Health and Safety Executive

Carbon capture and storage:

HSE perceptions

Dr Gordon Newsholme

Process safety corporate topic group

Presentation overview

• Govt’s energy review

• Overview of the technology

• Health and safety risks

• Regulatory framework and standards

• Knowledge management/advancement opportunities

• Summary

What is carbon capture and storage?

A series of processes by which the amount of man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere could be reduced.

What does CCS involve?

• Separation of CO2 from gaseous effluent streams

• Transportation to a suitable storage location

• Long-term isolation from the atmosphere

Potential capture sites

• Electricity generation stations using fossil fuels

Potential capture sites

• Electricity generation stations using fossil fuels

• Major industrial sources:

– Iron and steel making

– Cement production

– Glass manufacture

Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion

Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion

• Traditional combustion

Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion

• Traditional combustion

• Oxy-fuel combustion

Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion

• Pre-combustion

Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion

• Pre-combustion

• Steam reforming

Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion

• Pre-combustion

• Steam reforming

• Gasification

Strategies for CO2 capture

• Post-combustion

• Pre-combustion

• Non-combustion sources

Separation technologies

Separation technologies

• Absorption/adsorption

– Scrubbing with amines etc

– Pressure swing adsorption systems

Separation technologies

• Absorption/adsorption

• Cryogenic separation

Separation technologies

• Absorption/adsorption

• Cryogenic separation

• Gas separation membranes

Transportation of CO2 to storage site

• Pipelines

– Dense phase C02

– Specialist technology

– 2 500 km pipelines in USA

– 40 M tonnes p.a moved

– Very low incident rate

Transportation of CO2 to storage site

• Pipelines

• Ship– Moved as liquid at c 7 bar– Applicable experience from LNG shipping

Storage

• Geological

• Mineralisation

• Oceanic storage

Geological storage

• Depleted oil or gas reservoirs

• Saline aquifers

• Unmineable coal beds

Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2

Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2:

– Asphyxiant– Heavier-than-air– Acid gas

– Effect of elevated CO2 levels on asset life

Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2

• Supercritical CO2

Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2

• Supercritical CO2

– Not a solid, a liquid or a gas– low viscosity, highly solubilising and invasive

Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2

• Supercritical CO2

A release of sc CO2 will:• Produce a jet of gas, liquid/solid• Very low temperatures (- 800C)

• Grit-blasting nature of releases

Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2:

• Supercritical CO2

• Capture solvents

Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2:

• Supercritical CO2

• Capture solvents– Flammable, irritant chemicals

Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2:

• Supercritical CO2

• Capture solvents

• Trapped energy

Health and safety risks

• Gaseous CO2:

• Supercritical CO2

• Capture solvents

• Trapped energy– Very high operating/injection pressures– Typically 200 bars, potentially 400 bars

Regulatory framework & standards etc

• Backdrop of general H & S duties (HSW Act)

• No new categories of safety risk involved

• All chemicals involved well documented

• LUP/MH legislation needs amendment

• Few sc CO2 specific engineering standards

Significant health & safety issues

• Poor understanding of release behaviour of sc CO2

• Difficulty of developing foreseeable accident scenarios

• Risk to personnel, structure & function from releases

• Physiological hazards of CO2

• Effect of elevated CO2 levels on asset life

• Lack of engineering standards specifically for sc CO2

Knowledge management opportunities

• Large-scale sc CO2 release behaviour studies

• Development of validated modelling techniques

• Appropriate sc CO2 specific engineering codes/stds

• Effect of CO2 on maintenance needs

• Recognise need for effective KM

Summary

• CCS projects will be major operational undertakings

• The technology is extremely specialised

• There is relevant expertise

• Projects may exceed current operating parameters

• Release behaviour of sc CO2 is poorly understood

• Regulatory framework requires amendment

Acknowledgements

Photographs and Diagrams:Enpira, Daniel, American Combustion, Arcadenet, Greenpeace, Aircare, Aci-Ecotec, UKOOA, Fba.nus,Healthy-women.org, World coal, CO2capture project.org, Science Museum, World Energy, IEA, Coal Authority, Whitehouse.gov, BBC, Etech, Steeltechnology.org, Petroleumbazaar.com, Shaygen-innovatio.co.uk, Firstpeople, hydrocarbon-technology, Princeton, BSU, BNL, Ebara

Carbon capture and storage

Any questions or comments?

Gordon Newsholme