Equinor, DNV assessing software needs for CO2 storage

Offshore staff

OSLO, Norway – DNV and Equinor are developing KFX CO2 simulation software to improve safety in carbon capture and storage (CCS).

There is a need for reliable consequence models for safety assessments, design of barriers, and documentation of CCS safe design, DNV said.

But it is also important to have means of simulating what happens if accidents occur, and to determine how to mitigate the consequences.

DNV’s KFX CO2 computational fluid dynamics software is designed to simulates accidental releases of CO₂ from storage facilities or leaks from pipelines, trucks, or ships.

CO₂ is normally transported and stored in liquid or supercritical state and is much heavier than air. A release of concentrated CO₂ will therefore typically follow the contours of the terrain, accumulating in pits, valleys or lower-lying grounds.

The software takes into account thermodynamics and the interaction between geometry and the terrain, including dry-ice formation and sublimation of CO₂.

11/17/2021