Produced by the burning of fossil fuels as well as through natural processes like the decomposition of organic matter, carbon dioxide (CO2) is a gas that can trap heat and contribute to climate change. With 2023 recently confirmed as the hottest year in human history, reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere remains critical. One tool in this effort is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Ross Group Engineering (RGE) is proud to be playing a role in protecting our earth by designing carbon capture systems.
CCS is technology that captures CO2 gas before it enters our atmosphere (Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage | Department of Energy). Once captured, the gas is compressed into a liquid form and transported to an injection site through a series of pipelines. Then, it is injected more than 2,500 feet down wells into geological formations such as oil and gas reservoirs or coal seams. These types of structures have naturally stored CO2 for millions of years and can safely store it without affecting either the atmosphere or ground water. The injected CO2 can also have the added benefit of increasing the production rates of nearby oil and gas wells.
CCS is not a new technology – Norway’s Sleipner CO2 Storage Facility has been capturing CO2 from offshore production facilities and storing it in a sandstone reservoir deep beneath the North Sea since 1996. Today, CCS projects are storing almost 45 million tons of CO2 every year, which is about the amount of CO2 emissions created by 10 million passenger cars. However, innovations in CCS technology are making it an even more powerful tool as we work to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.
One new project that is using CCS technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the Barnett Zero project, a collaboration between BKV Corporation (BKV) and EnLink Midstream. This project gathers CO2 emissions from EnLink’s natural gas processing plant in Bridgeport, TX and nearby compressor stations, preventing their release into the atmosphere. The captured CO2 is then delivered to BKV for underground injection into Barnett Zero, one of the first purpose-drilled, Class II commercial carbon sequestration wells in the United States. The first injection took place in November 2023. Expected to average an estimated annual sequestration rate of 210,000 metric tons of CO2, Barnett Zero has the potential to offset the emissions of 45,000 automobiles every year!
RGE played a pivotal role in this project: the Bridgeport natural gas processing plant did not have a carbon capture component, so RGE provided a full detailed design for the mechanical, electrical, civil, and structural engineering needed to modify the plant and add this system. BKV and EnLink plan to use Barnett Zero as a prototype at future sites, with the next phases already in the works.
While many nations are diversifying their energy sources, fossil fuels will likely still be needed to meet the world’s energy needs for several more decades. CCS technologies can help mitigate the effects of these fossil fuels until clean energy sources can replace them.
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