Behavior of Gas Hydrate Formation in Long-Distance Pipelines for CO₂ Transportation

Abstract

To address the escalating global carbon emissions and achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, the utilization of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology is of crucial importance: with specific focus is the long-distance and large-volume CO2 transportation via pipelines. In this paper, we employ the OLGA software to construct a pipeline model that simulates and calculates hydrate formation in pipelines under various conditions, including extensive distances and complex operational scenarios. Initially, the impact of water content on hydrate generation in gas pipelines was analyzed, revealing an inverse relationship between the total amount of hydrate and the water content within a specific range. Furthermore, it was indicated that the presence of N2 in the flue gas significantly enhances the overall hydrate amount, which gradually decreases with an increase in the N2 percentage. The substantial effect of high pressure on promoting hydrate generation from a mixture of N2 and CO2 gases was investigated. In addition, a concise comparative analysis was conducted to identify the optimal inhibitor delivery scheme suitable for the pipeline configuration, considering both inhibition effectiveness and economic feasibility. The results could be of help revealing the performance of CO2 hydrate formation in the pipelines and proposing an inhibition strategy for an effective CO2 transportation.