Decarbonising refineries through CCUS

REALISE will develop carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) strategies for oil refineries-centered industrial clusters and demonstrate in a pilot scale an absorption technology based on novel solvent for cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable CO2 capture from multiple flue gas sources.

The refining industry is a highly energy intensive sector, with direct CO2 emissions typically ranging from 100 to 200 kg CO2 per tonne crude oil, requiring urgent solutions for reducing CO2 emissions. The REALISE project targets this sector by enabling integration of CO2 capture and utilisation onsite operating refineries.

REALISE is based on a set of technologies with its core capture process based on an advanced low energy and highly stable chemical absorption system, combined with methods for efficient capture from multiple point sources using robust model predictive process control and advanced solvent management technologies, resulting in optimal flexible operation for improved sector coupling. The technologies will be demonstrate using a TNO's mobile pilot onsite Irving Oil Whitegate refinery in Cork (Ireland), and at SINTEF's Tiller CO2Lab. SINTEF will also perform identification and quantification of emissions from the capture plant and assess the quality of the produced liquefied CO2.

REALISE will allow at least a 30 % decrease in CO2 capture costs compared to the current benchmark technology (based on 30 wt% MEA). It will lower the entry-point for CCUS implementation by demonstrating the capabilities of the technology and advance societal readiness and public acceptance to CCUS in this sector.

REALISE further addresses the full CCUS chain including CO2 transport, storage and utilisation options for the specific business cases to be developed in the project for Ireland and China, as well as assessment of the financial, political and regulatory barriers and opportunities in these countries.

Project partners:

SINTEF (coordinator)
TNO
NTNU
Ervia
Biobe AS
The University of Edinburgh
University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork
Politecnico di Milano
Equinor
Pentair - Union Engineering AS (Denmark)
Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery Ltd. (Ireland)
Electricity Supply Board (Ireland)
Bord Gáis Energy (Ireland)
Cybernetica AS (Norway)
Tsinghua University (China)
Xinjiang Dunhua Petroleum Technology Co., Ltd (China)
SK Innvoation (S. Korea)