Panel Discussion- Connecting Capture to Storage: Connecting the Links Across the CCUS Value Chain
28 Jun 2023
Carbon Capture, Utilization, Storage & Blue Hydrogen
An economically and technically feasible CCUS value chain will rely on capturing CO2 from a myriad of sources before transporting it to a much smaller pool of usage or storage sites. Getting those carbon streams from point A to point B will require safe, efficient, and reliable infrastructure. This talk would aim to discuss the challenges and needs for custody transfer across that infrastructure, in that the carbon stream is likely to change hands multiple times as it moves from the hands of emitters to users/sequesterers, with many intermediaries along the way handling transportation and temporary storage. Accuracy of this custody transfer process is exceedingly important as it relates to fiscal matters, both in the commercial trade of CO2 but also as it relates to validating carbon credits or proving eligibility for government-backed subsidies and funding. Would go on to discuss current transport mechanisms, including pipelines, truck, rail, and bulk liquid transport utilizing marine vessels (similar to the LNG trade), as well as the challenges associated with each, including various physical states such as pressurized cryogenic liquid, dense phase liquid, gaseous or supercritical fluids. The goal would be to drive discussion around the need to define a measurement standard that is traceable and recognized which can deal with fluids that may cross phase boundaries or behave in non-standard ways such as CO2. Also discuss technologies that have the most hope for being able to meet that standard and the accuracy it will require. How do we calibrate, how do we prove the measurement, etc. Aim to promote the fact that dynamic measurement of carbon streams will become increasingly important as the CCUS landscape moves from regionalized, academic undertakings to a global carbon economy.