Carbon Capture And Storage Development Research Articles

Detection and Quantification of CO <sub>2</sub> Seepage in Seawater Using the Stoichiometric Cseep Method: Results from a Recent Subsea CO <sub>2</sub> Release Experiment in the North Sea

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a potential significant mitigation strategy to combat climate change and ocean acidification in climate change scenarios e.g.,. Three out of four 1.5°C- consistent emission pathways published by the IPCC include CCS as well as bioenergy CCS (BECCS) as mitigation options. However, the scale of current CCS implementation is insufficient to affect the global climate, and thousands of large-scale CCS facilities need to be deployed by 2040 to meet mitigation targets. Moreover, the technology is in early stage of research, development, and demonstration e.g., and involves uncertainties and risks e.g.,. Currently, there are encouraging signals that CCS development and deployment are gaining momentum, and demonstration projects and experimental work are providing needed data for more thorough risk assessment.

Legal and Policy Analysis of Carbon Capture and Storage in China

This paper focuses on relevant legal and policy arrangements necessary for the development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in China. Special attention is paid to laws and policies on the capture, transport and storage of CO2. In particular, the storage of CO2 is very challenging for the existing regulatory regime, considering the complexity and novelty of the issue. Specifically speaking, the following analysis is made from three perspectives: (1) regulatory regime; (2) fiscal and financial support and (3) environmental regulations (including access to information and public participation). Having summarized and analyzed relevant issues and international experience, this paper identified the foundation, barriers and gaps exist in China. Priority choices and targets for legal and policy development in different periods were also made according to the status quo of CCS development in China and the periods of development recommended by the Asian Development Bank.

The Prospects of Carbon Capture and Storage in China’s Power Sector under the 2 °C Target: A Component-based Learning Curve Approach

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is indispensable in achieving the well below 2 °C warming target, especially for China with coal-dominated energy structures. However, high investment makes the development of CCS far from the global warming target. Concerns about the high cost have led to a spread of pessimistic attitude towards the future of CCS to some extent. Therefore, this study provides the first instance to determine the unit CO2 avoided cost learning curves of various CCS pathways for China’s thermal power generation based on a component-based approach, and establishes a non-linear technology optimization model with endogenous technological progress. Model developed by this study aims to explore the economically optimal CCS deployment strategy for achieving the necessary emission reductions in line with 2 °C target in China and the amount of investment required. Results show that the nominal learning rates of CO2 avoided costs are in the range of 0.018 to 0.151 for four CCS pathways. The strategic priority should be given to the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) pathway and the supercritical pulverized coal (SPC) pathway, considering that they have greater cost reduction potential than that of oxy-combustion and gas-fired pathway. To achieve the 2 °C target, the total abatement cost will be at least 330 billion US dollars with a CCS capacity of 499 GW for power sector by 2050. The preferred time of large-scale deployment of CCS in China's power sector is around 2030. Postponing CCS commercialization will surge the abatement cost to $626 billion by 2050. In addition, this study provides the long term break-even CO2 prices for implementing CCS, ranging from approximately $46/ton CO2 to $62/ton CO2, which is informative for the future subsidy setting and carbon trading market.

Research trends in carbon capture and storage: A comparison of China with Canada

In order to effectively address climate change, academia and industry have paid much attention to the development trend of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). However, there is no mature CCS research trend monitoring system. China is likely to be the largest market for CCS technology in the future, while Canada is the first country to start the research and development of CCS. Existing studies have discussed the CCS research trends at the global level, in China, Canada, and in other countries. However, few comparative studies have been carried out in key countries. In this study, an integrated method of bibliometrics and S-Curve is proposed with the purpose of comparing CCS research trends between China and Canada. Firstly, the bibliometrics method was used to compare the conceptual structure and research route of CCS research in China and in Canada. Secondly, the key collaborators were indentified through the comparison of collaboration relationships. Finally, the S-Curve model was employed to forecast the CCS research output trend in China and Canada. This study found that China's CCS research had the advantage of pre-combustion carbon capture, while Canada's advantage lied in the ecosystem carbon sequestration. It was also shown that Canada’s CCS cumulative publication may reach saturation 15 years later than that in China. This paper provides insight into the CCS research and development optimization for China, Canada and globally. The CCS research trends comparison tools proposed in this study can benefit to monitor the CCS research by governments and enterprises.

Appraisal of CO2 storage potential in compressional hydrocarbon-bearing basins: Global assessment and case study in the Sichuan Basin (China)

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been proposed as a potential technology to mitigate climate change. However, there is currently a huge gap between the current global deployment of this technology and that which will be ultimately required. Whilst CO2 can be captured at any geographic location, storage of CO2 will be constrained by the geological storage potential in the area the CO2 is captured. The geological storage potential can be evaluated at a very high level according to the tectonic setting of the target area. To date, CCS deployment has been restricted to more favourable tectonic settings, such as extensional passive margin and post-rift basins and compressional foreland basins. However, to reach the adequate level of deployment, the potential for CCS of regions in different tectonic settings needs to be explored and assessed worldwide. Surprisingly, the potential of compressional basins for carbon storage has not been universally evaluated according to the global and regional carbon emission distribution. Here, we present an integrated source-to-sink analysis tool that combines comprehensive, open-access information on basin distribution, hydrocarbon resources and CO2 emissions based on geographical information systems (GIS). Compressional settings host some of the most significant hydrocarbon-bearing basins and 36% of inland CO2 emissions but, to date, large-scale CCS facilities in compressional basins are concentrated in North America and the Middle East only. Our source-to-sink tool allows identifying five high-priority regions for prospective CCS development in compressional basins: North America, north-western South America, south-eastern Europe, the western Middle East and western China. We present a study of the characteristics of these areas in terms of CO2 emissions and CO2 storage potential. Additionally, we conduct a detailed case-study analysis of the Sichuan Basin (China), one of the compressional basins with the greatest CO2 storage potential. Our results indicate that compressional basins will have to play a critical role in the future of CCS if this technology is to be implemented worldwide.

Carbon capture and storage in China’s power sector: Optimal planning under the 2 °C constraint

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been widely recognized as a key technology to reduce CO2 emissions in the power sector. China’s power sector needs to achieve large-scale emission reductions through CCS technologies to contribute to limiting the global temperature rise to less than 2℃. The best source–sink matching directly affects total mitigation costs for the power sector. However, China has not yet established an optimal CCS plan. This study evaluates the least-cost source–sink relationship and cluster development opportunities for CCS in China under the 2 °C constraint. The results show that 165 existing coal-fired power plants, which have an installed capacity of approximately 175 GW, need CCS retrofitting and can find a suitable CO2 storage site within an average radius of 115 km. The total captured CO2 is 17.42 billion tons in Northeast, North, East, Northwest, and South regions with the share of 10.79% (1.88 GtCO2), 31.29% (5.45 GtCO2), 35.25% (6.14GtCO2), 22.39% (3.90GtCO2), and 0.27% (47MtCO2), respectively. Approximately 90% of captured CO2 can be stored in the Songliao, Bohai Bay, and Subei basins. In addition, 23% of the emission reductions can be achieved through CO2-enhanced oil recovery. The total mitigation cost is USD 1212 billion and the revenue generated from CO2-enhanced oil recovery is USD 377 billion. Overall, it provides the least-cost source–sink layout and cluster development opportunities for CCS development under the 2 ℃ constraint, which can serve as a basis for large-scale CCS adoption in China.

Optimization of dynamic incentive for the deployment of carbon dioxide removal technology: A nonlinear dynamic approach combined with real options

Due to the high adoption cost, large uncertainty, and ignorance of the positive externalities for private entities, additional incentives are needed for the development of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology. And there is a trade-off between the government and investors on how to ensure the effectiveness of the incentive policy and optimally allocate subsidized capital. This paper proposes a nonlinear dynamic programming model that combines real options method to study the optimization of dynamic subsidies for CDR technology. Using the endogenous learning effect, technological advance, and technology applicability, we modeled the investor decisions under uncertainty, as well as the government's effective use of incentive policies. Our model is available for deriving the development path of CDR technology with optimized subsidies and research and development (R&D) input across multiple periods. We use China's carbon capture and storage (CCS) development as a case study. The results show that, unlike other kinds of low-carbon technology such as renewable energy, the subsidy level of CCS may not decrease in the future because of rising trend of fuel costs and worse technology applicability in large-scale deployment. The achievement of large-scale CCS development will rely more on second-generation CCS. The levelized policy cost of incentivizing CCS technology in China can be high, and thus the target should be prudently set based on an evaluation of its socioeconomic burden. A supplementary measure that caps the CCS installation in each period is recommended to prevent excessive development.

Feasible roadmap for CCS retrofit of coal-based power plants to reduce Chinese carbon emissions by 2050

In the medium to long term, China must conduct deep emission reduction actions to transform the country’s economy and meet the conditions of the Paris Agreement. As an advanced emission reduction technology, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is undoubtedly an important means of achieving this goal. China must consider how to retrofit existing thermal power plants to install CCS technology. Thus, the expected future roadmap for power plants with CO2 capture is of significant interest. To achieve this aim, we propose a new CCS project investment model, which helps design the CCS development roadmap for achieving the emission targets for 2050. Reductions in the cost of technologies as a result of learning-by-doing is considered to enrich the model to describe the reality more sensibly. Through some mathematical skills, we transform the original continuous problem into a nonlinear integer programming problem. By solving the model, we are trying to answer questions about when to adopt CCS technology and the cost. The results reveal that early large-scale CCS demonstrations are not necessary. The peak investment period of CCS is around 2035. Operating costs account for 80% of the overall cost of CCS, and thus, policymakers must fully motivate the development and investment of operating technologies, especially capture technologies. The results also show that when the scale of CCS technology is promoted, flexible installation levels can be considered to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Benefit evaluation of investment in CCS retrofitting of coal-fired power plants and PV power plants in China based on real options

Coal-fired power plays an important role in China's power supply, even though the photovoltaic (PV) power has developed rapidly in recent years. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is essential for achieving anticipated long-term climate change mitigation targets. However, China's government subsidy policies tend to support PV, while incentives for CCS are few. Given this situation, a trinomial tree modeling-based real options approach was developed to evaluate CCS retrofitting investment in coal-fired power plants versus PV power investment. This model includes setting different policy scenarios by considering electricity tariff subsidies and Chinese emission trading scheme (CN-ETS). The results showed that coal-fired power with CCS has a cost advantage over PV power in most provinces in China, if the electricity tariff and other subsidy policies remain the same; however, PV power will be cheaper than coal-fired power with CCS in Yunnan, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai and Shanxi provinces in the above cases. Incorporating CCS into CN-ETS could cut the former's application cost, but the incentive effect of CN-ETS is not obvious, because the carbon price in China is currently too cheap, and the incentive effect of a power tariff subsidy (subsidy at the PV power tariff level) is much better for PV than for CN-ETS. Increasing the load factor is an important way to reduce the CCS application cost for power plants. The results of this study provide reference and guidance for the collaborative development of CCS and PV.

Characterization of Fractured Rocks for the Design of a Pilot-Scale CO2 Injection Site in the Sulcis Basin, Italy

The naturally fractured carbonates have a great potential for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) purpose because they could offer the possibility for CO2 storage in areas where no suitable sandy reservoirs are available, as for example in the Mediterranean area, where most of the stratigraphic succession is composed by carbonate rocks. The Sulcis basin, located in the south-western part of Sardinia island (Italy), is an ideal site for technology development. Although the site is not feasible for commercial-scale geological storage (mainly due to the lack of stationary CO2 sources), it represents an optimal location for pilot-scale experiments. Thanks to data available from several national and international projects, as well as from the mining activities, it has been possible to recognize a potential reservoir-caprock system, suitable for pilot-scale CCS development. A sequence of well bedded, about 50 m thick, mudstones and grainstones (“Miliolitico Fm.”) has been identified as a potential reservoir; the caprock is represented by a thick succession of siltstones, sandstones and conglomerates (“Cixerri Fm.”) and up to 900 m of OligoMiocene volcanic rock, ranging from basaltic to rhyolitic composition. In this work we present the results of several geophysical and geological surveys, including reflection seismic profiles, and geo-structural analysis. All the data were combined in a 3D model, defining the volumes of each formation. The evaluation of the storage capacity and the existence of a thick and impermeable caprock are essential to consider the site suitable for the experimental tests. With this aim, we measured primary porosity and permeability, whereas the fracture network was studied using scan lines and scan areas techniques on outcropping analogue of reservoir and seals. The measured linear parameters were used to build several Discrete Fracture Model (DFN) both of reservoir and caprock formations. In particular, DFN were constructed varying length and aperture values to evaluate their influence on the total secondary porosity.

Carbon capture and storage retrofit: Case study for Croatia

ABSTRACT Considerable efforts are made in order to reduce the power sector’s carbon footprint. Paired with a realization that thermal power plants are likely to play a significant role during the transitional period towards a 100% sustainable energy system, carbon capture and storage (CCS) retrofit is becoming a growingly important consideration for a number of power plant operators. This paper analyzes the possibility of retrofitting a coal-fired power plant based in Croatia. A techno-economic model of the proposed unit is built setting up key elements of the technological solution and determining their capital and operational costs. Both a sensitivity analysis and a market analysis are conducted in order to best evaluate the feasibility of the CCS retrofit project. Particularities of South East Europe power sectors are considered utilizing an optimization software. Special consideration is given to the influence of the EU emission trading scheme (ETS) on CCS projects. Further research focuses on the main factors influencing the potential implementation of CCS. Key recommendations that might aid CCS deployment are outlined signaling stronger government support, stable regulatory framework, and market incentives as crucial factors able to foster CCS development. Considering the project in the study, analyses showed that, although technically feasible, CCS retrofit is currently not a financially viable option. Without a stable regulatory framework able to guarantee an adequate supporting scheme, the project is not market competitive. It is important to note that the economic gap of CCS retrofit has been considerably reduced during the past years.

Profiting from CCS Innovations: A Study to Measure Potential Value Creation from CCS Research and Development

Globally, large private and public budgets are invested into carbon capture and storage (CCS) research to provide the knowledge and technology required to mitigate CO2 emissions below a sustainable level. A pertinent question to ask is whether this is the best way of spending limited funds? This paper presents an ongoing study aiming to document the potential value creation from selected CCS innovations created in the international research centre BIGCCS and its successor NCCS. The results indicate that the potential profits by far exceed the investment.

A Review of Carbon Capture and Storage Project Investment and Operational Decision-Making Based on Bibliometrics

The research on carbon capture and storage (CCS) project planning and investment and operational decision-making can provide a reference for enterprises to invest in CCS and for policy-makers to formulate policies to promote CCS development. So what are the current research hotspots in this field and the gaps that still need to be further studied in the future? This paper reviews the research in the field by a bibliometric analysis. The results show that the research in this field first focus on cost analysis, followed by project investment evaluation, project planning (cost curve and pipeline network), and project operation. In particular, fossil fuel power plants, pipeline transportation, and oil fields are the most crucial objects in the three technical links of CCS projects, respectively. Policies, carbon pricing, and uncertainty in cost and benefits are factors that are mainly discussed in this field. The methods used for CCS project planning are cost curve model and optimization model. The real option approach is suitable for the evaluation of investment decision-making. The evaluation of operational decision is mostly based on optimization model. The future research directions can be summarized as five points: (1) continuously and systematically update the calculated costs in the current research to the unified price of the latest year; (2) calculate the cost curve from the perspective of emission sources; (3) expand the planning region of pipeline network to the country, continent, and even the entire world; (4) pay more attention to the investment assessment of the CCS project that may be implemented with low cost and high return; and (5) analyze the optimal operation mode of CCS in the low-load power system.

An assessment of CCS costs, barriers and potential

Global decarbonisation scenarios include Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a key technology to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the power and industrial sectors. However, few large scale CCS plants are operating worldwide. This mismatch between expectations and reality is caused by a series of barriers which are preventing this technology from being adopted more widely. The goal of this paper is to identify and review the barriers to CCS development, with a focus on recent cost estimates, and to assess the potential of CCS to enable access to fossil fuels without causing dangerous levels of climate change.The result of the review shows that no CCS barriers are exclusively technical, with CCS cost being the most significant hurdle in the short to medium term. In the long term, CCS is found to be very cost effective when compared with other mitigation options. Cost estimates exhibit a high range, which depends on process type, separation technology, CO2 transport technique and storage site.CCS potential has been quantified by comparing the amount of fossil fuels that could be used globally with and without CCS. In modelled energy system transition pathways that limit global warming to less than 2 °C, scenarios without CCS result in 26% of fossil fuel reserves being consumed by 2050, against 37% being consumed when CCS is available. However, by 2100, the scenarios without CCS have only consumed slightly more fossil fuel reserves (33%), whereas scenarios with CCS available end up consuming 65% of reserves. It was also shown that the residual emissions from CCS facilities is the key factor limiting long term uptake, rather than cost. Overall, the results show that worldwide CCS adoption will be critical if fossil fuel reserves are to continue to be substantively accessed whilst still meeting climate targets.

The Neglected Importance of Corporate Perceptions and Positions for the Long-term Development of CCS

Many companies that produce fossil fuels or fossil fuel-derived products show a strong belief in a large and continuing role for fossil fuels in the global economy up to 2050 and beyond. These companies are generally expected to be amongst the primary consumers of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. So far, however, fossil fuel companies have shown only moderate interest in CCS. Whilst a lot of potential operational barriers to CCS adoption have been identified in the literature, the value of CCS from a corporate strategy perspective has sometimes been assumed, but rarely explored. This paper asks the following question: What are the perceptions and positions of fossil fuel companies on CCS and how does this inform their decision-making on CCS investment and advocacy? This paper addresses this issue by presenting the results of in-depth interviews with high-level CCS experts from major multinational oil and gas companies and major coal mining firms. The results indicate that CCS would require a significant change within the business strategy of fossil fuel companies. This is contrary to the common argument that CCS is attractive because the technology is regarded as not being very disruptive to the incumbent energy system as it leaves most of the existing infrastructure, actor constellations and institutions intact. While fossil fuel companies engage in CCS development, it is often to familiarise themselves with technologies that might have future value if markets for these technologies take off. In several cases, CCS engagement has served the strategic need to weaken the link between fossil fuel extraction and climate change, build up shareholder trust, and improve public perception. However, there is little evidence that these companies engage in CCS to develop a strategic insurance against climate policy risks to their core businesses.

Carbon Capture and Storage Readiness Index: Comparative Review of Global Progress towards Wide-scale Deployment

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is critical for meeting international climate change targets and deployment must therefore be both rapid and global. To date, deployment has been limited to only a few countries with several factors slowing progress. These factors can be quantified to track a country's development and to identify enabling opportunities for wide-scale commercial deployment of CCS. This paper outlines the results of the Global CCS Institute's CCS Readiness Index. The CCS Index quantifies these factors through a set of criteria across four indicators – inherent interest, policy, legal and regulatory, and storage – which are major barriers or accelerators to the deployment of CCS and compares results for over 30 countries. The methodology behind all three indicators is similar, with each indicator employing its own set of criteria to assess conditions within a country at a particular point in time. Countries are then scored against the criteria with the premise being that the highest scoring jurisdictions have the best opportunity for the deployment of a CCS project. The CCS Index demonstrates that countries with clear, long-term policy commitments to use CCS technologies as an emissions reduction method rank highly. Despite strong development trends in some regions of the world, the majority of countries cluster around the midpoint of the analysis, suggesting some progress towards enabling CCS development, but not yet enough to encourage wide-scale deployment.

Optimal selection of different CCS technologies under CO2 reduction targets

In China, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is recognized as one of the most promising technologies through which to achieve a large reduction in CO2 emissions in future. The choice among different CCS technologies is critical for large-scale applications. With the aim of developing instructive policy suggestions for CCS development, this study proposed an interval programming model to select the optimal CCS technology among the different CCS technologies available in China. The analysis results indicate that the selection of CO2 capture technologies should be based on the actual situation of the project and industry being targeted. If the government implements mandatory CO2 emission reductions, storage in deep saline aquifers is the optimal choice for CO2 sequestration when oil prices are low and the number of available CO2 emission permits is large. In contrast, enhanced oil recovery is the optimal choice when oil prices increase and the availability of CO2 emission permits decreases. It is critical that the government reduce the operating cost and the cost of CO2 capture in particular.

Improved Location of Microseismic Events in Borehole Monitoring by Inclusion of Particle Motion Analysis: a Case Study at a CBM Field in Indonesia

Microseismic monitoring and constraining its hypocenters in and around hydrocarbon reservoirs provides insight into induced deformation related to hydraulic fracturing. In this study, we used data from a single vertical array of sensors in a borehole, providing measures of arrival times and polarizations. Microseismic events are located using 1-D velocity models and arrival times of P- and S-waves. However, in the case of all the sensors being deployed in a near-vertical borehole, there is a high ambiguity in the source location. Herein, we applied a procedure using azimuth of P-wave particle motion to constrain and improve the source location. We used a dataset acquired during 1-day of fracture stimulation at a CBM field in Indonesia. We applied five steps of location procedure to investigate microseismic events induced by these hydraulic fracturing activities. First, arrival times for 1584 candidate events were manually picked. Then we refined the arrival times using energy ratio method to obtain high consistency picking. Using these arrival times, we estimated back-azimuth using P-wave polarization analysis. We also added the combination of polarities analysis to remove 180° ambiguity. In the end, we determined hypocenter locations using grid-search method that guided in the back-azimuth trace area to minimize the misfit function of arrival times. We have successfully removed the ambiguity and produced a good solution for hypocenter locations as indicated statistically by small RMS. Most of the events clusters highlight coherent structures around the treatment well site and revealed faults. The same procedure can be applied to various other cases such as microseismic monitoring in the field of geothermal and shale gas/oil exploration, also CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) development.

Determining the success of carbon capture and storage projects

Numerous Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects have been initiated across the globe. Using data on planned, cancelled, and operational CCS projects, this paper aims to elicit characteristics that render CCS projects likely to become operational. These results suggest that a focus on storage site selection and beneficial uses of carbon dioxide would encourage CCS development.

Advances and Slowdowns in Carbon Capture and Storage Technology Development

With the long term goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C and "to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C", the Paris Agreement puts renewed attention on the portfolio of technologies needed to achieve consistent emission reductions and reach "a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks” in the second half of this century. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, after having been hailed as a promising mitigation option around a decade ago, is undergoing a gruelling path to stay on top of the expectations. The opportunities and constraints in deploying large-scale carbon capture and storage systems are of the utmost actuality, as the technology promises to get rid of up to 90% of the most common greenhouse gases produced in industrial and energy plants before they reach the atmosphere (or even to achieve “negative” emissions, if combined with biomass). Despite potential benefits, CCS development and deployment proceeded at a far slower rate than what was expected and are struggling to emerge as a sound low-carbon choice for governments and investors. Based on recent existing literature, this reflection explores the main progress and deadlocks in CCS’s difficult path.