A comparison of the energy consumption for CO2 compression process alternatives

Abstract

The efficient transportation of large volumes of CO2 generally requires pipelines that will operate above the critical pressure of CO2. Since most capture processes release CO2 at low pressure, compression of CO2 from the point of capture to pipeline will generally be required. The compression duty can be achieved using conventional multi-stage compressors or using newer shockwave type compressors. Pumping could also be used if CO2 is condensed below its critical point. This paper presents a comparison the energy consumption associated with these compression process alternatives. The focus of the review is on the clarity of the comparison and the careful optimisation of each of the scheme considered. The main finding is that the performance advantages claimed for improved CO2 compression process schemes are often optimistic because the based-line scheme compared against is not well optimized.