The CO2 compression and transport equipment imposes a significant cost and performance penalty on LECTs. The design related parameters are subject to the quantity and type of the contaminant gases in the gas stream being processed, which depend on fuel characteristics, environmental compliance requirements and design of the upstream CO2 separation and process plant.
In order to properly design this equipment and optimize these, detailed knowledge is required in terms of the thermo-fluid properties of mixtures of CO2 and contaminants including CO, H2S, N2, H2O and such other species as may occur. This body of knowledge, relevant across all capture technologies, will be investigated by integrating effort across all ANLEC R&D nodes and initiatives such as the Pipeline CRC.
The storage geology has equal importance and is the least well understood technical component of any LECT project. Further research is needed on the migration and trapping of CO2 in the reservoir over time. It is essential for public acceptance that a deep understanding of the CO2 movement in reservoirs is demonstrated to allow reliable risk assessment. Current models need to be improved and more detailed and sophisticated methods need to be developed.
