The United States has the largest number of active carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects in the world. In 2023, 68 projects were announced, and data suggests that approximately 23 projects were either operational or under construction as of October 2024.

As the norms on carbon footprint become stricter, the number of CCUS projects is expected to increase exponentially. Like any other energy-related activity, CCUS is also an asset-intensive process. In this article, let’s take a look at some of the most common CCUS technologies used and the key assets and equipment required for them.

To begin with, let us take a look at various ways of capturing carbon and the equipment required for that.

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Capturing the carbon: What are the most commonly used technologies?

Currently, carbon is captured either at point sources (e.g. power plants, cement factories) or directly from the air (Direct Air Capture, DAC). In either case, the following assets/equipment are used:

Heat exchangers and cooling equipment: When carbon is captured from the flue gases, the flue gases need to be cooled down before they are let into the capturing apparatus. Various kinds of heat exchangers and cooling equipment are required to bring down the temperature of the flue gases to acceptable levels.

In capturing processes where a solvent or sorbent is used, heat exchangers are required to regenerate the solvents and sorbents.

Compressors and pumps: Carbon capture units need pumps to circulate the solvents used to capture the carbon. Once the carbon is captured, it is compressed in compressors and pumped to the utilization or storage facility.

Technology-specific equipment: Along with the general equipment, like heat exchangers, pumps, and compressors, a large number of assets will be used depending on the actual technology used to capture the carbon. Some of this equipment includes:  

• Absorbers and Strippers: For chemical absorption
• Adsorption Units: For physical adsorption processes
• Cryogenic Distillation Equipment: For separating CO₂ at very low temperatures
• Direct Air Capture Units (DAC): For directly capturing the CO₂ in the air.

Once the carbon is captured, it is either transported for utilization or storage. Let’s take a look at the equipment used in carbon utilization.

Carbon Utilization Equipment

Carbon utilization involves converting CO₂ into useful products like fuels, chemicals, or building materials, or using it in processes like Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). The nature of the equipment used will vary as per the final product. Here are some of the most commonly used equipment for common end products:

• Mineralization reactors: When CO₂ is mineralized into carbonates for cement aggregates, the process will need specialized reactors.
• Bioreactors: Algae-based reactors are commonly used to convert the captured CO₂ into algae biomass through photosynthesis. The end outcome of such processes is to create biofuels or bio-plastics.
• Electrochemical or thermochemical conversion reactors: Electrochemical conversion reactors are commonly used to convert the captured carbon into products like methanol, ethanol, formic acid, syngas, biochar etc.
• Other equipment: Just like carbon capture, carbon utilization also requires a large number of general equipment, like pipes, pumps, monitoring equipment etc.

Carbon Storage Equipment

Carbon storage involves injecting CO₂ into geological formations such as saline aquifers or depleted oil & gas fields. Carbon storage is the most asset-intensive phase of the entire CCUS process. Some of the commonly used equipment are:

• Well drilling rigs
• A large number of different types of specialized valves, including check valves, control valves, safety valves, etc.
• Blowout preventers
• Seismic monitoring systems
• Pressure sensors and temperature sensors
• Pressurized storage tanks

Importance of asset management in CCUS

As it can be seen, carbon capture, utilization, and storage needs a large number of general as well as specialized assets. We highlight below why asset management plays a crucial role in a CCUS unit:

1. Safety: The captured carbon is stored in depleted wells or aquifers. If the captured carbon leaks, it poses catastrophic risks to personnel and the delicate ecosystem, resulting in irreversible damage. This makes periodic maintenance and management of assets highly critical.
2. Cost of CCUS: The entire CCUS process is quite costly. Some estimates put the cost of CCUS between 15-30% of the total cost of the energy produced by facilities. Making the CCUS process less cost-intensive is a must for the energy companies to maintain healthy profit margins. Asset management can play a pivotal role in limiting the costs of CCUS.
3. Continuous operation: Most of the CCUS facilities are located remotely. Since a majority of the captured carbon is stored underground, storage facilities are difficult to access and service. This makes prompt asset management integral to the continuous operation of such facilities.

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Hofintech's Asset Management Services for CCUS facilities

Hofintech has been providing data-build and asset management services to asset-intensive industries like Oil & Gas, LNG & Petrochemicals etc. Backed by technology and proven processes, our solutions have helped our clients operate safely, reliably and profitably in an increasingly uncertain environment. Partnering with Hofintech will ensure:

• Your ERP system or CMMS is running on the most updated and accurate asset and materials data.
• Every asset is mapped, with its criticality rating and correct maintenance schedule.
• The maintenance team has a well-defined maintenance plan for each asset with clear maintenance procedures.
• The maintenance team gets all the necessary spares to carry out the miaitenance or in the situations of emergency.
• Better vendor management leading to leaner and robust supply chain.

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Summary:

With increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions, CCUS is gaining more and more attention. Key technologies used in carbon capture, utilization, and storage are asset-intensive. Effective asset management ensures safety, reduces costs, and supports the continuous operation of CCUS facilities.

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