Gas separation and emission reduction in offshore environments poses a challenge because of limited platform space and access to renewable power, marine conditions, and safety considerations. A cost-effective solution is presented in this paper using an aqueous gas-separation system that uses a patented capture system, and which constitutes an entire carbon-capture value chain, in two offshore case studies.
Introduction
The capture system is simulated using a combination of industry-standard chemical-process models to design the flow system and to obtain high-level system efficiencies and a proprietary mass-transfer model that has been validated against empirical and experimental data.
Case 1 of this study focuses on CO2 capture from low-CO2-concentration flue gas from gas turbines on an offshore platform, combined with the option for carbonated-water (CW) injection back to the local reservoir, or to other nearby reservoirs, depending on the available water-injection system. The value chain can be established for a standalone field or in a cluster of fields with tie-ins where CW can be used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or for permanent storage, or both.
Case 2 explores the concept of using the highlighted aqueous gas-separation system to separate CO2 (or hydrogen sulfide) from oil or gas fields in natural gas production. Further cost savings are possible in this case because the gas is already pressurized in the subsurface reservoir.
