T72 Climate Change Impacts on Society: Interface Between Earth Systems Science and Policy Making

Sunday, 18 October 2009
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
D135/136

OPTIMAL SPATIAL DEPLOYMENT OF CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE INFRASTRUCTURE GIVEN A PRICE ON CARBON DIOXIDE

Paper number: T72-7
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM

Authors

Abstract

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process of capturing and pressurizing carbon dioxide (CO2) at fixed sources (e.g., fossil fuel power plants, oil refineries), transporting CO2 through a dedicated pipeline network, and storing or sequestering CO2 in geologic reservoirs (e.g., depleted oil fields, saline aquifers) for hundreds or thousands of years. CCS can dramatically reduce the amount of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere, thus minimizing negative impact to the climate, due to CO2-intensive energy and industrial production. CCS is a particularly appealing CO2 mitigation strategy because it (i) is available in the short-medium term, (ii) allows consumption of domestic-based fossil fuels, and (iii) can be implemented without a fundamental restructuring of existing energy, economic, or industrial infrastructure. CCS can also be utilized to reduce the carbon intensity of domestically producing oil from oil-shale and tar sands, reducing US dependency on imported oil.

We present a regional-scale spatial infrastructure model (SimCCS) that optimally deploys CCS infrastructure (CO2 capture technology, pipelines, geologic reservoirs) given a price to emit CO2 and/or credit to deliver CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. The model minimizes the cost of capturing, transporting, storing, selling, or emitting CO2. To significantly reduce CO2 emissions, CCS infrastructure will have to be deployed on a massive scale, requiring great investment and comprehensive planning. SimCCS is designed to help decision-makers and stakeholders understand and plan how CCS infrastructure can and will react government regulations, economic incentives, and private enterprise considerations. We apply the model to a network of CO2 sources, CO2 reservoirs, and candidate CO2 pipeline links and diameters in California.