Two Leading Research Papers Share NCCS Award

The two winning papers are:

Techno-economic analyses of CO₂ liquefaction: Impact of product pressure and impurities, by Han Deng, Simon Roussanaly & Geir Skaugen was published in the International Journal of Refrigeration, 103, 301-315.

Demonstrating the potential of CO₂ hydrate self-sealing in Svalbard, Arctic Norway, by Stian Almenningen, Peter Betlem, Arif Hussain, Srikumar Roy, Kim Senger & Geir Ersland was published in the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 89, 1-8.

The award winner is chosen by the NCCS Scientific Committee. Chair Philip Ringrose congratulated both winners: "All six shortlisted papers have clear potential to make an impact in their field of application. However, these two were clear front-runners, as they demonstrated both research insights and potential value for broader application."

Here is some more information about the winning papers:

Techno-economic analyses of CO₂ liquefaction: Impact of product pressure and impurities

This paper which focuses on CO₂ liquefaction is the first part of an effort aiming at identifying optimal conditions (pressure, temperature and composition) for the transport of CO₂ by ship. This study investigates the impact of the post-liquefaction delivery pressure, i.e. the target transport conditions, on the design and cost of CO₂ liquefaction process prior to ship transport. For pure CO₂, the highest liquefaction cost occurs for the lowest pressure case (7 bar), and this cost increases when potential impurity scenarios are considered. Consequently, potential impurities present in the CO₂ stream after capture and purity requirements after the liquefaction process also have a significant impact on cost comparisons for different delivery pressure scenarios. This study is a key step toward confidently determining optimal transport conditions for the shipping part of the CCS value chain.

Demonstrating the potential of CO₂ hydrate self-sealing in Svalbard, Arctic Norway

The potential self-sealing properties of CO₂ hydrate are demonstrated at realistic reservoir conditions using samples from the Longyearbyen CO₂ Lab in Svalbard, Arctic Norway. The work demonstrates the potential of CO₂ hydrate formation as a secondary seal in settings with favourable CO₂ hydrate formation conditions in or above the reservoir. The results indicate that the self-sealing nature of CO₂ hydrate should be considered while characterizing carbon sequestration reservoirs in both marine and permafrost-affected settings, and may provide an important contribution to storage safety assessments.