Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a suite of technologies available to directly reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to the atmosphere from fossil fuelled power plants and large industrial point sources. For a safe deployment of CCS it is important that CO2 injected into deep geological formations does not migrate out of the storage site. Characterising and understanding possible migration mechanisms and pathways along which migration may occur is therefore crucial to ensure secure engineered storage of anthropogenic CO2. In this thesis naturally occurring CO2 accumulations in the subsurface are studied as analogue sites for engineered storage sites with respect to CO2 migration pathways and mechanisms that ensure the retention of CO2 in the subsurface. Geological data of natural CO2 reservoirs world-wide has been compiled from published literature and analysed. Results show that faults are the main pathways for migration of CO2 from subsurface reservoirs to the surface and that the state and density of CO2, pressure of the reservoir, and thickness of the caprock influence the successful retention of CO2. Gaseous, low density CO2, overpressured reservoirs, and thin caprocks are characteristics of insecure storage sites. Two natural CO2 reservoirs have been studied in detail with respect to their fault seal properties. This includes the first study of how fault rock seals behave in CO2 reservoirs. It has been shown that the bounding fault of the Fizzy Field reservoir in the southern North Sea can with hold the amount of CO2 trapped in the reservoir at current time. A initially higher gas column would have led to across fault migration of CO2 as the fault rock seals would not have been able to withhold higher pressures. Depending on the present day stress regime the fault could be close to failure. At the natural CO2 reservoir of St. Johns Dome, Arizona, migration of CO2 to the surface has been occurring for at least the last 500 ka. Fault seal analysis shows that this migration is related to the fault rock composition and the orientation of the bounding fault in the present day stress field. Using the U-Th disequilibrium method the ages of travertine deposits of the St. Johns Dome area have been determined. The results illustrate that along one fault CO2 migration took place for at least 480 ka and that individual travertine mounds have had long lifespans of up to ~350 ka. Age and uranium isotope trends along the fault have been interpreted as signs of a shrinking CO2 reservoir. The amount of CO2 calculated to have migrated out of the St. Johns Dome is up to 113 Gt. Calculated rates span from 5 t/yr to 30,000 t/yr and indicate that at the worst case large amounts of CO2 can migrate rapidly from the subsurface reservoir along faults to the surface. This thesis highlights the importance of faults as fluid pathways for vertical migration of CO2. It has been also shown that they can act as baffles for CO2 migration and that whether a fault acts as pathway or baffle for CO2 can be predicted using fault seal analysis. However, further work is needed in order to minimise the uncertainties of fault seal analysis for CO2 reservoirs.

Carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2EOR) is a proven and available technology used to produce incremental oil from depleted fields. Although this technology has been used successfully onshore in North America and Europe, projects have maximised oil recovery and not CO2 storage. While the majority of onshore CO2EOR projects to date have used CO2 from natural sources, CO2EOR is now more and more being considered as a storage option for captured anthropogenic CO2. In the North Sea the lack of low cost CO2, in large volumes, has meant that no EOR projects have utilised CO2 as an injection fluid. However CO2EOR has the highest potential of all EOR techniques to maximise recovery from depleted UK oil fields. With the prospect of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) capturing large tonnages of CO2 from point source emission sites, the feasibility of CO2EOR deployment in the North Sea is high. This thesis primarily aims to address a number of discrete issues which assess the effectiveness of CO2EOR to both produce oil and store CO2. Given the fundamental shift in approach proposed in North Sea CO2EOR projects, the carbon balance of such projects is examined. Using a life cycle accounting approach on a theoretical North Sea field, we examine whether offshore CO2EOR can store more CO2 than onshore projects traditionally have, and whether CO2 storage can offset additional emissions produced through offshore operations and incremental oil production. Using two design scenarios which optimise oil production and CO2 storage, we find that that net GHG emissions were negative in both ‘oil optimised’ and ‘CO2 storage optimised’. However when emissions from transporting, refining and combusting the produced crude oil are incorporated into the life cycle calculations the ‘oil optimised scenario’ became a net emitter of GHG and highlights the importance of continuing CO2 import and injection after oil production has been maximised at a field. This is something that has not traditionally occurred. After assessing rates of flaring and venting of produced associated gas at UK oil fields it is found that the flaring or venting of reproduced CH4 and CO2 has a large control on emissions. Much like currently operating UK oil fields the rates of flaring and venting has a control on the carbon intensity of oil produced. Here values for the carbon intensity of oil produced through CO2EOR are presented. Carbon intensity values are found to be similar to levels of current UK oil production and significantly lower than other unconventional sources. As well as assessing the climate benefits of CO2EOR, a new assessment of CO2EOR potential in Residual Oil Zones (ROZ) is also made. ROZ resource, which is thought to add significant potential to both the oil reserves and CO2 storage potential in some US basins, is here identified in the North Sea for the first time. Based on the foundation of North Sea hydrodynamics study, this thesis identifies the Pierce field as a candidate ROZ field where hydrodynamic tilting of the oil water contact has naturally occurred leaving a zone of residual oil. To test the feasibility of CO2EOR in such a zone a methodology is presented and applied. Notably the study highlights that in this case study recoverable reserves from the ROZ may approach 20% of total field recoverable reserves and have the capability to store up to 11Mt of CO2. While highlighting the CO2EOR potential in the ROZ the thesis discusses the importance in expanding the analysis to quantify its importance on a basin scale. Discussion is also made on whether new resource identification is necessary in a mature basin like the North Sea. With CO2EOR being considered as a feasible option for storing captured anthropogenic CO2, it is important to assess the security of storage in CO2EOR. Using real geochemical and production data from a pilot CO2EOR development in Western Canada two approaches are used to assess the partitioning of CO2 between reservoir fluids through time. Using a number of correlations it is found that CO2 dissolution in oil is up to 7 times greater than in reservoir brine when saturations between the two fluids are equal. It is found that after two years of CO2 injection solubility trapping accounts for 26% of injected CO2. The finding that significantly more dissolution occurs in oil rather than brine indicates that CO2 storage in EOR is safer than in brine storage. However a number of factors such as the increase in oil/CO2 mobility due to CO2 injection is also discussed. The overall conclusion from the work is that CO2EOR in the North Sea has the potential to be an effective way of producing oil and storing CO2 in the North Sea. A number of design, operational and accounting factors are however essential to operate an exemplar CO2EOR project where low carbon intensity oil can be produced from a mature basin while storing large tonnages of captured anthropogenic CO2.

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is a technique for separating pure carbon dioxide from the combustion of fuels. The oxygen to burn the fuel comes from the lattice oxygen contained in solid particles of an inorganic oxide (the 'oxygen carrier'), instead of from oxygen in the air. Thus only CO2 and water leave the combustor, or fuel reactor. Next, the water is condensed, leaving pure CO2. The oxygen carrier is regenerated by oxidising it in air in a second reactor, called the air reactor. Accordingly, a stream of pure carbon dioxide can be produced, uncontaminated with gases such as nitrogen, normally present when the fuel burns in air. This intrinsic separation with CLC enables CO2 to be separated more efficiently than with other techniques, such as post-combustion scrubbing of carbon dioxide from stack gases with amine-based solvents. The design of a CLC system and its performance within an electricity system represents a multi-scale problem, ranging from the behaviour of single particles of oxygen carrier within a reactor to how a CLC-based power plant would perform in an electricity grid. To date, these scales have been studied in isolation, with little regard for the vital interactions and dependences amongst them. This Dissertation addresses this problem by considering CLC holistically for the first time, using a multi-scale approach. A stochastic model was developed, combining the particle-and reactor-scales of CLC. It included an appropriate particle model and can be coupled to a detailed reactor model. The combination represented a significant change from existing approaches, uniquely accounting for all the important factors affecting the assemblage of particles performing in the CLC reactors. It was used to determine the regimes of operation in which CLC is sensitive to factors such as the manner in which the particles are reacting, the residence time distribution of particles in the two reactors, the particle size distribution and the reaction history of particles. To demonstrate that the approach could simulate specific configurations of CLC, as well as a general system, the model was compared with results from experiments in which CLC with methane was conducted in a laboratory-scale circulating fluidised bed. The long-term performance of oxygen carrier materials is important, because, in an industrial process, they would be expected to function satisfactorily for many thousands of hours of operation. Long-term experiments were conducted to evaluate the resistance of different oxygen carrier materials to physical and chemical attrition. The evolution of their chemical kinetics was also determined. The results were used to evaluate the impact of different oxygen carrier materials in a fuel reactor at industrial-scale. Finally, a theoretical approach was developed to simulate how a fleet of CLC-based power plants would perform within the UK's national grid. By understanding how different parameters such as capital cost, operating cost and measures of efficiency, compared with other methods of generation offering carbon reduction, desirable design modifications and needs for improvement for CLC were identified by utilising the theoretical and experimental work conducted at the particle- and reactor-scales.

<p>The rising carbon dioxide emissions contributing to climate change has lead to the examination of potential ways to mitigate the environmental impact. One such method is through the geological sequestration of carbon (CCS). Although there are several different forms of geological sequestration (i.e. Saline Aquifers, Oil and Gas Reservoirs, Unminable Coal Seams) the current projects are just initiating the large scale-testing phase. The lead entry point into CCS projects is to combine the sequestration with enhanced oil recovery (EOR) due to the improved economic model as a result of the oil recovery and the pre-existing knowledge of the geological structures. The potential scope of CCS-EOR projects throughout the continental United States in terms of a systematic examination of individual reservoir storage potential has not been examined. Instead the majority of the research completed has centered on either estimating the total United States storage potential or the potential of a single specific reservoir.</p><p>The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between oil recovery, carbon dioxide storage and cost during CCS-EOR. The characteristics of the oil and gas reservoirs examined in this study from the Nehring Oil and Gas Database were used in the CCS-EOR model developed by Sean McCoy to estimate the lifting and storage costs of the different reservoirs throughout the continental United States. This allows for an examination of both technical and financial viability of CCS-EOR as an intermediate step for future CCS projects in other geological formations. </p><p>One option for mitigating climate change is to store industrial CO2 emissions in geologic reservoirs as part of a process known as carbon capture and storage (CCS). There is general consensus that large-scale deployment of CCS would best be initiated by combining geologic sequestration with enhanced oil recovery (EOR), which can use CO2 to improve production from declining oil fields. Revenues from the produced oil could help offset the current high costs of CCS. </p><p>The cumulative potential of CCS-EOR in the continental U.S. has been evaluated in terms of both CO2 storage capacity and additional oil production. This thesis examines the same potential, but on a reservoir-by-reservoir basis. Reservoir properties from the Nehring Oil and Gas Database are used as inputs to a CCS-EOR model developed by McCoy (YR) to estimate the storage capacity, oil production and CCS-EOR costs for over 10,000 oil reservoirs located throughout the continental United States. </p><p>We find that 86% of the reservoirs could store &#8804;1 y or CO2 emissions from a single 500 MW coal-fired power plant (i.e., 3 Mtons CO2). Less than 1% of the reservoirs, on the other hand, appear capable of storing &#8805;30 y of CO2 emissions from a 500 MW plan. But these larger reservoirs are also estimated to contain 48% of the predicted additional oil that could be produced through CCS-EOR. The McCoy model also predicts that the reservoirs will on average produce 4.5 bbl of oil for each ton of sequestered CO2, a ratio known as the utilization factor. This utilization factor is 1.5 times higher that arrived at by the U.S. Department of Energy, and leads to a cumulative production of oil for all the reservoirs examined of ~183 billion barrels along with a cumulative storage capacity of 41 Mtons CO2. This is equivalent to 26.5 y of current oil consumption by the nation, and 8.5 y of current coal plant emissions.</p> / Thesis

Koldioxidavskiljning och lagring (CCS) har lyfts fram som ett verktyg för att hejda klimatförändringarna. I detta arbete har det undersökts om CCS är nödvändigt för att uppnå klimatmålen på global, europeisk och svensk nivå. I uppsatsen, som är en litteraturstudie, har det även undersökts vilka möjligheter och risker som finns med att använda CCS och vilka förutsättningar som krävs för att CCS ska användas. Resultaten är att CCS är enligt en majoritet av forskningen nödvändigt för att uppnå tvågradersmålet och det anses även behövas för att EU:s klimatmål ska uppnås. Cirka 10 miljoner ton av de årliga svenska utsläppen runt år 2050 kan behöva lagras om Sverige ska vara klimatneutralt år 2050. Det finns tillräckliga geologiska kapacitet för koldioxidlagring i världen i helhet, Europa och Sverige. En intressant möjlighet med CCS är att ta ned koldioxid från atmosfären genom att lagra koldioxid från bioenergi. Avgörande för utvecklingen av CCS är att det finns ett pris på koldioxidutsläpp som gör det dyrare att släppa ut koldioxid än att lagra den. Det är sannolikt att 99 procent av den lagrade koldioxiden är kvar inom 1000 år. Fossilenergi med CCS är ur klimatsynpunkt betydligt bättre än fossilenergi utan CCS. Men CCS gör inte fossilenergi till ett problemfritt energislag. En nackdel är att CCS leder till mer kolbrytning. En slutsats är att mycket ändå talar för att riskerna med att inte använda CCS för att bekämpa den globala uppvärmningen är större än riskerna med CCS. / Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been discussed as a possible tool to mitigate climate change. This study is investigating whether CCS is necessary to achieve climate goals at the global, European and Swedish levels. This study, which is a literature-review, has also looked into the possibilities, opportunities and risks linked to the use of CCS. The result is that CCS, according to the majority of the research, is necessary to achieve the “two degree target” and is also needed for achieving EU's climate goals.  By year 2050 Sweden may need to store approximately 10 million tons of emissions annually in order to become climate neutral. There is sufficient geological capacity for carbon storage in the world, where Europe and Sweden have the capacity to store their own emissions. An interesting possibility of CCS is to reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by storing carbon from biomass. Crucial to the development of CCS is the need for a price on carbon dioxide that makes it more expensive to emit carbon dioxide than to store it. It is likely that 99 percent of the stored carbon dioxide is retained for at least 1000 years. Fossil fuels with CCS are from a climate point of view, considerably better than fossil energy without CCS. But CCS does not make fossil energy problem-free. It leads to more coal mining. A conclusion is that the risks of not using CCS to combat global warming are greater than the risks of using CCS.

Submitted by Caio Felipe de Paula Santos null (38626554826) on 2016-04-20T17:19:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_final.pdf: 650643 bytes, checksum: 4c9c3b09b961790fcddd0d2c996feba9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-04-26T17:53:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_cfp_me_guara.pdf: 650643 bytes, checksum: 4c9c3b09b961790fcddd0d2c996feba9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T17:53:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_cfp_me_guara.pdf: 650643 bytes, checksum: 4c9c3b09b961790fcddd0d2c996feba9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A geração de energia elétrica em usinas termoelétricas de ciclo combinado tem se mostrado muito importante para o Brasil apesar de operar com custo maior do que a geração através de hidroelétricas. Neste trabalho, foram realizadas análises termoeconômica e ecológica, baseadas nos princípios da Termodinâmica (energia e exergia), aplicados em usina termoelétrica de ciclo combinado de 500 MW. Para este trabalho foram consideradas duas configurações para a planta: a primeira configuração é a padrão (sem considerar equipamento de redução de emissão de CO2), e a segunda que considera a implementação do processo de captura, armazenamento e compressão de CO2 (CAC). O principal objetivo do trabalho é estudar e comparara as diferenças nas eficiências termodinâmicas e ecológicas da planta (operando nas duas condições) e as alterações nos custos de produção de energia elétrica gerada, em vista da instalação do processo de CAC. / The Electric Power Generation in combined cycle power plants has been very important for Brazil despite having a higher cost than the generation through hydropower plants. In this work, there were performed thermeconomical and ecological analyzes, based on thermodynamic principles (energy and exergy) in a 500 MW combined cycle power plant. For this work there were considered two settings for this plant: first a standard configuration (without to consider equipments for CO2 emission reduction), and the second considering the implementation of a process of capture, storage and compression of carbon dioxide (CSC). The main objective of this analysis is to study and compare the differences in thermodynamic and ecological efficiencies (operating in both conditions) and the alterations in the electrical energy cost, in view of the installation of the CSC process.

Adsorption in porous materials is a promising technology for CO2 capture and storage. Particularly important applications are adsorption separation of streams associated with the fossil fuel power plants operation, as well as natural gas sweetening. High surface area activated carbons are a promising family of materials for these applications, especially in the high pressure regimes. As the streams under consideration are generally multi-component mixtures, development and optimization of adsorption processes for their separation would substantially benefit from predictive simulation models. In this project we combine experimental data and molecular simulations to systematically develop a model for a high surface area carbon material, taking activated carbon Maxsorb MSC-30 as a reference. Our study starts from the application of the well-established slit pore model, and then evolves through the development of a more realistic model, based on a random packing of small graphitic fragments. In the construction of the model, we introduce a number of constraints, such as the value of the accessible surface area, concentration of the surface groups and pore volume, to bring the properties of the model structure close to the reference porous material. Once a plausible model is developed, its properties are further tuned through comparison between simulated and experimental results for carbon dioxide and methane. The model is then validated by predictions for the same species at different conditions and by prediction of other species involved in the carbon capture processes. The model is applied to simulate the separations involved in pre and post combustion capture processes and sweetening of sour natural gas, using realistic conditions and compositions for the multicomponent mixtures. Finally, it is used to explore the effect of water in pre and post combustion separations.

Carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS) are expected to play a key role in the future energy matrix. Different gas separation processes are under investigation with the purpose of becoming a more economical alternative than solvent based post combustion configurations. Previous works have proved that pressure swing adsorption (PSA) cycles manage to reach similar carbon capture targets than conventional amine process but with approx. a 50% lower specific energy consumption when they are applied at lab scale. These encouraging results suggest that research must be undertaken to study the feasibility of this technology at a low to medium power plant scale. The simulation of PSA cycles is a computationally challenging and time consuming task that requires as well a large set of experimentally measured data as input parameters. The assumption of Equilibrium Theory reduces the amount of empirically determined input variables that are necessary for modelling adsorption dynamics as well as enabling a simpler code implementation for the simulators. As part of this work, an Equilibrium Theory PSA cycle solver (Esim) was developed, the novel tool enables the quantification of the thermodynamic limit for a given PSA cycle allowing as well a pre-selection of promising operating conditions and configurations (high separation efficiency) for further investigation by using full governing equation based software The tool presented in this thesis is able to simulate multi-transition adsorption systems that obey any kind of equilibrium isotherm function without modifying its main code. The second part of this work is devoted to the design, simulation and optimisation of two stage two bed Skarmstrom PSA cycles to be applied as a pre-combustion process in a biomass gasification CHP plant. Simulations were carried out employing an in house software (CySim) in which full governing equations have been implemented. An accurate analysis of the operating conditions and cycle configurations was undertaken in order to improve the performance of the carbon capture unit. It was estimated that the energy penalty associated with the incorporation of the adsorptive pre combustion process was lower for a conventional post combustion solvent unit, leading as well to lower specific energy consumption per unit of captured CO2 and higher overall efficiencies for the CHP plant with installed pre-combustion PSA cycles. This work is pioneer in its kind as far as modelling, simulation, optimisation and integration of PSA units in energy industries is concerned and its results are expected to contribute to the deployment of this technology in the future energy matrix.

Utilisation of biomass resources and CO2 abatement systems in currently exploited fossil resource based energy systems are the key strategies in resolving energy sustainability issue and combating against global climate change. These strategies are affected by high energy penalty and high investment. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the viability of these energy systems and further identify niche problem areas associated with energy efficiency and economic performance improvement. The current research work has two parts. The first part presents techno-economic investigation of thermochemical conversion of biomass into the production of fuels (Fischer-Tropsch liquid or methanol) and electricity. The work encompasses centralised bio-oil integrated gasification plant, assuming that the bio-oil is supplied from distributed pyrolysis plant. Bio-oil is a high energy density liquid derived from biomass fast pyrolysis process, providing advantages in transport and storage. Various bio-oil based integrated gasification system configurations were studied. The configurations were varied based on oxygen supply units, once-through and full conversion configurations and a range of capacities from small to large scale. The second part of this thesis considers integration of various CO2 abatement strategies in coal integrated gasification systems. The CO2 abatement strategies under consideration include CO2 capture and storage, CO2 capture and reuse as well as CO2 reuse from flue gas. These facilities are integrated into cogeneration or polygeneration systems. The cogeneration concept refers to the production of combined heat and power while polygeneration concept is an integrated system converting one or more feedstocks into three or more products. Polygeneration is advocated in this work attributed to its high efficiency and lower emission. Furthermore, it can generate a balanced set of products consisting of fuels, electricity and chemicals. It is regarded as a promising way of addressing the future rapidly growing energy demands. A holistic approach using systematic analytical frameworks comprising simulation modelling, process integration and economic analysis has been developed and adopted consistently throughout the study for the techno-economic performance evaluation of decarbonised fossil and bio-oil based systems. Important design methodology, sensitivity analysis of process parameters and process system modifications are proposed. These are to enhance the efficiency as well as lower the economic and environmental impacts of polygeneration systems. A shortcut methodology has also been developed as a decision-making tool for effective selection from a portfolio of CO2 abatement options and integrated systems. Critical and comprehensive analyses of all the systems under considerations are presented. These embrace the impact of carbon tax, product price evaluation and recommendations for sustainability of low carbon energy systems.

Les technologies de captage, transport et stockage du CO2 ont pour finalité de capter le CO2 issu des industries afin de le stocker géologiquement et ainsi, réduire l impact de ces activités sur le réchauffement climatique. L Axe-Seine (Paris Le Havre) est un territoire très industrialisé et fortement émetteur de CO2. Dans ce territoire, les décideurs locaux envisagent l utilisation des technologies de CTSC afin de réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre. L objectif de notre recherche est de comprendre les futurs possibles de ces technologies dans l Axe-Seine. Dans cette perspective, cette thèse analyse tout d'abord le fonctionnement des technologies de CTSC dans une approche de sociologie des sciences et des techniques et les promesses technoscientifiques initiales associées à ce dispositif technique. Ensuite, cette recherche examine les dynamiques socio-spatiales de la vallée de la Seine concernant l'environnement. Enfin, cette thèse par une exploration des récits relatifs aux technologies de CTSC par les promoteurs de ce dispositif technique et des parties prenantes locales, identifie les hybridations potentielles entre ce dispositif technique et les dynamiques socio-spatiales de l'Axe-Seine. Ainsi est-il possible de décrire les futurs possibles des technologies dans l'Axe-Seine. Par ailleurs, dans cette recherche nous questionnons également la place des sciences sociales au côté des sciences de la vie et de la matière dans la dynamique de l'innovation technologique. / Carbon Capture and Storage enables industrial facilities to capture their CO2 emissions in order to geologically store it and then reduce their impact on global warming. The Seine Waterway Axis (from Paris to Le Havre) counts a lot of industrial facilities emitting huge quantities of CO2. From 2006 local stakeholders of this territory are willing to develop CCS to a commercial scale in order to reduce CO2 emissions.In our research we aim to understand potential futures of CCS technology in the Seine Waterway Axis. In this Phd thesis we first analyse initial technoscientific promises related to Carbon Capture and Storage in using Science and Technology Studies theoretical framework. Then we focus on the Seine Waterway Axis territorial dynamics regarding sustainable development. Finnaly, we focus on narratives related to Carbon Capture and Storage in the Seine Waterway Axis in order to identify hybridations between CCS implementations and territorial dynamics. These cross analysis will enable us to describe potential future of CCS establishment in the Seine Waterway Axis.