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CLIMIT-Forskning, utvikling og demo av CO2-håndtering

Impact of CO2 impurities and additives in CCS

Alternative title: Virkning av CO2 urenheter og tilsatser i CCS

Awarded: NOK 10.3 mill.

High costs and risks are significant barriers to large-scale implementation of carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS). Cost and risks can be reduced by better describing e.g. storage and injection dynamics in reservoir and process simulation tools, which requires accurate knowledge of thermophysical properties of impure CO2. Uncertainties in these properties can lead to costly overdesign and/or risk of inefficient injection and storage or unforeseen and undesirable incidents. Hence, accurate predictions of these properties are necessary to realize full-scale CCS. Large gaps in property data and correspondingly significant uncertainties in models, have been identified. In ImpreCCS, crucial density, viscosity and thermal conductivity properties are measured. A reservoir modelling test case relevant to the Norwegian CCS full-scale project has also been conducted to increase understanding of both injection and reservoir dynamics. The new data and reservoir models shed light on the improvement potential of property models. Such knowledge will contribute to our understanding of the behaviour of impure CO2 in storage and transport-storage interface processes. Improved models and understanding will contribute to reduced costs and risks throughout the CCS chain and thus directly address all three focus areas of CLIMIT: Early full-scale CCS value chain in Europe, large-scale storage of CO2 on the NCS, and future solutions for CCS. During the project execution focus has been on measurements of viscosity, thermal conductivity and reservoir modelling. The project financed a PhD candidate at NTNU. Her focus was to provide new data on viscosity and density in the liquid phase using a new purposely designed ECCSEL facility of SINTEF Energy Research and in the gas phase in Ruhr-Universität Bochum. The project results have been published as scientific articles in prestigious journals. In addition, the project results have been presented at two webinars and in five scientific conference publications. Three of these also resulted in published conference proceedings articles. There have been numerous scientific meetings with partners in the project, with high engagement from the industry.

The results of ImpreCCS narrow the data gaps in thermal conductivity and viscosity of CO2-rich mixtures. ImpreCCS results shed light on the variability of accumulation and well response due to changing properties of the injection stream. The combination of geometrical resolution and detailed compositional fluid modelling has the potential to be used as a detailed planning or control tool for well operations. The new high-quality experimental data for CO2-rich systems mixtures, together with the derived knowledge on the impact of impurities in injection and storage processes, have large implications both for economy and robustness for any process where these fluids flow, including CCS. Another impactful application is the calibration and verification of simplified pseudo models for integration in large-scale field simulations. Further, the data measurements can be utilized by research institutions for years to come. The competence gained in the process will enable further advances in experimental work related to CCS. The data produced will enable the institutions to build new models to the benefit of all CCS stakeholders.

High costs and risks remain significant barriers to large-scale implementation of carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS). Cost and risks can be reduced by better describing e.g. storage and injection dynamics in reservoir and process simulation tools, which will require accurate predictions of thermophysical properties of impure CO2. Uncertainties in these properties can therefore lead to costly overdesign and/or risk of inefficient injection and storage or unforeseen and undesirable incidents. Hence, accurate predictions of these properties are a necessity to realize large-scale CCS. Currently, there are large gaps in property data and correspondingly large uncertainties in models. In ImpreCCS, the crucial properties of viscosity, density, and thermal conductivity will be measured, and improved property models will be developed. The models will significantly improve the basis for understanding the behaviour of impure CO2 in storage and transport-storage interface processes, and will be employed in a reservoir modelling test case of Smeaheia, which will increase understanding of both injection and reservoir dynamics. The new fluid property models will be provided with an interface usable by industry, e.g. for reservoir simulators. Improved models and understanding will contribute to reduced costs and risks throughout the CCS chain, and thus directly addresses all three focus areas of CLIMIT: Early full-scale CCS value chain in Europe, large-scale storage of CO2 on the NCS, and future solutions for CCS.

Publications from Cristin

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CLIMIT-Forskning, utvikling og demo av CO2-håndtering