Harnessing Carbon Capture and Storage with Advanced Modeling and Simulation
Modeling and simulation can make carbon capture and storage economically viable. Here’s everything you need to know.
Decarbonizing Industries with Carbon Capture and Storage Technology
The air smells clean. As you get closer, you see steam rising from the stacks. Workers in hard hats move around the capture site, checking gauges to ensure carbon dioxide (CO2) is separated from other gases and safely transported via a network of pipes. In a world that relies on fossil fuels, carbon capture and storage offers a way to decarbonize emission-heavy industries.
Harnessing Carbon Capture and Storage for a Greener Future
45 Mt
Metric tons of CO2 captured globally1
120x
Expected CCUS uptake by 2050 to achieve net-zero2
100 billion tons
Projected amount of CO2 to store by 20603
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has clarified that global greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 and be reduced by 43% by 20304. One of the ways to do this is to substantially remove CO2 from existing systems — a goal carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) aims to achieve.
Guide: The Plan To Cool the Planet
Includes a cheat sheet for scaling up CCUS with modeling and simulation.
How to Make CCUS More Cost-Effective?
Take a closer look below at how modeling and simulation on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform can help companies boost the adoption of CCUS.
1. Capture More With Less
Molecular modeling and multi-physics simulation have been useful in the development of new carbon capture technologies where companies can:
- Predict the performance of different solvents or membranes under various operating conditions to identify sustainable capture materials
- Optimize the solvent composition, temperature, pressure, and flow rate to maximize the efficiency of the capture process
- Screen hundreds of thousands of ionic liquids to identify promising candidates that have the correct volatility and CO2 absorbance properties
2. Strengthen Infrastructure
Maintaining the integrity of pipelines and infrastructure is crucial for CO2 transportation. Questions arise, such as how fluid flows within pipelines and whether pumping stations can manage increased CO2 volumes. By simulating CO2 behavior in pipelines, companies can identify potential issues like corrosion or blockages and develop strategies to mitigate these risks. These efforts are vital in ensuring the reliability and safety of carbon capture infrastructure, a cornerstone for a net-zero future.
3. Improve Carbon Sequestration
Need to identify suitable carbon storage sites and determine the best injection strategies to ensure the safety of carbon sequestered? Use molecular modeling and geomechanics simulations on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to predict the behavior of CO2 in geological storage.
Analyze rock formations at a mesoscale level and answer these questions: How fast can CO2 be injected into the subsurface? How much CO2 can the formation contain? And most importantly, can the sequestered carbon escape?
What’s the capacity, risk and uncertainty associated with a sub-surface CO2 storage site? Virtual geological and geomechanical models are essential to evaluate the robustness of CO2 injection sites.
4. Put Carbon to Good Use
By converting CO2 into useful products, such as fuels or chemicals, CCUS can become a valuable tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while providing economic benefits. Through modeling and simulation, companies can virtually design and innovate new catalysts with the most yield and the least waste.
5. Collaboration Made Easy
Extensive collaboration is needed between governments, companies and other key stakeholders to make CCUS a success. In a connected environment like the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, all stakeholders can collaborate on the same 3D models — thanks to a multi-scale virtual twin from territory to equipment level — while maintaining regulatory compliance and gaining the capabilities needed to secure funding for more projects.
Carbon Capture Technology: A Key to a Sustainable Future by 2050
As the world faces the urgent challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Carbon Capture technology will play a pivotal role in achieving a sustainable future. Modeling and simulation will continue to be essential for its development and deployment.
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1Source: “Carbon capture, utilization and storage” by IEA (2022)
2Source: “Scaling the CCUS industry to achieve net-zero emissions” by McKinsey & Co. (2022)
3Source: “The Role of CO2 Storage” by IEA (2019)
4Source: “The time for action is now. We can halve emissions by 2030” by IPCC (2022)
FAQ About Carbon Capturing & Engineering
Carbon capture and storage is part of the CCUS process of extracting CO2 emissions from a large-scale source — for example, a power station or cement factory — for geological storage or industrial utilization. Once a fringe idea, CCUS has been gaining increasing attention as a potential solution to mitigate climate change.
The cost of carbon capture and storage technology is one of the major challenges. The capture, transportation, and storage of CO2 require significant investment, and the high cost of CCUS makes it uneconomical for many companies and countries. In addition, there are technological hurdles to clear, including:
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Carbon capture involves capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial sources before they enter the atmosphere. The captured CO2 is then compressed and transported for storage or utilization, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is gaining prominence for curbing greenhouse gas emissions originating from power plants and industrial facilities. This approach entails capturing carbon dioxide at emission sources and securely storing it in subterranean repositories, such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or deep saline aquifers.
Consequently, CCS is gaining traction as a practical means to slash emissions, aligning with worldwide climate targets. The efficacy of CCS hinges on factors like:
- technology choice,
- storage site selection,
- and implementation expenses.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and industrial operations and sequestering them in subsurface geological formations. While CCS holds potential for curbing carbon emissions, it faces challenges like high costs, safety issues, and environmental considerations.
Carbon sequestration, an essential element of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, entails capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and storing it in enduring repositories. This process is crucial for diminishing atmospheric CO2 levels, especially in the context of emissions reduction from sources like power plants and industrial sites.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an instrumental technique in mitigating carbon dioxide emissions. It involves capturing CO2 and sequestering it underground or in ocean depths through geological sequestration. CCS not only curtails atmospheric CO2 but also stores it for extended periods. The duration of carbon capture storage is a pivotal factor in assessing its efficacy.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from major sources like power plants and sequesters them underground. CCS plays a vital role in greenhouse gas reduction strategies to address climate change. Yet, these technologies entail expenses, necessitating a comprehensive assessment of their economic implications.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies were first conceptualized in the 1970s, but the first large-scale projects began in the 1990s, with the Sleipner CO2 storage project in Norway being a notable early example.
| Aspect | Carbon Capture | Carbon Storage |
| Definition | The process of capturing CO2 emissions from sources like power plants and industrial facilities. | The process of storing captured CO2 in underground geological formations or other long-term storage solutions. |
| Objective | Prevent CO2 from entering the atmosphere. | Safely contain CO2 for long periods to prevent it from re-entering the atmosphere. |
| Key Technologies | Absorption, adsorption, chemical looping, and membrane separation. | Geological sequestration (e.g., saline aquifers, depleted oil and gas fields) and mineralization. |
| Application Stage | Typically occurs at the point of emission, such as at a power plant. | Occurs after CO2 is captured, often involving transport to a storage site. |
| Challenges | Efficiency of capture technology and energy requirements. | Ensuring long-term stability and safety of storage sites. |
| End Goal | Reduce the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. | Permanently sequester CO2 to mitigate its impact on climate change. |
Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is a technology that combines biomass energy production with carbon capture and storage. In this process, plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during growth. When the biomass is burned for energy, the resulting CO2 emissions are captured and stored underground, effectively removing carbon from the atmosphere. BECCS is seen as a potential method for achieving negative emissions, helping to offset emissions from other sectors and contribute to climate goals.
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