On April 7, 2022, Vallourec and World Oil held a live webcast showcasing how Vallourec leverages its expertise in tubular solutions to address the challenge of carbon capture and storage (CCS). Diana Rodriguez Barrera, CCUS Marketing & Development Manager and Cécile Millet, Head of OCTG Material Development and Application Research Center, discuss how Vallourec supports clients with material and connections selection for CCS projects. The webcast was a great success, drawing 211 participants globally. In this article, we look at the key messages and insights gleaned from the webcast.
From capture and transport to injection and storage, Vallourec’s expertise encompasses every stage in the CO2 lifecycle, supporting industry players as they deploy safe and reliable CCS infrastructure.
“CCS technology, deployed at a large scale, will play a key role in achieving net zero goals – but operators face several technical challenges,” Diana Rodriguez Barrera says.
There are a huge number of CCS projects in the pipeline for 2030. Their diversity and range mean working with different gas stream compositions, capacities and operating conditions. These will require infrastructure that meets their specific, distinctive needs,
Diana Rodriguez Barrera CCUS Marketing & Development Manager
CCS projects are diverse – and complex. CCS hubs take CO2 from multiple industrial sources, with varying impurities and concentrations in their CO2 streams. The Oil and Gas industry has more than 30 years’ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) experience that can be applied to CCS projects. However, the industrial CO2 stream contains a wide variety of impurities.
“In the more than 6,500 kilometers of pipeline currently serving the EOR industry in the US, the transported CO2 stream also contains methane, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and limited amounts of water and oxygen,” Diana says.
While there is no commonly accepted specification for transport by pipeline, experience has demonstrated that the combination of a relatively clean CO2 source and controlled water content limits operational issues. Since removing impurities from the CO2 stream increases a project’s cost, it’s crucial to choose the right materials and connections to withstand harsh environments.
Evaluating the performance of materials and connections in CCS conditions is essential to ensuring the integrity of infrastructure. “We need to consider challenges throughout the CO2 value chain,” Cécile Millet says.
This way, we can provide effective solutions that help operators avoid material failure due to low temperatures and corrosion, as well as permanent damage to infrastructure.
Cécile Millet Head of OCTG Material Development and Application Research Center
The presenters discussed several key tests conducted by Vallourec experts that have helped shape the Group’s expertise and offer in this market:
Our research & development program works hand in hand with industry and clients. We built a connections qualification protocol in collaboration with a client in the North Sea, and developed the testing and qualification equipment, enabling us to meet emerging CCS needs. We are focused on testing our materials and connections in real-life scenarios and conditions required by the growing CCUS market.
Interested in support with material selection or connections consultation? Contact Diana Rodriguez Barrera or Cécile Millet today.
You can read our dedicated new stories articles on our past webinars. Simply click on one of the following links to access the topics that interest you: