ThermoPhysical properties and safety assessment in the CCS chain

Background
Accurate calculations of thermophysical properties of CO₂ mixtures are crucial for the efficient and safe implementation of technology throughout the entire CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) chain. Such calculations are necessary in order to design effective capture technologies, ensure the safe transport of CO₂ mixtures in pipelines and ships without the formation of hydrates, unwanted gas phases, or solid precipitation, as well as to enable safe and efficient injection and storage of CO₂ in reservoirs. For example, in the reservoir, one does not want salt precipitation to block the porous structure, and it is important to be able to predict when salts will precipitate.

Over the past 15 years, accurate estimation of thermophysical properties and phase transitions related to CO₂ mixtures using equations of state, transport property models, and hydrate models has been a central research topic in a multitude of projects funded by the Research Council of Norway (NFR), the EU, and industry. This massive research effort, also beyond Norway’s borders, has resulted in good control over the thermophysical properties of CO₂ mixtures, when hydrates may form, when salts precipitate, and when there is increased corrosion risk.
Unfortunately, much of this knowledge remains fragmented within the research community, often in formats that are inaccessible or unusable for industry. The company ThermoPhys AS has been established to improve this situation.

Goals
1. Explore APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) with commercial providers.
2. Explore the development of a dedicated cloud service for accurate calculation of thermophysical properties and safety considerations related to rapid gas formation, hydrates, salt precipitation, and corrosion in the CCS chain.
3. Lay the foundation for a larger CLIMIT demo application.

Activities
This project has had two main activities:
1. Explore APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) with commercial providers for calculations of thermophysical properties or safety assessment.
2. Explore the development of a cloud service for accurate calculation of thermophysical properties and safety assessments related to rapid gas formation, hydrates, salt precipitation, and corrosion in the CCS chain.

Results
During the project, through interviews with partners and potential future customers, a need was identified for both APIs and a cloud-based solution for safety calculations. Work was carried out toward a first version of the cloud solution.

Further Work
ThermoPhys AS is continuing its efforts to realize both an API for commercial providers and a cloud-based solution for safety calculations.