In a world first, a small-scale shipboard carbon capture plant has been installed on a K-Line coal carrier in an effort to test, demonstrate and, eventually, commercialise the technology
Called the Carbon-Capture on the Ocean (CC-Ocean) Project, Japan’s K-Line is conducting the joint demonstration research with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and ClassNK.
The small CO2 capture plant has been installed on the coal carrier Corona Utility at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Yokohama Works. The vessel is operated by K-Line for Tohoku Electric Power Co, Inc.
Class NK has conducted a Hazard Identification Study (HAZID) on the plant’s installation and verified its safety.
The project is supported by Japan’s Maritime Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) as part of its programmes to support R&D for advancing marine resources technologies.
The marine-use CO2 capture demonstration plant is based on land-based carbon capture technology and is designed to capture a portion of a vessel’s gas emissions. The project will not only verify the efficacy of capturing and storing CO2 from a vessel’s gas emissions, but also the operability and safety of CO2 capture facilities at sea. Demonstration tests are aimed at promoting the development of more compact equipment required in maritime vessels along with the development of system requirements necessary for stable continuous operation at sea.
Initially, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding technical staff will be on board the coal carrier for one voyage to commission the small CO2 capture plant, evaluate its operational performance at sea, and analyse the captured CO2. After that, until the end of FY 2021, the ship’s crew will evaluate the operation, safety and operability of the CO2 capture plant. The crew also will conduct demonstration tests with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in order to commercialise the plant, including downsizing the system’s size and weight and measuring the efficiency of the CO2 capture system.
Shipboard carbon capture and storage is seen as an important bridging technology to low- and zero-carbon fuels. As the world’s first marine demonstration test, the CC-Ocean Project will provide invaluable insights into plant design and technologies for capturing CO2 emissions and achieving zero emissions onboard vessels. Additionally, the captured CO2 is expected to be recycled as a new CO2 source for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes or as raw material in synthetic fuel through methanation. In this way, the project will significantly contribute to the long-term reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Details of the CC-Ocean Project were covered during Riviera Maritime Media’s Carbon Capture for shipboard use and emissions monitoring webinar, produced as part of Carbon Capture Webinar Week in May.
Register for free for the first of a new series of webinars are scheduled on 16 August Carbon Capture and Storage Webinar Week.
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