Carbon capture and storage: HSE perceptions

1
Carbon capture and storage HSE perceptions

• Dr Gordon Newsholme
• Process safety corporate topic group

2
Presentation overview

• Govts energy review
• Overview of the technology
• Health and safety risks
• Regulatory framework and standards
• Knowledge management/advancement opportunities
• Summary

3
What is carbon capture and storage?

• A series of processes by which the amount of
  man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the
  atmosphere could be reduced.

4
What does CCS involve?

• Separation of CO2 from gaseous effluent streams
• Transportation to a suitable storage location
• Long-term isolation from the atmosphere

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Potential capture sites

• Electricity generation stations using fossil
  fuels

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Potential capture sites

• Electricity generation stations using fossil
  fuels
• Major industrial sources
• Iron and steel making
• Cement production
• Glass manufacture

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Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion

8
Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion
• Traditional combustion

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Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion
• Traditional combustion
• Oxy-fuel combustion

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Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion
• Pre-combustion

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Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion
• Pre-combustion
• Steam reforming

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Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion
• Pre-combustion
• Steam reforming
• Gasification

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Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion
• Pre-combustion
• Non-combustion sources

14
Separation technologies
15
Separation technologies

• Absorption/adsorption
• Scrubbing with amines etc
• Pressure swing adsorption systems

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Separation technologies

• Absorption/adsorption
• Cryogenic separation

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Separation technologies

• Absorption/adsorption
• Cryogenic separation
• Gas separation membranes

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Transportation of CO2 to storage site

• Pipelines
• Dense phase C02
• Specialist technology
• 2 500 km pipelines in USA
• 40 M tonnes p.a moved
• Very low incident rate

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Transportation of CO2 to storage site

• Pipelines
• Ship
• Moved as liquid at c 7 bar
• Applicable experience from LNG shipping

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Storage

• Geological
• Mineralisation
• Oceanic storage

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Geological storage

• Depleted oil or gas reservoirs
• Saline aquifers
• Unmineable coal beds

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Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2

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Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2
• Asphyxiant
• Heavier-than-air
• Acid gas
• Effect of elevated CO2 levels on asset life

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Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2
• Supercritical CO2

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Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2
• Supercritical CO2
• Not a solid, a liquid or a gas
• low viscosity, highly solubilising and invasive

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Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2
• Supercritical CO2
• A release of sc CO2 will
• Produce a jet of gas, liquid/solid
• Very low temperatures (- 800C)
• Grit-blasting nature of releases

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Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2
• Supercritical CO2
• Capture solvents

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Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2
• Supercritical CO2
• Capture solvents
• Flammable, irritant chemicals

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Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2
• Supercritical CO2
• Capture solvents
• Trapped energy

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Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2
• Supercritical CO2
• Capture solvents
• Trapped energy
• Very high operating/injection pressures
• Typically 200 bars, potentially 400 bars

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Regulatory framework standards etc

• Backdrop of general H S duties (HSW Act)
• No new categories of safety risk involved
• All chemicals involved well documented
• LUP/MH legislation needs amendment
• Few sc CO2 specific engineering standards

32
Significant health safety issues

• Poor understanding of release behaviour of sc CO2
• Difficulty of developing foreseeable accident
  scenarios
• Risk to personnel, structure function from
  releases
• Physiological hazards of CO2
• Effect of elevated CO2 levels on asset life
• Lack of engineering standards specifically for sc
  CO2

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Knowledge management opportunities

• Large-scale sc CO2 release behaviour studies
• Development of validated modelling techniques
• Appropriate sc CO2 specific engineering
  codes/stds
• Effect of CO2 on maintenance needs
• Recognise need for effective KM

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Summary

• CCS projects will be major operational
  undertakings
• The technology is extremely specialised
• There is relevant expertise
• Projects may exceed current operating parameters
• Release behaviour of sc CO2 is poorly understood
• Regulatory framework requires amendment

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Acknowledgements

• Photographs and Diagrams
• Enpira, Daniel, American Combustion, Arcadenet,
  Greenpeace, Aircare, Aci-Ecotec, UKOOA,
  Fba.nus,Healthy-women.org, World coal, CO2capture
  project.org, Science Museum, World Energy, IEA,
  Coal Authority, Whitehouse.gov, BBC, Etech,
  Steeltechnology.org, Petroleumbazaar.com,
  Shaygen-innovatio.co.uk, Firstpeople,
  hydrocarbon-technology, Princeton, BSU, BNL,
  Ebara

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Carbon capture and storage

• Any questions or comments?
• Gordon Newsholme