Dense Phase CO₂ Metering

Background
With decarbonization ambitions moving forward, the transport of CO₂ is becoming increasingly important to facilitate carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). As well as for natural gas systems, accurate measurement and subsequent billing for CCUS is required to show compliance with national and international emissions-reduction regulations, like the EU Emissions Trading System.

To enable flow metering performance assessments and qualification, test facilities are required that can operate within the demanded operational ranges and have a proven traceability to international standards. These facilities do not exist. The ongoing joint industry project (JIP) of DNV brings together equipment suppliers and large TSO’s and E&P’s together. The consortium will work on developing CO₂ test facilities and traceable CO₂ flow standards which enable research technology qualification of flow metering technologies to be used in CCUS projects with full compliance with ETS and other regulations for flow metering.

Objective
The JIP aims at developing and building the world-first proven reference network of facilities for testing and calibration of flow meter technology along the entire CO₂ value chain; from high-pressure dense phase well injection to low-temperature liquid shipping. These extremely challenging field conditions force DNV and the stakeholders to jointly explore the unknown territory for reference- and metering systems.

Activities
In 2024 the project will deliver a detailed design of the test facility with i.e. detailed information on the qualification process for metering technologies, development of a traceable flow standard and detailed engineering package “ready for construction”.
 
Future plans
Once the facility is operating DNV will start an extensive R&D program for a period of at least 2 years where the whole range of flow metering applications and technologies will investigated.
Besides the flow metering, DNV will also start a separate program focusing on the measurement of fluid/CO₂ quality and the determination of trace components in CO₂.