CO2 Dry Gas Seals Support Acceleration of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage

March 8, 2021

4 Minute Read

CO2 Dry Gas Seal Plant 

 

John Crane has many years of experience supplying CO2 dry gas seals to centrifugal compressor manufacturers across multiple applications including carbon capture and sequestration projects. After years of relatively slow progress, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) plans are gaining momentum―an important trend needed to help the world achieve its energy and climate goals, according to the International Energy Authority.

 

Background

Proposals for more than 30 new integrated carbon capture, utilization and storage facilities have been announced since 2017, with the vast majority in the United States and Europe. Other projects are also planned in Australia, China, Korea, the Middle East and New Zealand. If all of these projects proceed, the amount of global carbon dioxide (CO2) capture capacity would more than triple to around 130 million tons per year. Although CCUS facilities have operated for decades in certain industries like natural gas and fertilizers, they are still at an early development stage in key industrial sectors.

Tackling emissions from power stations and industrial plants is central to a global clean energy transition. CCUS is the preferred industry alternative to retiring existing power and industrial plants or repurposing them to operate at a lower capacity. Retrofitting CO2 capture equipment can enable the continued operation of existing plants, associated infrastructure and supply chains with significantly reduced emissions.

 

John Crane Experience

John Crane has significant experience with natural gas and fertilizer industries, and direct involvement with many of the largest established CCUS projects that include our core technologies for CO2 compression, such as dry gas seals and systems. John Crane dry gas seals are routinely used in CCUS solutions to address CO2 emissions from natural gas processing.

Natural gas deposits can contain large amounts of CO2―up to 90%―that must be removed before the gas is sold or processed for liquefied natural gas production. The CO2 can be compressed and reinjected into geological formations or used for enhanced oil recovery. Oil and gas reservoirs offer an extensive and credible geologic storage solution for CO2, given that they have held oil and gas resources in place for millions of years.

 

Read our natural gas CCUS CO2 dry gas seal case study from Norway

Read our natural gas CCUS CO2 dry gas seal case study from Australia

 

Other industrial processes with large-scale carbon capture in commercial operation include coal gasification, ethanol production, refinery hydrogen production and fertilizer production. High-purity CO2 is a by-product of ammonia production and is a necessary ingredient in the production of urea fertilizer. Fertilizer production captures CO2 emitted during ammonia production and reuses it during the urea production process. Excess CO2 captured from fertilizer production can be recycled for other industrial uses.

 

Contact our CO2 dry gas seal engineers to Discuss any CO2 Application

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