– catching our future
The world looks to Mongstad
The world is faced with one of the greatest challenges of our time:
climate change caused by emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly
due to the burning of fossil fuels. The effects of climate change pose
serious concerns for our well-being, way of life and to our future.
Energy provision is integral to economic development; yet meeting increasing
energy demands while contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gases will be
one of the challenges to define our time. Addressing climate change and meeting
energy demand are challenges which cannot be solved independently.
Norway’s greatest contribution is to demonstrate that CO2 can be captured on an
industrial scale – at costs we can live with. By developing a market and bringing
forth a cost efficient technology, Norway can help bring a solution to the world.
At Mongstad, on the western coast of Norway, we are building the world’s largest
center to test technologies for carbon dioxide capture. The variety of testing
options offered by Technology Centre Mongstad’s design and location will obtain
results of great value to industry, refineries, and both gas and coal power plants the
world over.
In December 2009, I had the pleasure of visiting Mongstad and sharing Norway’s
vision for carbon capture technologies, with the U.S. Secretary of Energy,
Dr Steven Chu. Leaders from around the globe are looking to Mongstad with
great hope. Demonstrating CO2 capture from two different flue gas sources has
not been done anywhere else, and TCM will help lead the industry.
The ultimate goal of Technology Centre Mongstad is not only about carbon
dioxide capture from Norwegian industry: It is about contributing to the
development of commercially viable carbon capture technology that can be used
by China, India and many other countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
from the world’s increasing energy production.
I look forward to the opening of Technology Centre Mongstad. It will be a great
day in Norwegian history.
Terje Riis Johansen
Minister of Petroleum and Energy
Catching our Future
Carbon dioxide, or CO2, has become an unavoidable topic in recent
years. Although historically always present in our atmosphere,
it is now clear that increased concentrations of CO2 and other
greenhouse gases are contributing to climate change. Since the
industrial revolution concentration of CO2 in the air has risen by
approximately one third from 280 to 380 parts per million; and the
concentration is growing yearly.
Although the magnitude of consequences of climate change and global
warming remain uncertain, it is clear that something must be done about it.
Yet this challenge is met by another global challenge: providing energy to the
billions who still lack access to basic services.
At the CO2 Technology Centre Mongstad we aim to contribute by providing
a technology tool that can address the dual challenges of meeting growing
energy demand and addressing the effects of climate change.
One of the most important and challenging mitigation tools to reduce CO2
emissions will be the wide scale deployment of CO2 Capture and Storage
(CCS) technology. CCS is expected to play a large role in global greenhouse gas
emission reductions, and the International Energy Agency has estimated that as
much as one fifth of total reductions will come from CCS by 2050.
However, as promising and essential as the technology may be, there are
challenges which must be overcome. Building on the strong Norwegian
experience with CO2 storage, TCM will take it one step further with an
ambition to contribute to the availability of commercially viable carbon
dioxide capture technologies for the world.
CCS will be part of the toolbox of solutions for the world. The CO2 capture
technologies tested at TCM hold great promise of being one of the long term
solutions. Our ambition is to make a difference. No less. Success will mean a more
sustainable future for us all.
Tore Amundsen
Managing Director TCM DA
TCM at the forefront of innovation
Technology Centre Mongstad is the world’s largest facility for testing and improving CO2 capture
technologies, a vital part of the CCS value chain. At TCM we will focus on testing and improving
CO2 capture technology and take technology development one step further.
The knowledge gained through demonstration and testing will prepare the ground for CO2 capture initiatives to combat
climate change globally. It will not only be one of the first large scale demonstration plants, but also the first of its kind to test
two different types of capture technologies from two different sources of CO2, side-by-side.
The main ambitions of the CO2 Technology Centre are to:
•
•
•
•
Test, verify and demonstrate CO2 capture technology owned and marketed by vendors
Reduce cost, technical, environmental and financial risks
Encourage the development of the market for carbon capture technology
Aim at international deployment of CCS technology
The realisation of TCM depends on close cooperation between the owners and technology suppliers. The success criteria
include increased competition among the suppliers and strengthening the development of a market.
Vision:
Combating climate change through technology development
Mission:
TCM will test and improve technologies for CO2 Capture
Values:
Innovative - Bold - Competent
Combined Heat and
Power Plant
Seawater Intake
Key facts about TCM:
Total area:
Capture Type:
Technologies:
Capacity:
Budget:
Owners:
Technology
Vendors:
Available Space for
Future Development
UK
Mongstad Refinery
Amine Plant
Electrical
Substation
63 000 m2
Post-Combustion
Amine and chilled ammonia technologies
100 000 tonnes CO2 / year
5.2 Billion Norwegian Kroner
Gassnova, Statoil, Sasol, Shell
Aker Clean Carbon, Alstom
Norway
Norway
Gjøa
Troll
Mongstad
Bergen
Piperacks
Utilities
A distinctive opportunity
at Mongstad
Located at the Statoil Mongstad oil refinery northwest of Bergen, Norway, the CO2 Technology Centre
will have access to flue gas from the gas fired combined heat and power plant and the flue gas from the
refinery catalytic cracker. The CO2 contents are about 3.5% and 13%, respectively, which provides TCM
with a unique opportunity to be able to investigate capture technologies relevant for coal and gas fuel
power plants, as well as other industrial applications. TCM has chosen to focus on demonstrating and
improving two technologies for post-combustion capture. This is because it is a technology group most
applicable to retrofit existing plants.
Chilled
Ammonia Plant
Administration
Complex
Demonstrating CO2 Capture:
Designed for flexibility
The flexible design of the facility makes it possible to perform tests that
are relevant for a number of industrial processes including gas and coal
fired power plants.
After a comprehensive evaluation TCM selected two processes, a chilled ammonia
process from Alstom and an amine process from Aker Clean Carbon (ACC). Both
technologies are post-combustion capture and utilise a solvent for absorbing the CO2
from the flue gas. Both are also designed to capture 85% of the CO2 contained in the
flue gas from the refinery cracker and the combined heat and power plant.
The size of the facility, the flexibility and features implemented in the specifications and
design opens the door for extensive test options. These tests will generate a significant
amount of results. The size of TCM means that from the results we can extrapolate
relevant information for eventual full scale implementation around the world.
How will testing and demonstration be performed?
The Technology Centre will be well suited for long term, qualification of distinct
technologies. In the initial phase, the technology vendors, in cooperation with TCM,
will test their respective technologies. TCM will be responsible for developing the
remaining test programmes after the first initial phase of approximately one year.
In order to bring this vital technology to the world, it is essential that the lessons
learnt and improvements made can be shared. TCM will coordinate information
sharing amongst TCM owners, other key stakeholders, and the rest of the world.
Contributing to the CCS Chain
CO2 capture and storage, or CCS, is a technology value chain which
captures CO2 before it is emitted to the atmosphere and transporting
it to store it safely, deep underground. The capture technology which
will be tested and improved at TCM, is an important part of providing a
commercially viable tool to deal with carbon dioxide emissions. This will
provide an important link in completing the CO2 chain.
Capture
Transport
CO2 can be captured
from a variety of sources
including flue gas from
power production; natural
gas processing sectors; as
well as emissions intensive
industrial sectors like steel,
iron, cement and chemical
production.
The captured CO2 must be
transported to the storage
site. This can be done via
pipelines or ships. CO2 is
transported in liquid form
and can then be injected
to the storage site. CO2
pipeline transport has
been done for decades
contributing to sound
understanding that it is safe
and feasible.
Storage
CO2 can’t just be stored anywhere: for deep underground storage, geologists
must identify the right areas with the necessary characteristics to ensure
the CO2 will be stored for a long time to come – ideally up to thousands of
years. A suitable storage site must be a high porosity formation with a good
‘cap rock’ which seals the storage formation and will prevent any CO2 from
seeping up to the surface.
The Utsira geological formation, 1000 metres deep below the North Sea, is home
to the world’s first offshore CO2 storage site. Since 1996, more than one million
tonnes CO2 each year have been captured from the Sleipner gas field and stored in
a saline aquifer. As one of the first projects, the way the gas is spreading has been
monitored closely and mapped by various research projects funded by the EU.
Flue gas without CO2
Post-combustion
CO2 Capture Prosess:
Flue gas conditioning / Cooling
Water
wash
CO2
Solvent
without CO2
Flue gas with CO2
Water
Solvent
with CO2
Solvent
absorbs CO2
CO2 is stripped
off the solvent
by adding heat.
Cooled flue gas enters
absorbtion tower.
Gas power plant / Refinery
The hot solvent without CO2
heats up the cool solvent with
CO2 in a heat exchanger
Recycling of solvent
to absorption tower
Absorption tower
.
Aker Clean Carbon
Amine Technology
Alstom
Chilled Ammonia Technology
Aker Clean Carbon is the provider of the amine plant. In amine technology, CO2 is captured by an amine
solvent, a liquid comprising of water and amines, which is being used to absorb the CO2 from the flue gas.
Amine technology has been used for decades in other applications
and is therefore considered to have a moderate technical risk.
However, TCM will evaluate opportunities for improvements
in process design, construction methods and operations with the
purpose to qualify the technology for use in large scale postcombustion plants. Aker Clean Carbon has included several
technology improvements in the plant such as; improved amines,
energy saver and emission control. The flexible absorber is about
60 m high and is constructed in concrete with a liner.
How does the technology work?
The Absorber:
Exhaust gas containing the CO2 is routed into a large absorption
tower. The exhaust gas enters the bottom of the absorber flowing
upwards where it comes into contact with the liquid amine flowing
downwards allowing the CO2 to be absorbed from the flue gas.
The Water Wash:
After absorbing CO2, the remaining exhaust gas is
treated in a water wash placed in the upper part of the
absorber tower to remove remaining amines before the
cleaned exhaust gas is released back to the atmosphere.
Alstom’s Chilled Ammonia post-combustion technology chosen for testing at TCM is consists of separating
CO2 from the exhaust gases using chilled ammonia as the solvent to absorb the CO2.
Chilled ammonia technology, although less widely used
than amine technology, holds potential for lower energy
consumption per tonne of CO2 captured. This process
will be tested at large scale at TCM with the aim to
qualify and provide the world with a proven technology
for CO2 capture.
The CO2 Desorbers:
The CO2 rich amine solvent is pumped via heat
exchangers to a stripper where the chemical reaction
between the amine and CO2 is reversed by steam
flowing upwards in the regenerator column. The
separated CO2, would then be ready for compression,
transport and storage and the CO2 lean liquid amine
can be pumped back into the absorber for reuse and
the cycle repeated. The amine plant at TCM will have
two dedicated strippers – one designed for the refinery
cracker flue gas, and the second for the combined heat
and power plant flue gas.
How does the technology work?
Flue Gas Cooling:
The flue gas is passed through a flue gas conditioning
unit to condense the water and residual emissions
which reduces the volume of gas to be treated.
The Absorber:
The conditioned flu gas then passes through a column where
the CO2 is absorbed from the flue gas through contact with
ammonia solution, forming a CO2 rich ammonia solution.
The treated flue gas then passes through additional columns
to recover any ammonia vapour to release a cleaned flue gas
to the atmosphere.
High Pressure Regeneration:
The ammonia solution, now rich in CO2, is pressurised
and pumped into a regenerator column where heat is applied
to separate CO2 from the solution. The CO2 can then be
further compressed to facilitate transport and storage. The
ammonia solution is then returned to the absorber for reuse.
Technology that matters
Catching our future safely
TCM is a joint venture between the Norwegian state, Statoil, Sasol and Shell. TCM’s partners have made a
clear commitment to technology improvement and invested 5 billion Norwegian kroner for the construction
and development of the technology centre. Designed to capture about 100,000 tonnes per year of CO2,
the project will be the largest and most versatile demonstration of CO2 capture technologies to date.
At TCM we aim to provide technology solutions to reduce CO 2 emissions contributing to the harmful
effects of climate change; and in doing so, our overall goal during construction and operation is zero
harm. That means we aim for no accidents, personnel injuries, work related illness, environmental or
material damage.
To date no full scale CO2 capture facility for flue gas has
been built, meaning cost estimates are highly uncertain.
Up to eighty percent of the costs of CCS technology are
related to the CO2 capture facility. Therefore in order for
these promising technologies to make a difference globally,
we must refine the technology processes and bring costs
down. At TCM we will test CO2 capture technology to take
its development one step further.
The precautionary principle is the fundamental basis for all
of the work at TCM. Keeping a high focus on health, safety
and environment is an integral part of how we work. TCM
works closely with technology providers of amine and chilled
ammonia technologies to ensure systems for emission control
of CO2, ammonia and amines are built into the design. TCM
also works closely with authorities to ensure our operations are
in accordance with the relevant regulations. All emissions and
discharges are closely monitored to minimize any impacts and
we have used dispersion studies to understand and evaluate
possible effects of emission deposition.
Through testing, verification and demonstration of
technologies, TCM aims to reduce both the operating and
capital expenditures, and to improve performance and
reliability. Increasing knowledge on the chosen capture
technologies will allow for a reduction in technical and
financial risk uncertainty, and provide qualified technologies
capable of wide scale international deployment.
An amine technology plant, provided by Aker Clean
Carbon, and a chilled ammonia technology plant, provided
by Alstom, will be used as part of an extensive testing
programme designed to understand different types of
capture challenges.
We use thorough risk based assessments in all our decisions,
which includes both health and environmental risk evaluations
of all chemicals which will be used. With use of well
documented HSE standards and best practices, our internal
work processes will minimise any negative consequences for
personnel, the local community and the environment. This is
how TCM aims to provide a solution to the climate change
without causing new environmental challenges.
Statoil has the responsibility to lead the construction for
TCM owners. Through the project organisation established,
Statoil will administer and coordinate all contracts and
activities with suppliers and at the site. Statoil will ensure the
project is developed in accordance with all health, safety and
environment requirements with the right quality, within the
agreed schedule and budget.
– catching our future
Owners:
www.tcmda.com • [email protected]