Recently, a report was released after the conclusion of the Carbon Efficient Transport at Sea (CETO) Joint Industry Project (JiP), listing the technical validation results of the project's research process. Project partners including Equinor, Gassco, Shell, TotalEnergies and DNV found that there are no technical barriers in the low-pressure carbon dioxide shipping chain.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) plays an important role in helping the world reduce emissions, and the transportation of large amounts of carbon dioxide will be crucial. Pipelines will be an option, but where capture sources and storage locations cannot be easily connected, shipping is key. To achieve the scale required for commercial viability, a low-pressure shipping solution (about 7 bar at -49ºC) is considered an attractive alternative.
During the technical validation process, the project partners examined the basic aspects of the carbon dioxide shipping value chain. The production of liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2), the properties and impurities of LCO2 that may affect transportation, the plant concept, cargo handling, and the basic design of a 30,000 cubic meter LCO2 carrier were all evaluated.
CETO has demonstrated that transporting carbon dioxide under low-pressure conditions is feasible and the technology is ready for its first use. In terms of ship design, LCO2 dedicated ships can be designed in accordance with relevant international rules and regulations, including IMO IGC rules and DNV's general strength and stability code for ships. Tests carried out on a medium-scale demonstration test unit showed that cargo handling operations can be carried out at pressures between 6 and 9 bar without dry ice formation.
Finally, the accuracy and applicability of the design process simulation tools were benchmarked, which agreed well with the experimental test results, and the advantages of dynamic process simulation were verified in full-scale design cases. However, during the project development process, some aspects of the transport chain require special attention, such as the material selection of the cargo hold, fatigue and sloshing loads.
CETO was funded by the project partners and Gassonova through the climate – demo project.
Erik Mathias Sørhaug, DNV's Director of Business Development for Carbon Dioxide Shipping, said: "DNV is honored to lead this JIP initiated by four CCS pioneers, TotalEenergies, Shell, Equinor and Gassco. The project shows that the low-pressure solution is technically feasible, which will once again provide a low-cost transportation solution for CCS projects."
Lee Teng-Huar, General Manager of Shell's Maritime Business in Asia Pacific and the Middle East, said: "The conclusion of the CETO JIP marks an important milestone in the advancement of CCS technology. The optimization of low-pressure liquid carbon dioxide transportation can help improve the economic feasibility of CCS plans and accelerate the industry's progress towards a more sustainable and lower-carbon future."
Ola Miljeteig, Vice President of R&D for CCS Solutions at Equinor, said: "Equinor is pleased that the technical risks of low-pressure carbon dioxide shipping have now been reduced. Low-pressure technology is closely related to our goal of achieving a capacity of 30-50 million tons of carbon dioxide transportation and injection per year by 2035."
Svein-Erik losnegatrurd, Vice President of R&D at Gassco, said: "Gassco is pleased to contribute to the development of low-pressure carbon dioxide shipping technology and sees the CETO project successfully reducing the associated technical risks. The maturation and readiness of different transportation solutions will be of great value in establishing a comprehensive, optimal and flexible transportation system in the CCS value chain."
Marie-Noelle Semeria, Chief Technology Officer of TotalEnergies, said: "Connecting carbon capture with storage or use requires a safe and efficient carbon dioxide shipping as an alternative to pipelines. TotalEnergies is proud of the milestones demonstrated by the CETO joint industrial project, which covers the assessment of the low-pressure carbon dioxide transportation chain and risk assessment. This milestone paves the way for the company to move towards carbon neutrality together with society."