Assessing the Viability of a Compact CO2-Capture Technology for Offshore Installations: Design, Development, and Pilot Scale Demonstration
Authors: Shamshiri S. , Isdahl O. M. 
Published: October 2023

Assessing the Viability of a Compact CO2-capture Technology for Offshore Installations: Design, Development, and Pilot Scale Demonstration

The purpose of the R&D project discussed in this paper is to assess the potential of a novel compact CO2-capture technology. The technology is founded on decades of experience in analogous processes, employing static mixing and separation. Flue gas or process streams containing CO2 is mixed with a solvent, in one or more stages. Effective co-current mixing of the phases is crucial to the technology's efficiency and a vital part of ensuring the technology's lightweight and compact advantage.

The objective is accomplished via three significant steps, which include designing and constructing a complete pilot-scale unit, conducting experimental tests for two months, and developing a process model that explains the physical findings. The results from this study will be presented in this paper. The project is funded by CLIMIT-Demo and aligns with climate objectives by addressing the urgent need to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector and aims to develop a novel, compact amine-based CO2 capture technology that can be applied in various settings, including onshore and offshore oil and gas installations for both flue gas, blue hydrogen, and other industrial process streams.

The main goal at this stage is to verify the technology's absorption efficiency and assess its energy efficiency and viability. The development of lightweight and compact CO2-capture technology is especially critical in offshore oil and gas operations, where weight and space limitations present significant challenges.

The pilot system encompasses the compact absorption module, desorption module, heat exchangers, pumps, control valves, and a control system. Additionally, this system is equipped with sensors and customization capabilities to assess CO2 concentrations in various locations, measure heat generated by the reaction between amine and CO2 and perform sensitivity analysis with respect to the orientation of mixers and residence time. The results will facilitate better understanding of both physics and chemistry of solvent-based CO2 capture.

A comprehensive test matrix has been developed that will enable better understanding of the dynamic variations that occur during the treatment of process streams. This test matrix includes testing different pressures and concentrations of CO2, solvent and flue gas flowrate and solvent temperature to measure a variety of factors, including pressure drop measurements across the system, CO2 mass transfer efficiency, CO2 capture efficiency, and energy usage.

Further, this data is used to create a process model that allows for the development of a predictive framework. This framework is then used to optimize the process parameters to achieve maximum performance and design considerations for scale up. This work is essential for advancing our understanding of Compact CO2-capture and mitigating our impact on the environment by commercializing CO2 capture for offshore installations.