CARBON CAPTURE SYSTEM

The aim of the project, which is a partnership with the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), is to study hands-on how the carbon capture technology works in a marine environment.

“Carbon capture is gaining a lot of traction. In the newly released Energy Transition Outlook 2022, DNV estimates that a quarter of net decarbonization by 2050 will rely on carbon capture and removal,” says Peter Björkborg, Manager Sustainability and Transformation at Stena Bulk.

Carbon capture is the process of trapping carbon dioxide at its emission source, transporting it to natural, underground storage locations, often depleted oil wells, and isolating it there. The captured CO2 can also be reutilized in the production of new fuels and chemicals or be used as a fertilizer.

“Decarbonizing our society is a massive challenge that will require a palette of solutions in the form of fossil-free energy sources, new energy carriers and energy efficiency technology,” Peter explains.

He continues: “The challenge in decarbonizing shipping is about scaling and commercial feasibility. The green fuels we need are not yet available in relevant quantities, and even if they scale quickly, it will still not be enough. In the near to mid-term perspective, carbon capture could enable our industry to move faster.”

A feasibility study, made by Stena Bulk and the OGCI last year, demonstrated that carbon capture on a ship is certainly possible, but that it also comes with challenges.

“The study gained a lot of attention among our partners, customers and others, so we decided to move forward with an implementation project aiming at installing a full-scale capture system on one of our tankers,” Peter says.

The installation, which is expected to be completed in the beginning of 2024, consists of three major technical steps.

Initially, carbon dioxide emitted by the engines is captured by a technology integrated in the funnel at the stern of the ship. The exhaust gases are showered with a chemical that captures the CO2. Then, the chemicals are separated to produce pure CO2.

The two remaining parts of the installation are located on the deck of the tanker. The CO2 is cooled and compressed into a liquid and finally stored in pressure tanks until it is offloaded in the port.

“Our initial goal is to capture at least 30 percent of the CO2 in the exhausts. One of the main practical challenges is that captured volumes are growing rapidly. The initial system is dimensioned to operate about ten days before the CO2 needs to be offloaded,” Peter explains.

He concludes: “The experience of storing and transporting CO2 could also be of commercial relevance for us. The gas may eventually become a commodity that needs to be transported and traded. We know that some of our most important customers are investing heavily in this.”