The need for carbon capture comes alongside the call for a greener future and innovative processes to reduce global emissions. The process itself works in three stages, combining several aspects to make each stage possible; this includes the necessary use of valves. Despite the thought that a greener tomorrow may reduce the need for common industrial components such as valves, the process of carbon capture proves there is still a great need for these essential components.
By KCI Editorial
Q: What is Carbon Capture?
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a process implemented to reduce emissions and therefore aid in the fight against global warming. While CCS has been around for decades, it has grown to prominence in many industrial sectors recently as the need for the reduction of harmful emissions continues to grow. There are three steps in the process of CCS:
- Capturing the carbon dioxide produced by an industrial operation or power-generated venture and separating it from the rest of the produced chemicals.
- Transporting the CO2 after compressing the chemical, done primarily through pipelines that are deep below the ground.
- Storing the CO2 deep below the earth where it is injected into secure rock formations.2
Beginning in 1972, in the U.S., carbon capture has grown into a positive feature for many sectors and appears to be growing in popularity as a method to tackle global warming. As has been studied by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the average annual global emissions from 2010-2019 were at an all-time high, however, this growth has slowed due to initiatives brought forth over recent years.1 To reduce global warming and emissions, carbon must also be eliminated and removed from the surrounding atmosphere.2
Q: What is the role of valves in CCS?
Valves play a vital role in carbon capture and storage. They are utilized within the pipelines required to transport the carbon after compression that lead deep below the ground. In order to properly ensure the carbon remains in place, valves are placed at optimal locations along a pipe, determined by specific equations. Each segment within the pipeline requires its own valves and vents. This is vital as not only do valves play a role in the pipelines that transport the carbon, but they are also utilized during an emergency event when the pipeline needs to be shut down.6
Q: Are there any special requirements, in terms of materials of construction, for valves used in this application?
When contemplating what materials may be required in terms of valves for carbon capture, one must consider the potential hazards that could arise during use of the application. Particularly common concerns involve corrosion and the subsequent structural integrity of the pipeline and therefore the valves.7 The most common material to prevent this situation are carbon steel, as that is affected far less than most other materials by pure, dry CO2. This, as well as polymeric seals allow for the safer transport of carbon through the pipeline and are less likely to result in corrosion. 7
Q: What are some of the latest initiatives in Carbon Capture and how are valves utilized within?
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy has administered an initiative entitled the Illinois Carbon Capture and storage project (ICCS) to optimize carbon sequestration using multizonal intelligent completion.3 This project works with Archer Daniels Midland Company’s (ADM) ethanol facility in Decatur, Illinois, and will capture and store over 2.5 million metric tons of CO2 over a period of three years. This project involved the installation of a five-zone intelligent completion in the built monitoring well that consists of3:
- Equipment to isolate, monitor, and control each of the four zones.
- Multiport packer and pressure and temperature (PT) gauge using a quartz sensor for the deepest zone.
- Dual PT gauge for recording tubing and annulus PT above the production packer.
- Gas lift mandrel for nitrogen injection.
- Remote-controlled hydraulic power unit (HPU) to actuate the flow control valves (FCVs).
- Control line containing two optical fibers extending from the surface to the top packer.
What is of note within this system are the flow control valves and the vital role they play in the sequestration of carbon and the subsequent storage. The FCVs are opened remotely within the well, allowing samples of fluids to be collected in order to be studied for any changes. This allows the ADM facility to understand how the carbon is stored and the subsequent effects of its being placed there. The analysis of the samples helps to determine if the geological rock formations currently in use, will be able to provide a sustainable place for the world’s carbon, or if necessary changes will be implemented over time.3
Q: What Does Carbon Capture Mean for the Future of the Valve Industry?
When it comes to greener emissions, many professionals believe that the implementation of processes and initiatives such as CCS may result in a reduced need for traditionally used products, such as valves. However, this is not entirely the case. Valves are required for many of these new initiatives, specifically carbon capture. Without valves, there would not be correct and required components for carbon capture and storage. For example, the pressure required to inject the carbon into the geological formations below ground cannot be achieved without valves.6
In relation to pressurized situations, the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Nitrogen Blowdown facility has in fact proved the usefulness of valves when it comes to carbon capture. Recreating a high-intensity gas event, the facility was able to conduct an experiment to test the necessity and use of subsurface safety valves and their ability to withstand gas flow rates at high pressures.4 This allowed the facility to ensure that these sorts of valves are capable of aiding with preventing intense consequences including loss of life and environmental disasters. They also tested safety valves within carbon capture specifically to ensure their efficacy.
Q: How will Carbon Capture Help Shape a Greener Future?
The development of CCS practices will only increase as the world attempts to lower fugitive emissions. The growing use of pipelines will provide a path for many industrial sectors to eliminate, or drastically reduce, their carbon output. There is of course a call for carbon to be eliminated completely from the Earth, however, it is not something that can be achieved overnight. As the IPCC has stated, the slowing of the growth of emissions is a great start to eliminating harmful emissions from the atmosphere and fighting against global warming.1
The Paris Agreement that was implemented by over 200 nations in 2015 is vital in the fight against climate change as it will enforce all participating countries to cut down their emissions and harmful outputs into the environment and atmosphere. The main goal of the agreement is to keep the global average temperature below two degrees Celsius or, if possible, limit it to rising only to 1.5 degrees Celsius.5 One of the most crucial factors within this agreement is to limit, or in an ideal world completely eliminate, carbon output into the atmosphere. The first step in this is carbon capture and storage. Ideally, if more and more sectors begin to work with carbon capture, this will become possible.
References:
- https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/
- https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/energy-explained/ what-is-ccs-how-does-it-work
- https://www.slb.com/resource-library/case-study/co/ intelligent-completions-usdoe-cs
- https://www.powersystemsdesign.com/articles/ valve-testing-capabilities-to-aid-carbon-capture-storage/97/18399
- https://www.nrdc.org/stories/paris-climate-agreement-everything-you-need-know#sec-whatis
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263297562_ Optimal_Valve_Spacing_for_Next_Generation_CO2_ Pipelines
- https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/ published-papers/selection-of-materials-for-high-pressure-co2-transport
- https://www.pcne.eu/article/precision-valves-for-carbon-capture-technology/
- https://www.c2es.org/content/carbon-capture/