Session: 11-01 Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Paper Number: 106682

106682 - Techno-Economic Analysis of Hydrates-Based Carbon Dioxide Sequestration on the Seabed 

Significant carbon sequestration capacity (up to 10 Gigatons/yr) will be needed by 2050 to limit the Earth’s temperature rise to < 1.5 ºC. Currently, geologic injection of CO₂ (depleted oil-gas reservoirs, saline aquifers) is the only mature technology, which can be deployed at industrial scales. However injection has significant limitations with respect to available geology (globally), CO₂ leakage and area footprint of injection projects. CO₂ hydrates provide an alternative option for carbon sequestration on the seabed. CO₂ hydrates are ice-like crystalline solids which form under medium pressure and low temperature conditions from water (cage of host molecules) and gas or liquid (guest molecule). Stable CO₂ hydrates form at ~0 ̊C, and at moderate pressures (~500 psi) from a mixture of CO₂ and water. Prevalence of such conditions on the seabed makes it a very attractive location for gigascale CO₂ sequestration. From a technical standpoint, success of this concept requires rapid synthesis of CO₂ hydrates and sealing them (to prevent dissociation) for long-term sequestration (> 1000 yrs).

This study discusses the techno-economics associated with CO₂ hydrates-based CO₂ sequestration on the seabed. Rapid hydrate formation can be achieved via intensification of heat and mass transfer processes in a bubble column reactor. This study uses a recently validated model to predict CO₂ hydrate formation rates in a bubble column reactor; this is the basis for estimating sequestration rates, power consumption, water consumption and other process parameters. It is noted that CO₂ hydrates will undergo slow dissociation if in direct contact with seawater (due to difference in CO₂ concentrations). Sealing the hydrate plugs is critical to prevent seawater contact; various sealing options will be discussed. Finally, hydrates will need to be sequestered at locations with minimal geohazards, and would need to be monitored for long-term stability. Existing hardware to monitor deepwater hydrocarbon production can be used for this purpose.

All these factors are assessed from a technical as well as techno-economic standpoint. The objective of this study is to estimate the economic feasibility of large scale CO₂ hydrates-based sequestration projects in the future, and identify/assess the factors essential to make the techno-economics more favorable.

Presenting Author: Vaibhav Bahadur The University of Texas at Austin

Presenting Author Biography: Vaibhav Bahadur (VB) is an Associate Professor and Carl J. Eckhardt Fellow in Mechanical Engineering at UT Austin. His research interests are in the areas of thermal-fluids sciences, materials chemistry, machine learning and micro-nanofabrication. His group conducts fundamental and applied research in these areas with applications in energy-water systems, carbon capture and sequestration, hydrogen and thermal management.
Prof. Bahadur has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a Postdoc from Harvard University. Additionally, he has 4 years industry R&D experience in GE Global Research and Baker Hughes. Prof. Bahadur is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award (2017), the SPE Petroleum Engineering Young Faculty Award (2015), the ASME ICNMM Outstanding Early Career Award (2018), the Google Faculty Research Award (2018), and the ACS Doctoral New Investigator Award (2014). He is the winner of the Society of Petroleum Engineer’s R&D Competition at SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (2014). Heat pipe technology developed in his lab was tested on the International Space Station in 2017.
Prof. Bahadur has authored 60 journal articles (h-index of 27), 35 articles in conference proceedings, 1 book chapter, and has 10 patents issued or pending. His research has been featured on the cover of ASME’s Mechanical Engineering magazine, cover of journals (ACS Nano, Advanced Optical Materials) and in R&D magazine. His research has been highlighted in multiple international news media. He teaches courses in the areas of heat transfer and fluid mechanics.