Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) Measurement

Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) is an important emissions reduction technology designed to stop carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from entering the atmosphere and help the fight against climate change. Why is it important? How does CCUS measurement work and what are the challenges?

Why is Carbon Capture Usage and Storage Important?

Carbon Capture Usage and Storage is designed to capture CO₂ from fuel combustion and industrial processes, its transportation, and either its re-use or permanent storage deep underground.

The UK government has accepted advice from the Climate Change Committee that there is a need to develop CCUS to achieve its target of net zero emissions by 2050. In its Net Zero Strategy, the UK government committed to drastically reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This will require substantial changes to the ways in which energy is generated, stored, transported and consumed. The Climate Change Committee say that Carbon Capture Usage & Storage will be imperative in the journey to offsetting ‘difficult to cut emissions’ produced by the use of oil and gas in achieving the goal of decarbonisation. CCUS technology aims to capture CO₂ produced by power plants and large factories before it enters the atmosphere. The CO₂ in the flue gases is captured and conditioned, and then utilised or transported in gaseous or dense phase to geological formations for permanent storage.

TÜV SÜD CCUS SERVICES

We offer a range of CCUS services which include:

Flow Measurement

TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory is the UK’s Designated Institute for Flow Measurement, under contract from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and part of the UK’s National Measurement System (NMS). Our facilities can provide CCS flow meter testing and calibration as well as support with your CCS flow measurement requirements to help you obtain accurate records. We can help with:

• Meter selection
• FEED studies for CCS metering stations
• Regulatory monitoring and reporting compliance
• Measurement uncertainty analysis
• Development of CCUS flow measurement tools and reporting templates

Physical properties and phase behaviour

• Physical Property Data Services (PPDS) – Our PPDS team are experts in equations of state and physical properties modelling. We can investigate how the thermodynamics of CO₂ streams are affected by contaminants, in terms of density, speed-of-sound, phase envelopes and compressibility, for example.
• TÜV SÜD is building a state-of-the-art fluid properties lab for the speed of sound and density measurement of CO₂-rich mixtures that will be available for testing.

Dispersion Modelling and Process Modelling

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) uses computers to analyse the behaviours of fluids and physical systems. The CFD modelling tool is used to predict the detailed three-dimensional behaviour of liquid, gas and particle flows. We can use CFD to simulate complex problems which could otherwise be expensive and potentially dangerous to physically test. It can offer significant cost and time savings if you use it for things such as:

• CFD modelling of CO₂ pipelines at all stages of CCS, including complex leakage scenarios, topography and flow meter performance
• Modelling of supercritical fluids
• Modelling of processes including estimating additional flow restrictions caused by closed stacks, heat loss through pipelines and CO₂ behaviour at the well head
• Dispersion modelling of leaked CO₂

Pipeline Packing Estimating and Allocation Measurement

• Developing algorithms and undertaking calculations to support stock variation in CCS pipelines, and;
• Allocation modelling to support fiscal measurement and product yield in shared pipeline infrastructure.

TWO NEW CO₂ CALIBRATION FACILITIES TO BE BUILT IN SCOTLAND

GASEOUS PHASE FACILITY

As part of our commitment to support the energy transition and the CCUS industry, our upgraded facility provides a physical UK national standard to provide flow measurement traceability for gaseous carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Flow rates: 300 – 1300 m3/h

Pressure: 20 – 40 bar.g

Temperature range: 4 – 30 °C

Target Uncertainty: ± 0.35 – 0.45 % (k = 2)

Device Under Test:

• Meter size: 1 – 12 inch
• Data/comms protocol:

• Regular protocols: Pulse, mA, Foundation Fieldbus, ModBus and Differential Pressure
   

LIQUID/DENSE PHASE FACILITY

Following a successful bid for £950K funding from Horizon Europe, TÜV SÜD will build the first UK national standard liquid / dense phase CO₂ calibration facility. The 3.5-year project, called “A European Network of Research Infrastructures for CO2 Transport and Injection” (ENCASE), will involve 20 partners from across Europe and be coordinated by the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Norway. The TÜV SÜD focus will be on building a facility to run accurate R&D tests with CO₂-rich mixtures for flow measurement and sampling systems. This will provide the necessary traceability and research capabilities which will ensure accurate fiscal flow measurement across the CCUS chain. The facility should be ready for use by industry in 2025.

Crucial to the implementation of large-scale industrial CCUS is the method by which it will be monetised, with different approaches and business models being considered, from taxation through to credit-based systems and subsidies. Whichever mechanism prevails, monetisation requires accurately knowing how much carbon dioxide has been transported and sequestered - much the same as custody transfer metering in the oil and gas industry today.

Why Choose TÜV SÜD For CCUS Services?

There are many potential CCUS measurement challenges expected due to both the physical properties of carbon dioxide (CO₂), and the processes involved in CCUS projects. Our expert team have extensive experience to support you with your CCUS measurement challenges.

Contact us to find out how our expertise and state-of-art technology can support you in the implementation of CCUS and enable accurate measurement for a zero-carbon future.