioned in 2017. Oxy-combustion turbines can also be combined with solid fuel gasification as an alternative to IGCC with pre-combustion capture. This study provides an independent evaluation of the performance and costs of a range of oxy-combustion turbine cycles, mainly for utility scale power generation. The study was carried out by Amec Foster Wheeler in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano.

Technical Report

Integrated CCS Project at SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Power Station

  • 1 August 2015
  • Capture
  • Storage

On October 2, 2014, the first-ever, commercial–scale, coal-fired power plant incorporating amine solvent absorption carbon capture began operation near Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada. This was a global landmark event. Although carbon capture technologies had been pilot tested prior to this, a commercial– scale power plant now exists that has demonstrated that a number of high-risk technology and business issues have been overcome. This report summarizes the experience and learnings of SaskPower in a way that will hopefully provide insight to other clean-coal initiatives

Technical Report

Review of Offshore Monitoring for CCS Projects

  • 1 July 2015
  • Storage

This report reviews offshore monitoring practice for CO₂ storage projects in terms of tool capabilities, logistical practicalities and costs. The focus is on large-scale ‘commercial’ storage monitoring and draws together published experience from existing large offshore CO₂ storage sites as well as monitoring research at experimental test sites and in areas of natural CO₂ seepages. The strengths and limitations of monitoring techniques, strategies and methodologies are discussed, and relevant experience from onshore sites are also included. Monitoring over the full life-cycle from pre-injection (baseline) through injection and post-injection phases to transfer of responsibility to the competent authority is considered. The review draws on selected examples of current or planned monitoring practice.

Technical Report

Criteria of Fault Geomechanical Stability

  • 1 April 2015
  • Storage

Faults typically consist of two sub-structures: a fault core; and a wider fault damage zone. Faults in low porosity rocks tend to have a fine-grained fault core whereas faults in coarse-grained, high porosity rocks, usually have low porosity deformation bands that can develop into high permeable slip surfaces. Fault zone permeability increases with increasing fluid pressure but permeability varies both across and along faults. Hydraulic properties also vary between the damage zone and the core where gouge material is concentrated. This concentration of fine grained minerals also reduces the mechanical strength of faults. Mechanical failure or reactivation occurs either when shear stress exceeds normal strength or when hydraulic fracturing is induced. Fault deformation can be either brittle or ductile. The former leads to the formation of cataclastite (fine grained granular) and shear fractures which dilate under low effective normal stress that can cause permeability enhancement. With increasing shear deformation, fracture asperities are sheared off leading to gouge production and a reduction in permeability. Thus, in brittle deformation permeability will generally increase under low effective stresses and small displacements but decreases with increasing effective stress and magnitude of displacement. Shear fractures created in ductile deformation contract during shearing and tend not to lead to an increase in permeability. Reactivation of faults can be assessed using both analytical and numerical approaches, but assessment is usually based on the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. This method can be used to determine the critical injection pressure. Numerical modelling can provide predictions of fault stability at different scales and incorporate different parameters such as the geometry of different faults. Numerical methods can be effective for identifying leakage potential and seal failure especially where dilatancy and stress dependent permeability changes occur. Experimental tests on minerals and rock samples exposed to CO₂ tentatively indicate that the coefficient of friction is not radically changed, however, this conclusion is based on limited exposure to CO₂. There is limited observational data on stress regimes and direct pore pressure measurements from core samples from cap rocks and fault zones. Acquisition of key data would enhance stress regime modelling and fault behaviour.

Technical Report

Carbon capture and storage cluster projects: review and future opportunities

  • 1 March 2015
  • Capture
  • Storage

The study was based largely on literature in the public domain and a few enquiries to ascertain current status. Some valuable additional material was also obtained from expert reviewers of the study. Sufficient information was found to review 12 clusters in depth and a number of other less developed clusters at a more general level. Based on the results the gaps, risks and challenges faced by those developing CCS cluster projects are described. Some criteria for selecting additional cluster locations are developed and recommendations for increasing the likelihood of success are put forwards. The data and references were gathered in a working database to facilitate comparisons. A CCS cluster is taken to mean a location where the opportunity to cluster sources and/or sinks for CCS has been identified in published literature.

Technical Report

Monitoring Network and Modelling Network – Combined Meeting

  • 1 February 2015
  • Event Proceedings
  • Storage

The objective of this project is to test near surface monitoring of CO₂ during a controlled release experiment. By monitoring released CO₂ the sensitivity of monitoring systems could be determined. Data could then be used to test and calibrate migration models under controlled conditions enabling results to be up-scaled to full-scale storage sites. The results can also be used to develop a monitoring protocol. Although this is a near-surface (<20m controlled release) deeper (100m – 300m) releases are planned.

Technical Report

CO₂ Storage Efficiency in Deep Saline Formations: A Comparison of Volumetric and Dynamic Storage resource Estimation Methods

  • 1 October 2014
  • Storage

The goal of this study was to compare the volumetric and dynamic CO₂ storage resource estimation methodologies used to evaluate the storage potential of deep saline formations (DSFs). This comparison was carried out to investigate the applicability of using volumetric methods, which typically require less data and time to apply, to estimate the CO₂ storage resource potential of a given saline formation or saline system. The project goals were accomplished by applying both the volumetric and dynamic CO₂ storage resource estimation methodologies to the open-system upper Minnelusa Formation in the Powder River Basin, United States, and a closed-system comprising the Qingshankou and Yaojia Formations in the Songliao Basin, China

Technical Report

4th Social Research Network Meeting

  • 1 October 2014
  • Event Proceedings
  • Public Perception

 The overall aim of the Social Research Network is “to foster the conduct and dissemination of social science research related to CCS in order to improve understanding of public concerns as well as improve the understanding of the processes required for deploying projects”.

Technical Report

Iron & Steel Workshop Tokyo

  • 1 August 2014
  • Event Proceedings
  • Industry Insights

This report summarises the presentations and outcomes from the “Iron and Steel Industry CCUS and Process Integration Workshop”. The workshop took place from 5<sup>th</sup> to 7<sup>th</sup> November 2013 at Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. IETS (Industrial Energy-related Technologies and Systems), World Steel Association (WSA) and IEAGHG jointly organised this meeting, which was hosted by Prof Tatsuro Ariyama. Key objectives of the workshop were to review the progress in CO<sub>2</sub> reduction technologies in iron- and steelmaking since the last workshop in 2011 and to provide a discussion forum with focus on the Asian iron and steel industries. The 50 attendees were able to participate in a full three-day programme and the IETS members had the opportunity to visit JFE East Japan Works at Keihin subsequently. The first two days of the workshop ran under IEAGHG and focussed on CO<sub>2</sub> reduction strategies in the iron and steel industries, whereas the third day was under the theme of IETS and concentrated on process development and efficiency improvements. The following report provides summaries of some, but not all, of the presentations given at the workshop.

Technical Report

Techno-Economic Evaluation of Different Post-Combustion CO2 Capture Process Flow Sheet Modifications

  • 1 August 2014
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

This study evaluated different post combustion capture process modifications for SCPC and NGCC power plant. The study also evaluated the current state of process design improvements such as absorber intercooling, operation at higher stripper pressure and an advanced level of waste heat integration for the SCPC case. In order to identify the effect of future improvements in the solvent; a generic improved amine based solvent ‘Solvent 2020 was considered. Regarding to the different process modifications, matrix stripping was found to be having the highest efficiency penalty due to the increased energy requirement by compressors. Also the cost of electricity and cost of CO<sub>2</sub> avoided for this modification was found to be higher compared to other process modifications.

Technical Report

5th HTSLCN Meeting Cambridge

  • 1 July 2014
  • Capture
  • Event Proceedings

The IEAGHG High Temperature Solid Looping Cycles Network (HTSLCN) emerged from the preceding International Workshop on In-situ CO₂ Removal (ISCR) and aims at bringing together researchers and developers of CO₂ capture technologies that operate at high temperatures in cyclic processes using either circulating or fixed beds of solids. The 5th HTSLCN Meeting was held from 2nd to 3rd September 2013 at Queens’ College, University of Cambridge, UK. It was jointly organised by IEAGHG, University of Cambridge and Cranfield University and received support from the UKCCS Research Centre and Johnson Matthey. A number of 60 delegates attended the meeting, which offered 36 presentations organised in three sessions. The first session covered demonstrations and pilot scale trials. The second session was split in two parallel streams that discussed the fundamentals in calcium looping (CaL) and chemical looping combustion (CLC) respectively. The third session presented new process concepts and system modelling and evaluation. A subsequent panel discussion and a site visit to the facilities at Cranfield University rounded off the technical programme.

Technical Report

Biomass and CCS - Guidance for accounting for negative emissions

  • 1 June 2014
  • Policy & Regulation

The main objectives of this study are as follows: GHG accounting rules applicable to bio-CCS: Understand how they apply, assess their ability to appropriately recognise, attribute and reward negative emissions and suggest potential scope, options and pathways for improvement where necessary. This should include consideration of how other incentive schemes outside ETSs account for GHG emissions associated with bioenergy use, in particular in relation to life-cycle GHG emissions and dLUC/iLUC. Sustainability and potential negative environmental impacts of bio-CCS: Provide an assessment of measures to regulate sustainability impacts and other potential negative environmental effects that could arise through promoting bio-CCS (e.g. leakage, transboundary issues, dLUC/iLUC effects). Options to appropriately reward bio-CCS: Taking into account the GHG accounting rules and issues for sustainability, consider options for modifying policies to appropriately reward operators undertaking bio-CCS.

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