Minimizing greenhouse gas emissions is a hot topic and many oil and gas facilities, power plants, and industrial plants are looking for innovative solutions to reduce these emissions from their facilities. In 2019 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that 77 percent of greenhouse gas emissions were related to burning fossil fuels through transportation, electricity, and industrial production.
One solution being implemented is carbon capture. Carbon capture is the process of capturing, storing, and using carbon dioxide that is emitted during the production process so it will not be released into the atmosphere. According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, “Carbon capture can achieve 14 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions reduction needed by 2050 and is viewed as the only practical way to achieve deep decarbonization in the industrial sector.”
Carbon capture can be achieved if a variety of ways. To demonstrate one way of implementing this process, we considered a project completed by our engineering and industrial teams for a fertilizer facility that wanted to take their environmental efforts to the next level.
The Coffeyville Resources Nitrogen Fertilizers (CRNF) Plant is the only fertilizer facility in North America that uses a petroleum coke gasification process to produce hydrogen, a key ingredient in the nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing process. This “blue” fertilizer plant includes a gasifier complex, an ammonia unit, and a urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) unit. Its unique design abates a large portion of the nitrous oxide in the unit while minimizing the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. To improve plant reliability and increase capacity at this important facility, Ross Engineering and Ross Group Industrial provided full turn-key EPC delivery for a redundant carbon dioxide compressor, additional high-pressure ammonia pump, and the associated foundation package.
The project began with the foundation design for the carbon dioxide compressor. Located in the heart of the plant with limited site access, the foundation package installation was made even more challenging by the tolerances, and unknown abandoned utility pipelines on the site.
Next, Ross Group Industrial completed the installation of the compressor and ammonia pump. Construction required carefully routing the pipe through the existing racks to tie into the existing carbon dioxide plant, installing cantilevered pipe supports for the existing 50’ tall pipe bridge, and adding dozens of structural steel additions for the 60 tie-in points required. New high voltage electrical equipment, instrumentation, and controls were also installed to support the new mechanical components.
Completed in November 2021, the project increased capacity and improved plant reliability by adding redundancy, allowing CRNF to continue its mission of producing nitrogen fertilizers that feed the world’s growing population in the most environmentally responsible way possible.
In conclusion, carbon capture is an effective way to minimize carbon dioxide emissions during the production process and can help power plants and industrial manufacturing plants function in a more environmentally friendly way.