Source: Dan Hawkes
The anticipated introduction of large-scale geologic carbon
sequestration (GCS) as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions will
require the ability to transport massive amounts of CO2 safely and
economically. In a recent paper, a team of scientists led by ESD’s
Alberto Mazzoldi (and including ESD-GCS Program Lead Curt Oldenburg)
focuses on the safety issues related to the transportation of CO2. The
team carried out simulations that coupled two computational fluid
dynamics codes to determine, first, the leakage rates from fully
ruptured aboveground CO2 pipelines for a typical pipeline fluid
composition; and, second, the resulting atmospheric dispersion of the
gas near the broken pipe. Among their findings, they note that
concentrations dangerous to human health could potentially extend
hundreds of meters from the ruptured pipeline.
To read more, go to: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ghg.1318/full
Citation: Mazzoldi, A., D. Picard, P.G. Sriram, and C.M. Oldenburg
(2013), Simulation-based estimates of safety distances for pipeline
transportation of carbon dioxide. Greenhouse Gases: Science and
Technology, 3 (1), 66–83.
Funding: FE, GEO-SEQ