Höegh LNG and Altera Infrastructure is scaling up large scale CCS infrastructure

In a joint initiative, called “Stella Maris CCS” Altera Infrastructure and Höegh LNG are working together to provide cost efficient floating Carbon Capture and Storage infrastructure solutions for a global market, not limited to size or geographical location. Valuable infrastructure experience is brought together; with FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) and Dynamically Positioned Shuttle Tankers from Altera and FSRU’s (Floating Storage Regasification Unit) from Höegh. We intend to continue to build on our heritage and experience, using our combined skills to contribute to carbon emission reduction around globe. With the “Stella Maris CCS” project, we will essentially be doing what we are doing today, only in reverse. Our solution, initiated in 2019 as the first of its kind, will offer a large-scale floating infrastructure for collection, transport, and injection of CO2 into subsea reservoirs/aquifers. Our infrastructure concept consists of 2-3 Carbon Collection Storage Units (CCSU) to aggregate volumes at different key locations, 3-4 CO2 Shuttle Carriers and one Floating Storage and Injection Unit, the total amount of CO2 injected with these assets can reach up to 10 million tons per year. In order to realize large scale CCS, the unit costs must come down, and the barriers for emitting industries to invest in capture plants must be lowered. With Stella Maris we are addressing these hurdles. The larger ship design enables carrying volumes of CO2 at low pressure and will allow for greater economies of scale in the absence of a pipeline which places less limitations on distance to reservoir and ultimate flow capacity. Having a centralized conditioning of CO2 in a CCSO hub allows more flexibility for on-site capture design from multiple onshore industrial emission sources with shared port access. To defray high logistics cost in e.g. the Baltic region, a hub and spoke transportation approach enables collection in smaller parcels, milk-run gathering and conditioning for large scale transfer for storage in an offshore subsea reservoir on the Norwegian Continental shelf

Comprehensive sensitivity analysis on static and dynamic reservoir parameters impacting near wellbore injectivity during CO2 sequestration

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is proved to be effective measure for reducing CO2 emissions. whilst the world still highly depends on the use of fossil fuel energy, this method is necessary for reaching the world’s 1.5 °C goal. In CCS, CO2 is hindered from entering the atmosphere by capturing it from sources of emission and storing it in geological formation. Saline aquifers among all possible underground formations are most common targeted ones for CO2 storage due to their frequent presence, and large storage capacity. However, this storage option suffers from sufficient well injectivity to inject large volumes of CO2 at acceptable rates through a minimum number of wells. The injectivity impairment / reinforcement happens through mineral dissolution, fine particle movement, salt precipitation and hydrate formation (known so far). Each of these mechanisms will be more dominant in injectivity alteration at different distance from the injection point depending on reservoir pressure and temperature, formation water salinity, rock mineralogy, and flow rate of CO2 injection as well as its dryness. Incorporating all the finding into radial flow near wellbore will help gaining insight into the resultant of injectivity changes over time and distant from injection point. In this study we have chosen Eclipse 300 together with an open-source code to investigate the impact of formation characteristics, CO2 -Brine-Rock interaction, pressure, temperature as well as injection rate on injectivity alteration. The goal for this work is to provide a workflow which can help predicting injectivity alteration using the existing tools. Simulation results show that the high homogenous horizontal permeability in combination with vertical flow baffles in the formation (among all other parameters) has positive impact on storage capacity by increasing residual trapping. However, permeability is affected severely by salt precipitation during CO2 injection. Combined static and dynamic parameter study demonstrate that the injection rate plays a crucial role in size and expansion of CO2 plume as well as growth rate of dry out zone length, amount of salt precipitation and length of equilibrium region. The higher the injection rate, the quicker activation of the capillary and gravity force which leads to drag more brine to near well-bore resulting in higher volume fraction of salt precipitation. However, low injection rate could result in smaller CO2 plume, shorter dry out zone and longer equilibrium region in term of distance from injection point

Study on empirical model and CFD about pressure rising in Cab during door closure

Aiming at the problem that there is a strong eardrum pressure in the passenger car during the closing process, two analysis and prediction methods, fast formula prediction and CFD simulation based on accurate models, are proposed. The regression model of ear pressure comfort was established by DOE method and multiple linear regression; The simulation software star-CCM+ is applied to simulate and analyze the dynamic characteristics of the flow field in the cockpit during the closing process by using the overlapping grid technology, and the pressure change curve near the ear is obtained. Finally, the CFD numerical simulation model is established by comparing and analyzing the regression prediction analysis results and the real vehicle test data. The results show that the effects of closing speed, effective opening area of pressure relief valve and air tightness of the whole vehicle on the pressure of passengers’ eardrums decrease in turn, and the prediction error of multiple linear regression equation is 17 %; The analysis error of the internal flow field dynamic characteristic model based on refined modeling is 8 %. This study provides a theoretical basis for solving the problem of rapid prediction of eardrum pressure and optimization of engineering structure

Detection of weak joints and damages for beams using machine learning

For maintaining the safe operation of structures, it is necessary to develop SHM methods that can detect not only the presence of cracks in the structure but also any alterations of its fastening conditions. The current paper presents a method for developing an Artificial Intelligent model that can detect if a beam is affected by transverse cracks and at the same time, by improper boundary conditions. To this aim, a cantilever steel beam is considered as the in the current study. The training data for the artificial neural network (ANN) is created using an original analytic method which allows calculating the natural frequency loss caused by the occurrence of transverse cracks even if the beam is improperly fastened. The intelligent model is trained by employing the MATLAB software and tested using data acquired from numerical simulations. The results show very high accuracy in determining the presence of transverse cracks, and the capability of detecting the presence and severity of improper clamping conditions

Public acceptance of CCS/CCUS technology in onshore areas in NW Poland

The research is a part of the AGaStor project realized in AGH-UST and University of Stavanger. The aim of the paper is to present social aspects of the developing the CCS/US technology in Poland described as social awareness (SA) and public acceptance (PA). The main research questions of the CCS/US PA concentrates on knowledge, acceptance of the technology, risks and benefits, the existence of NIMBY movements [1]. The quantitative method of analysis of CCS PA is a survey method. The most of the former research was realized only in small communities [2, 3]. The AGaStor research describes the mezzo-social level of the CCS/US PA. The randomized sample (N= 695) was made in Zachodniopomorskie region (West-North Poland) in 2021. It allows to recognize differences of the level of CCS/US PA in different in that part of Poland. The main variables which influence CCS/US PA are: place of living, education, economic situations and general worldview of the respondents. The results show the correlation between place of living and CCS PA (higher PA in big cities); education with CCS SA (higher declarations of knowledge and SA by well educated people); NIMBY potential in villages and small towns, and the pro-technological worldview with the CCS PA. The research points that the main social obstacle is the lack of knowledge about the CCS/US technology. Even respondents who declare the general acceptation of new technologies in energy production are ambivalent towards acceptance of CCS/US

Techno-economic modelling of the Baltic CCUS onshore scenario

Techno-economic modelling of the Baltic onshore CO2 transport, storage, and utilization scenario included HeidelberCement-owned Kunda Nordic Cement (KNC) plant, the main Estonian cement producer, four Estonian and one Latvian power plant and CO2 mineral carbonation of the oil shale ash, as possible CO2 use option. In 2019 nearly 6.5 Mt of oil shale ash (OSA) was produced in Estonia from energy production. Estonian OSA could be used as an effective sorbent in the proposed CO2-mineralization process, using CO2 from flue gas and producing precipitated CaCO3 (PCC) of high quality. Mineral carbonation of 0.42 Mt CO2 using 3.8 Mt of fresh OSA and about 6.33 Mt CO2 produced annually by five Estonian and one Latvian plant transported by pipeline for storage into the North-Blidene structure in western Latvia are combined in the CCUS scenario. Cambrian Deimena Formation reservoir sandstone is located at the depth of 1035-1150 m in the selected saline aquifer. The average optimistic storage capacity of about 270 Mt allows planning CCUS project for 30 years. The share of the Estonian emissions avoided and stored in Latvia is 86.5 %, including 8.2 % by KNC, while Latvian stored emissions will compose 13.5 %. Annually 6.8 Mt CO2 could be captured, transported and injected, including 6 Mt CO2 avoided using transport and storage and 0.42 Mt CO2 avoided using MC of Estonian OSA. During 30 years nearly 204 Mt CO2 will be captured, used and stored, while 193 Mt CO2 could be avoided. The total average transport and storage (T&S) cost of the scenario is 18.4 €/t CO2 injected. This cost depends on the transport distance, according to the applied methodology, and it is the most expensive for the Eesti Energia PPs. The lowest T&S cost of 5.54 €/t CO2 injected will have Latvenergo TEC-2 PP located at a smaller distance from the storage site. At the price of EEAP (CO2 Emission Allowance Price in EU ETS) of 40 €/t CO2 and 50 €/t PCC, the CCUS scenario could be beneficial for three Eesti Energia and Latvenergo TEC-2 power plants. For the KNC and VKG Energia plants without CO2 use options, the higher EEAP of about 48-50 €/t CO2 is needed to cover all CCUS costs including capture, compression, transport, storage and monitoring. The transport and storage costs are distance-dependent, as pipelines are the most expensive part of the transport, storage and monitoring costs. At the present EEAP of about 90 €/t CO2, all the participating plants will get benefits from the proposed scenario. This study is supported by CLEANKER project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement n. 764816

Structure and movement, let’s not kill Chronos

The myth of Chronos that devours his children is the allegorical expression of time that ends everything, but there is another reading: that time exists and allows us to understand the idea of a process, of evolution, both biologically and in any other aspect of life. The structure is the static, current, measurable morphological expression of everything that has a physical manifestation. Movement is the expression of life that is inexorably written on the structure and is responsible for its dynamism and change. We have developed the ability to analyse the structure in a systematic and detailed way, isolating it from time, and therefore depriving it of the movement that animates it, fixing the moment with static photographic images. With direct cephalometric techniques or on radiography we have defined points and reference systems, measured, compared, made proportions, and described the layout. Like the Art, the Morphological Sciences evolve from a two-dimensional vision to a three-dimensional one and we have given importance to empty spaces. But unlike art, we have difficulty internalizing and becoming aware of movement and the vital energy that animates it. Studying Movement means studying Form along Time. Structure and Function are two sides of the same coin, and our field is a clear example of this. We cannot work on occlusion without understanding the functions associated with the whole system: breathing, swallowing, chewing, are the main sources of stimuli responsible for the development of the Stomatognathic System, which has the movement as its main engine. In our clinical practice we are convinced that seeking an integration between Form and Function provides balance and health to the system and therefore delays the negative effects of Time, and coherently understanding the Form-Function-Time triad provides a broader understanding of development and balance of our system

Skull base flexion and its influence on chewing

Skull base asymmetries can occur in the intrauterine period, manifesting from birth as craniofacial asymmetries and should be investigated both in the maxilla and mandible and in the craniofacial region, as they are related to the base of the skull. The objective of this study was to explain that treatment using Craniofacial Biodynamics (CFBD) enables symmetrical craniofacial growth, being recommended from three to six years of age, when the processes of skull base remodeling cease. This study was based on exploratory bibliographic research, aiming at a better understanding of the concepts presented in this therapeutic approach, to verify the influence that such concepts exert on treatment through CFBD. It was evidenced in this research that these asymmetries may be corrected, or even minimized through the CFBD, which relates the ontogenetic development of the skull base with orofacial development

Studies on tensile and tear fracture of the S8210 tarpaulin

The tarpaulin of PVC-coated S8210 wagons is a composite textile membrane. This material is resistant to atmospheric factors (wind, rain, snow, etc.), durable for many practical applications and can be manufactured in various colors and prints. PVC membrane material is inexpensive, soft and easy to manufacture. These materials are widely used in large-opening spatial structures due to excellent mechanical behavior and beautiful textures. The tarpaulins are made by the method of welding with high frequency currents from the material S8210. In the present paper, the tensile and tearing mechanical properties of tarpaulins intended to protect goods carried by railway wagons are presented. The results of this study can be used in establishing the appropriate utilization of the fabric, in accordance to the warp and weft directions

Identification of initial fault time for bearing based on monitoring indicator, WEMD and Infogram

Rolling element bearing is a core component in the rotating machine. The performance of the whole machine is mainly dominated by the performance condition of the rolling element bearing. The Initial Fault Time (IFT) is a beginning landmark of the unhealthy condition of bearings. In order to identify accurately and rapidly the IFT under the weak fault signatures and heavy background noise, an identification method of the IFT is proposed by the monitoring indicator and envelope analysis with Weighted Empirical Mode Decomposition (WEMD) and Infogram. The monitoring indicator is constructed by the variation coefficient of the summation of the multiple standardized statistical features of the vibration signal. The approximate IFT can be obtained by the minimum before the early stage of the continuous increase in the monitoring indicator. Whereafter, a more accurate IFT can be detected by envelope analysis with WEMD and Infogram based on interval-halving backtracking strategy. The proposed method is verified by the tested dataset provided by Intelligent Maintenance System (IMS). The results show that the proposed method is efficient, rapid and simple for identifying the IFT