DNV supports world first large-scale testing of submerged CO_2 pipelines

摘要

DNV, the independent energy expert and assurance provider, is working with Wintershall Noordzee and the OTH Regensburg University of Applied Sciences to explore how existing natural gas pipelines in the southern North Sea can be used for future carbon dioxide (CO_2)transport. The work scope entails large-scale CO_2 pipeline testing of running fracture in submerged (water) condition, which is a world first for the energy industry, and a comparison with similar testing of the pipe in open air. The aim of the tests is to quantify the potential beneficial effect of the water surrounding the pipeline on the crack arrest behaviour for a specific pipeline, and thus better define the model parameters used for different backfill types. Further, preliminary simulation results using numerical models suggest that running fracture in pipelines transporting dense phase CO_2 may be easier arrested in submerged conditions vs in air. The project initiated by Wintershall will also aim at experimentally validating this theory.