Existing flow meters do not meet all technical measurement requirements for measuring the mass flow of CO2 in future large scale CCS chains.
The capture plants must be able to measure how much CO2 is delivered for transport with an accuracy that meets the authorities’ requirements for approval of their emission reductions. For the same reason, storage operators also need accurate measurements of the incoming mass flow of CO2 for storage. Future operators of CCS chains are prioritizing the development of new and better solutions for mass flow measurement. Cignus Instruments develops a new type of mass flow meter with technical advantages compared to the solutions available on the market today.
Several studies conclude that none of the existing technologies for mass flow measurement satisfy all the technical measurement requirements for measuring the mass flow of CO2 in CCS chains. Traditional Coriolis mass flow meters are considered the most accurate and the only technology for direct mass flow measurement, but have general limitations for large pipe diameters, especially at large operating pressures, and the technology is not qualified for subsea installations. Moreover, this technology has significant internal pressure drop, which presents challenges when handling liquids close to the boiling point where a pressure drop will result in a risk of boiling and thus increased measurement error. This is a risk in mass flow measurement of liquids with low boiling points, such as liquid CO2, NH3 and H2.
The technology development is going on in NFR EnergiX IPN project 327715 Cignus Instruments “Mass flow meter for H2 and liquidCO2“. Sintef Energi, Equinor, NEL, TechnipFMC, and TotalEnergies are partners in the project, which has demonstrated the technology at lab scale to EU TRL4.
In October 2022 Cignus got funding from CLIMIT Demo for the project 622129 “Design, construction and installation of prototype Cignus mass flow meter for CO2 testing at Equinor P-Lab”.
“P-Lab” is Equinor’s research facility at Herøya in Porsgrunn, which features a multiphase flow loop. Equinor will run a test campaign with CO2 at “P-Lab” next fall, and Cignus has had the opportunity to test its prototype mass flow meter in this campaign.
The aim is for the project to lift the technology from TRL 4 to TRL6 “validated in relevant industrial environments”.
In the longer term, Cignus’ goal is to develop and qualify the technology for full-scale CCS service, such as in Northern Lights phase 2.
The technology developed by Cignis has several advantages compared to today’s solutions. It is better suited for high pressure, larger pipe dimensions, for subsea operation, and it has a low internal pressure drop. These advantages could translate into a competitive advantage in future CCS markets for large-scale pipeline transport, loading/unloading of ship transport and subsea storage.
Cignus Instruments was started in 2020 to develop proprietary mass flow metering technology, so far, the company’s only business area. The company currently has eight employees, including the founders. The same founders started the company Presens AS in 1996 which developed technology and produced pressure sensors for a global market. Presens was acquired by General Electric/Baker Hughes in 2012.
Today’s technologies do not meet the requirements for mass flow metering of CO2 in future CCS chains. The partners in Northern Lights and other future operators of CCS chains are prioritizing closing this technology gap. With the support of EnergiX, CLIMIT and industry partners, Cignus is developing a solution that can help close this gap.
In order to confront climate challenges, we will need to store significant volumes of CO2. The North Sea has an immense theoretical storage capacity.
There are many technologies to monitor how CO2 flows within a storage site, and it is perfectly possible to implement remediation actions if CO2 start moving away. However, we need a tool that makes it possible to set up a cost-effective system that ensures accurate CO2 monitoring at a low cost.
Through an international R&D project, the University of Bergen created such a tool to monitor CO2 storage sites. Together with researchers from the Netherlands, the UK and the US, a tool has been developed, which could be useful for both the authorities and companies planning for large-scale CO2 storage.
Through the ACTOM project, researchers have studied marine monitoring for offshore CO2 storage projects. National and international regulations and guidelines for CO2 monitoring were also included, as well as societal challenges related to CO2 storage. This is an interdisciplinary project, and participants in the project have backgrounds in law, geology, marine chemistry, mathematics, modelling and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). The main delivery from this project is a simulation tool for designing monitoring programmes for offshore geological storage sites. Procedures for detecting weak signals from a leak in an extremely varied marine environment are central for this new tool. The tool could help operators during the planning phase to design monitoring programmes that are in line with national and international regulations.
Key data about the project
Title: Act on offshore monitoring (ACTOM)
Project manager: Guttorm Alendal, University of Bergen
Partners:
From the US: Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of Texas, Austin
From the UK: Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of Dundee
From the Netherlands: TNO
From Norway: University of Bergen, NORCE and OCTIO Environment.
Budget: EUR 2 million
Financing: ACT has contributed EUR 1.5 million, the remainder is own financing from project partners.
RRI is an approach to predict and assess implications and expectations of new technologies based in the humanities and social sciences, a framework which is being increasingly used in marine environmental studies, biotechnology and innovation. This is the first time this approach has been used for CO2 capture and storage. Potential legal conflicts between CO2 storage projects, and between storage projects and other marine environments, are addressed with regard to marine area planning. The simulation tool can also analyse uncertainties and strengths of the planned monitoring programmes. National and international regulations and guidelines and the requirements these set for CO2 monitoring have also been taken into account.
The Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) is setting up a new call for R&D applications. CCS is one of many topics that are prioritized in this call.
The upcoming CETP Call will be published in June and CETP is setting up several events to promote the call. A full overview is available at the CETP web site: https://cetpartnership.eu/events/all
We will in particular recommend three webinars related to CCS:
If you have questions, please contact Aage Stangeland at the Research Council of Norway, ast@rcn.no
The capture and storage of CO2 is seen as one of many solutions to mitigate severe climate change.
The challenge is to make the technology cheap enough, and an exciting research project has developed a tool which makes it easy to assess whether oil and gas wells can be reused for CO2 injection. This could reduce the cost of CO2 storage.
There are many oil and gas wells that could potentially be reused for CO2 injection to permanently store CO2 underground. The aim of the REX-CO2 project was to explore methods and tools to make it easy to assess the suitability of existing wells for CO2 injection. A significant part of the project was made up of experimental laboratory studies, with the emphasis on understanding well integrity and well barriers. Another significant element was the development of an assessment tool that can systematically evaluate a field and its wells for possible reuse for CO2 storage.
REX-CO2 has been funded through ACT (Accelerating CCS Technologies), in which funding agencies from several countries are collaborating on joint calls for funding of research and development projects. TNO (the Netherlands) was the project coordinator. Three Norwegian partners participated in the project, with SINTEF acting as research partner together with the two industrial partners, Equinor and ReStone. Other foreign partners were BGS (UK), IFP-EN (France) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (USA).
The research in REX-CO2 focused on the interactions between the well materials (cement and steel pipes), with the aim of understanding the system and minimising failure and the risk of leaks. The collaboration between researchers and industrial partners was crucial to gathering new knowledge and expertise.
The main result from REX-CO2 is a tool that makes it possible to evaluate the reuse of wells for CO2 injection. The tool can be downloaded without any cost from the project website.
The project also generated new knowledge of CO2-resistant cement for use in CO2 wells. It also enhanced our understanding of materials that can provide good well integrity.
The project started in 2019 and was completed towards the end of 2022.
As the name suggests, this project will carry out a technology qualification of low-pressure CO2 ship transport. The project is being led by DNV in collaboration with the following partners: Equinor, Shell, TotalEnergies and Gassco.
The project has a total budget of NOK 26 million and was awarded 32% funding of the cost budget by CLIMIT Demo in 2021.
Today, CO2 is transported in liquid form on ships with pressures and temperatures around 15 barg and -25 degrees Celsius, which is referred to as medium-pressure (MP). At the same time, the project’s partners believe there may be advantages to using lower pressures for transporting larger volumes of CO2 by ship. The pressure/temperature range in question is 6 barg and -50 degrees Celsius, and referred to as low-pressure (LP). The potential advantage of LP transport is that lower pressures allow for larger tanks and ships to be built, which in turn would lead to a lower per-tonne cost of cargo capacity for LP ships than MP ships.
LP transport is an unproven solution with higher risks than MP transport. LP pressures and temperatures are closer to the triple point for CO2 than MP. The triple point is the point at which the three phases of the substance are in equilibrium, solid (dry ice), liquid and gas. LP transport thus has lower margins compared to MP when it comes to unwanted phase changes, something which entails a technical risk that must be defined and minimised through good process design in the transport chain. The project partnership aims to qualify LP transport in order to be able to use this solution in future phases of Northern Lights and other future CCS chains that need to transport large volumes of CO2.
The project will be carried out in accordance with the DNV’s recommended practice, ‘DNV GL RP-A203 Technology Qualification’, and consists of two main activities:
1) Designing ships with a cargo capacity of 30 kilotonnes, loading system (tanker loading/unloading system), and plants to liquify CO2.
2) Simulation and experimental testing: Development of loading/unloading process simulation tools (better definition of risk of dry ice formation), and experimental testing around the triple point as a basis for setting safety margins.
The intention behind the project is to reduce the risks associated with LP transport, and the goal of the project is to qualify LP transport for use in future CCS chains.
Gabriele has a background in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Genoa, Italy.
Joined DNV in 2007 and worked as a structural engineer for the Maritime Advisory focusing on the ultimate strength of vessels and offshore structures, rule development, R&D, design verification and trouble shooting. Member of ISSC since 2015, he is currently on the “Renewable Energy” committee.
Gabriele contributed to projects within the production, transportation, and storage of liquefied gas and concept development with an increasing focus on CO2 transport by ship in the context of CCS and CCU. At present, he is managing the JIP on technology qualification of low-pressure shipping solutions on the behalf of the DNV.
This report examines existing patent data in the field of carbon capture technology and has been jointly prepared by the Norwegian Industrial Property Office and Gassnova.
The goal of the report is to identify opportunities and challenges in terms of intellectual property rights by surveying the patent landscape in the technical field of carbon capture. The report is divided into eight technology areas which are considered the most important areas of research within the field of carbon capture.
The data has been analysed on a global level, but we also examine in further details how Norwegian stakeholders assert themselves in the field of carbon capture technology.
“International cooperation on CCS research and technology development will be even more important in the years ahead. The CLIMIT Programme gives us the opportunity to play a meaningful role.”
Marie Bysveen has been a member of the CLIMIT Programme Committee since 2015. “For many years, Norway has been one of the most ambitious and focused European countries when it comes to carbon capture and storage. Research and development under the auspices of CLIMIT has been extremely important in this regard. The work we do on the Programme Committee is interesting because it gives us good insight into everything that’s going on in the field, and because the Committee has a balanced composition of skilled people with a range of experiences and approaches to the challenges that developing technology and strong business models should help to solve. I also have the responsibility of being the head of the CCS programme under the EERA (European Energy Research Alliance) and am therefore particularly keen that projects supported by CLIMIT also include international cooperation and partnerships.”
“All the time and in all sorts of situations. More specifically, I was recently involved in GHGT in Lyon, which is the major international gathering of researchers and industrial operators working on CCS projects and technology that takes place every other year. I was there to represent the EERA CCS community. I also took part in a panel debate about the importance of CCUS at the SET Plan conference in Prague and a board meeting for the ACCESS project, which is led by SINTEF Energy. At the moment I work with regional actors developing projects for large scale carbon capture and storage on Waste to Energy plants.”
“CLIMIT is, and should be, a driving force for the development of technologies that will lead to strong CCS solutions that will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as creating new job opportunities. The Programme is vital for achieving the changes that Norway and the world sorely need.”
Member of the Programme Board of CLIMIT
Marie Bysveen (54) has a PhD in Combustion and fuels technology NTNU and works as the Chief Market Developer, PhD at SINTEF Energy. She began her career as a researcher at NTNU and then worked at Kværner Oil and Gas and TecnoConsult. She began at SINTEF Energy in 2006 where she has held many positions in research, management, business development and strategy.
“We have to reduce the costs and risks associated with CCS, which is why CLIMIT must continue to prioritise projects that will lead to more efficient solutions across the entire value chain. It will be particularly important going forward to focus on increasing our storage capacity, the safety of carbon transport and further developing effective capture technologies. Moreover, efforts must be focused on technology that will lead to significant negative emissions in the long-term, by which I mean carbon capture from the atmosphere. So, I’m also keen that we include social science research communities to a greater extent with regard to how this industrial effort can be implemented in a way that will be acceptable for and trusted by the public.”
“CLIMIT uses some of the funding that the Programme receives as contributions to international carbon capture projects. This has been crucial for the mobilisation of CCS as a key tool in the fight against climate change in Europe and has contributed to creating a market for technology developed in Norway. Through CETP (Clean Energy Transition Partnership), the EU is now putting more focus on CCS research, and I think that it is strategically vital for CLIMIT to follow up on the positive dialogue and cooperation we have established. But beyond international efforts, CLIMIT must continue to provide support to good national projects and initiatives and contribute to our research communities remaining leaders in the development of new capture and storage solutions.
A number of IEAGHG reports were completed in 2022, two regarding carbon storage and two regarding carbon capture. You can read more about them below.
This study will provide insight into both technical and economic opportunities for what depleted reservoirs could mean for carbon storage in the future. The long-term, secure storage of carbon depends into well characterised geological reservoirs, such as saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas fields (DO&GF). The potential storage capacity of saline formations is well understood, and the aim of this IEAGHG study was to focus specifically on a set of storage conditions that apply to depleted hydrocarbon fields.
This study reviewed the risk induced seismicity at CO2 storage sites. The phenomenon has multiple causes including waste water disposal, geothermal energy and mining. Natural seismicity is also a widespread occurrence and can detected in the same regions as industrial activities associated with induced seismicity. Consequently the detection of any seismicity has to be clearly distinguished.
The aim of this study is to review potential solvents and process designs to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture technologies. Considering the extensive research of solvents and development, a rapid and reliable screening protocol is crucial for improving processes.
This study has investigated how carbon can be used in building materials such as cement and concrete. Capture processes were investigated and case studies where the processes were used are included.
The CLIMIT Award recognises champions of CCS who have gone above and beyond over the years to achieve CLIMIT’s objectives. The inaugural prize was awarded during CLIMIT SUMMIT 2023, which took place in Larvik 7–9 February, and was shared by two winners.
One of the two joint winners is Ragnhild Rønneberg, who is responsible for the founding of the “ACT” international partnership, which she achieved with tremendous enthusiasm and commitment. She has transformed it into a platform where researchers from a number of countries can work together to solve challenges related to the capture, transport and storage of CO2.
Thanks to her courage and diplomacy, Ragnhild has ensured that ACT is not only a collection of international projects, but also functions as a platform for knowledge sharing and solid R&D cooperation across national borders.
Ragnhild has been employed by the Research Council of Norway for the past 22 years and retired on 1 February this year. She now plans to devote her time to voluntary work, including with the Red Cross. Given Ragnhild’s passion for CCS, we could not ignore the fact that we were meeting her once again at such an exciting forum for CO2 management.
The other of the two joint winners is Eva Halland, who has held a number of roles with the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (OD) and has served on its management team for more than 17 years. Eva has retired, but now runs her own firm – CarbonGeo Consulting – so many of us can expect to bump into Eva in future in a number of CCS settings.
Eva has been a CCS guru who has been widely recognised both domestically in Norway and internationally. She is Deputy Chair of CLIMIT, a NORSAR board member, and a project manager for CCUS Norway.
She is a trained geologist, having graduated from the University of Bergen.
ACT stands for “Accelerating CCS technologies” and is a platform where industry stakeholders from across a number of countries issue joint calls to tender. 39 projects have been supported since its inception in 2016, receiving EUR 108 million in public support. You can read more about ACT’s impact here.
Close to 250 researchers and industry stakeholders from 11 countries around the world gathered at the CLIMIT SUMMIT conference held on 7–9 February to share and exchange the latest knowledge on carbon capture and storage (CCS).
70 experts from across the industry spoke at the event ably moderated Kristin Halvorsen, Director of CICERO. In addition to programmed lectures, there were also well-received “speed dating” sessions during which stakeholders from different CCS backgrounds were given five minutes each to present their current work.
Over 400 people followed the streaming these two days and more than 500 have seen the footage afterwards.
“We must continue to support technological development, testing and pilot projects, as it will lead to cost reductions and pave the way for commercially attractive CCS projects at a later date,” said Terje Aasland, Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy.
“CCS is vital to reducing CO2 emissions and ensuring a successful energy transition, but the current pace is too slow. The solution is to unite industrial stakeholders and researchers working across the entire CCS value chain behind a common goal,” said Rikard Kinn, a Project Manager with Aker Solutions.
“Large-scale deployment of CCS depends on comprehensive R&D. The CLIMIT programme will play a key role in this,” said Rune Volla of the Research Council of Norway.
Various CLIMIT projects were showcased under three different themes: “capture”, “transport and value chain” and “storage”. These included:
The event also featured a status update from the Longship project, including the screening of three brief videos which are available to watch here:
“Project Longship will generate important and tangible knowledge that can be applied in future projects in the cement and waste-to-energy sector. The support agreements in place with the Norwegian government ensure that this transfer of knowledge actually happens,” said Roy Vardheim, CEO of Gassnova.
The CLIMIT Award is given to champions of CCS who have helped to achieve CLIMIT’s objectives over the years. The prize was awarded for the first time at CLIMIT SUMMIT 2023, which took place in Larvik 7–9 February. On this occasion, the prize was shared by two worthy winners: Ragnhild Rønneberg and Eva Halland.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Larvik and to those of you who took part virtually!
The conference was organised by Gassnova in partnership with the Research Council of Norway.
