Modelling CO2 Transport and the Effect of Impurities: A New Equation of State for CCS Pipeline Transport

A new analytic equation of state for use in the area of CCS pipeline transport was developed. The aim was to design a model which would exhibit a high degree of accuracy within the anticipated window of operation of CCS pipelines; from 260 to 335K and 1 to 200bar, whilst simultaneously retaining a simplicity and ease-of-use, a lack of which made some other available equations particularly unwieldy. Having conducted a comprehensive literature review and attended a range of academic and industrial conferences throughout this project, a need for an equation of state which could perform both these functions was identified. This was the key motivation for the work, and the model presented in the thesis was developed in order that it might contribute towards negating the many concerns that currently surround the pipeline transport stage of CCS. It was established that the proposed model should display a complexity approaching that of some of the simpler equations currently available, whilst incorporating sufficient flexibility to give thermodynamic predictions to a standard approaching that of those which are more complicated. Furthermore, criteria by which the proposed model could be judged were defined, so that it could be applied with confidence in the determination of the physical properties of carbon dioxide mixtures during CCS pipeline transport. Work was carried out by fitting the parameters of the proposed model to experimental data gathered from the literature and other data obtained from within the University of Nottingham, so that it would be able to determine the homogeneous phase pressure and vapour-liquid equilibrium of mixtures of carbon dioxide and other relevant gases. The project yielded a number of excellent outputs, not least the satisfaction of the primary aim which was the proposal of a model, which through the EngD project, was demonstrated to have the ability to meet the demands that were set. 

• First International Forum on the Transportation of CO2 by Pipeline (Newcastle, UK, Jul 2010)
• First Annual EngD Summer School (Nanjing, China, Jul 2010)
• Shanghai World EXPO 2010 Energy Day (Shanghai, China, Jul 2010)
• Second International Forum on the Transportation of CO2 by Pipeline (Newcastle, UK, Jun 2011)
• Second Annual EngD Summer School (Guwahati, India, Jul 2011)
• Separation Technologies for CO2 Capture and Storage (Swansea, UK, Sep 2011)
• The Geological Society and AAPG Carbon Capture and Storage Conference (London, UK, Nov 2011)
• First UK Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration Competition FEED Studies Dissemination Event (London, UK, Dec 2011)
• Potential Environmental Effects of CO2 Leakage in the Marine and Terrestrial Environment (Nottingham, UK, Feb 2012)
• Twelvth Annual APGTF Workshop (London, UK, Mar 2012)
• Mathematical Modelling and Simulation of Power Plants and CO2 Capture (Coventry, UK, Mar 2012)
• New Energy Security Challenges (London, UK, May 2012)
• Third International Forum on the Transportation of CO2 by Pipeline (Newcastle, UK, Jun 2012)
• Farnborough Air Show 2012 (Farnborough, UK, Jul 2012)
• IEAGHG Summer School (Beijing, China, Aug 2012)
• Getting Carbon Moving Faster (London, UK, Oct 2013)
• APGTF 2013 (London, UK, Feb 2013)
• CCT2013 (Thessaloniki, Greece, May 2013)
• TCCS7 (Trondheim, Norway, Jun 2013)
• Fourth International Forum on the Transportation of CO2 by Pipeline (Newcastle, UK, Jun 2013)

After completion of the EngD in October 2013 I moved to a company called FEESA, based in Farnborough. This was an opportunity that arose out of my attendance at the Fourth International Forum on the Transportation of CO2 by Pipeline in Newcastle, noted above, where I presented my final EngD research findings. My current role as a senior engineer includes using our in-house software package Maximus (a thermo, hydraulic, flow assurance tool) to offer technical consultancy services in the concept development phase of oil and gas field design. We also licence the software for those who wish to carry out the work themselves. As a small team, I have not just been involved with the consulting side of our operations, but following on from our acquisition by a company called KBC Advanced Technologies in October 2014 have also found my role expanded to helping when needed with the development of the software itself, giving the training courses in the software, being the focal point of contact for software support enquiries for clients who have purchased a licence including maintaining these client relationships on a day-to-day basis, and working on the business development side as well.

One highlight of my time in the company is from August when I spent some time in Moscow delivering the training course to our CIS resellers and agents as well as visiting some well-known state owned companies to pitch them the software (at least one of which seems like will turn out to have been a fruitful visit). I would say some of the skills I originally picked up in the EngD have been invaluable in allowing me to carry out my job – not just the technical expertise which I gained from the EngD research, but contextual and management skills associated with completing the degree have been invaluable as well.

Actually there was a good amount of overlap between the topic of my research and some of my current technical focus, so in early 2015 I worked with my old supervisor Dr. Richard Graham in the School of Mathematical Sciences to extend further the work described in my final thesis as there was a mutual benefit to both of us for this. This resulted in a subsequent publication in the Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics in August (currently still in press for the printed version, but available online already) whereby several enhancements to the mathematical model proposed originally in the thesis were discussed. I was glad that my employers allowed me the time to conduct this work and it is hoped that in the future we may extend the model still further to the extent that it may in incorporated into our fluid modelling software.

Away from my main employment at KBC Advanced Technologies I have also been spending my spare time in establishing Mathalot, a private tuition agency which focuses on bringing Russian students who have a particular competency in mathematics (and some other STEM subjects) into the UK education system. Mathalot supplements focussed teaching in mathematics at any level with any other required subject (we cater for tuition in geography, French, and even Latin for example) as well as help making common entrance or UCAS applications.

Given the Russian focus in both my professional activities, I am currently trying to learn Russian!