Environmental Sustainability
Emerson helps customers across some of the world’s most essential industries make measurable sustainability progress, and we stand poised to help others along the same journey.
Ensure safe, reliable and efficient CO2 pipeline transport.
Emerson’s automation technology has the flexibility to quickly and efficiently adapt as carbon-capture technology evolves, ensuring our experts can help customers navigate regulatory uncertainty as they plan and execute CCUS projects.
Emerson’s gas compression technology and advanced compression and pumping solutions address the most demanding industrial decarbonization projects.
Emerson has the engineering expertise, technologies and software to help drive down costs, reduce complexity and accommodate changes on carbon capture projects.
Frequently Asked Questions about Carbon Capture Transportation
Once the carbon capture process removes CO2 gas from the source, it is usually liquified under compression at low temperature and pumped through networks of pipelines and valves so that it can be stored underground or used in other chemical processes downstream. To keep the CO2 stable in its liquid phase for long distance transport, it must be kept under constant pressure, which requires compressors at stages along the pipelines.
Because carbon dioxide is corrosive to steel, the integrity of pipelines must be constantly monitored and maintained to avoid releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, defeating the entire purpose of carbon capture. At the same time, because liquid CO2 is transported under such high pressure, all valves and other final control systems must operate reliably at all points along the pipeline infrastructure without leaking, or again, the value of carbon capture is easily lost. Compressors, like all rotating equipment, are prone to failure if not properly monitored and maintained, which can disrupt flow through the network and lead to containment losses.
Also, with liquefaction, water content in CO2 can lead to leaks and must be carefully controlled.
Being able to detect and localize pipeline leaks in real time enables operators to address the issue quicker, limiting emissions. Automation solutions allow pipeline operators to understand the impact of corrosion and maintain a leak-free process by continuously monitoring wall thickness across pipes using wireless ultrasonic sensors. Real-time monitoring and alarm solutions quickly identify leaks and ruptures, and advanced data management tools and dashboards aggregate disparate pipeline and asset integrity-related information, which helps identify issues and improves risk modeling.
Reliable high-pressure valves with superior sealing and packing of potential leak points are used to minimize fugitive emissions, while optimized digital valve solutions ensure stable flow to liquefaction compressors, preventing damage from equipment failure and extending asset life. Continuous health monitoring with pervasive sensors and data analytics provides greater visibility into compressor performance, mitigating risk of downtime, reducing maintenance costs and preventing safety and environmental incidents.
Carbon capture and transport technology is in its relative infancy. With unknown or new processes comes unknown risk, especially from corrosion. According to William Fazackerley, monitoring corrosion and erosion using wireless sensors is cost-effective and reduces potential leaks into the environment by giving real-time updates on pipe wall thickness and corrosion rate.
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