Carbon capture and storage (CCS) includes processing of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The carbon dioxide (CO2) stemming from flue gases contains acid forming impurities, especially in the case of coal fired power plants. In the present work, the mobility and reactivity of acids in supercritical scCO2 was investigated. The corrosive attack of low alloyed carbon steel (material 1.0484) by water (H2O) alone in scCO2 was negligible. Nitric acid (HNO3) was very mobile and corrosive towards the carbon steel while sulfuric acid did not migrate through the scCO2 to react with the steel surface. Hydrochloric acid in scCO2 was very mobile and reactive towards both carbon steel and high alloyed test equipment. Gravimetric analyses revealed a severe material loss after corrosion in the presence of HNO3. Thickness measurements showed localized material losses.
Steels used within the process chain of carbon capture and storage (CCS) are exposed to conditions that are currently not fully tested. In the present work a number of steels were selected as possible construction materials: Alloyed steels for application in the compression and injection sections and low alloyed carbon steels for use as pipelines. Exposure tests were conducted over 600 hours at ambient pressure in a continuous flow of a simulated gas stream consisting of carbon dioxide with low contents of the relevant flue gas components nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxygen and water. Temperatures were adjusted to 5, 60 and 170 centigrade.
The geological storage of carbon dioxide (Carbon Capture and Storage, CCS) in depleted gas reservoirs or in saline aquifers is a widely discussed issue. Carbon dioxide may induce corrosion on the piping steels during compression, transportation and injection. Therefore,
selection of appropriate piping steels is a key factor in order to increase the safety and reliability of the CCS technology, and to keep the processes cost-effective.
The here described subproject of the COORAL project (German acronym for “C02 purity for capture and storage”) deals with the levels of impurities in the C02 stream that will be acceptable when using specific steels. Material exposure to carbon dioxide (C02) containing
specific amounts of water vapor, oxygen (02) sulfur dioxide (S02), nitrogen dioxide (N02), carbon monoxide (CO) can be a challenge to steels. Within this subproject 13 different Steels are tested for suitability as materials used for compression, transportation and injection Units within the CCS chain.