Scandinavian Oil-Gas Magazine

DNV, authorities and major industry partners have developed the world’s first guideline for the transmission of CO2. Its unified approach will ensure that CO2 is transmitted in offshore and onshore pipelines in a reliable, safe and cost-effective manner.

There is a growing awareness among authorities and in the industry of CO2 as a substance for transmission in large and geographically interconnected pipeline systems.

This was the motivation for Det Norske Veritas (DNV) initiating a joint industry project one year ago. Existing pipeline standards had to be extended to incorporate specific guidelines for the transmission of CO2. The joint industry project, named CO2PIPETRANS, has now made an important contribution in delivering the world’s first industry guideline for the safe, reliable and cost-effective transmission of CO2 in pipelines.

The partners: ArcelorMittal, BP, Chevron, Dong Energy, Gassco, Gassnova, ILF, Petrobras, Shell, StatoilHydro and Vattenfall. Special acknowledgement is also given to representatives of the Health and Safety Executive in the UK, the State Supervision of Mines in the Netherlands and the Petroleum Safety Authority in Norway.

Covers the whole value chain The head of the Carbon Capture and Storage section at DNV, Frøydis Eldevik, explains that the guideline provides guidance and sets out criteria for the development, design, construction, testing, operation and maintenance of steel pipelines.

“The guideline also builds on the continuously increasing scientific and industrial knowledge of the technical difference between the transmission of large volumes of CO2 in pipelines and the transmission of hydrocarbons,” she says.

It applies to new offshore and onshore pipelines for the transportation of fluids containing overwhelmingly CO2, the conversion of existing pipelines, the pipeline transportation of CO2 captured from hydrocarbon streams and from anthropogenic CO2 (from combustion processes and capture facilities), the pipeline transportation of natural (geological) sources for the purpose of enhanced oil recovery, and to other larger scale transportation of CO2. Gaseous, liquid and dense phase operation conditions are included.