Page 35: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Jan/Feb 2024)

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Image courtesy of DNV

Image courtesy of ABB "...a lack of operational experience is a "There is a need for maintaining a digital major hurdle to mainstream adoption of footprint of individual streams of CO2 in

CCS." large, multi-stakeholder projects." – Nigel Greatorex, – Per Jahre-Nilsen,

Global Industry Business Manager for

Energy Consultant at DNV

CCS at ABB Energy Industries forward fast. The sensors and digital solutions that enable being integrated into the Northern Lights project which this should be put in place during construction. It’s what is due to be operational by mid-2024. They will enable he calls being ‘born’ digital. “When we design the plant, we the remote operation of the carbon capture terminal and also design in the sensors to get the right data to understand ensure that the facility runs at optimum effciency.

how it’s performing so we can improve the next one.” Remote operation promises reduced OPEX, as do un-

Nigel Greatorex, Global Industry Business Manager for manned platforms - something being pioneered in the Aker

CCS at ABB Energy Industries, says a lack of operational BP-operated production platforms Hugin A and Munin, experience is a major hurdle to mainstream adoption of expected to be operational in 2027 and which are built

CCS. The impurities found in CO2 streams will differ be- without accommodation space or helipad. MAN Energy tween projects and could impact OPEX. CO2, especially Solutions’ scope of work on that project includes a digital from post combustion applications, comes with impuri- solution for remote operation of its multi-stage compres- ties which can form strong acids making corrosion a major sors. The experience gained will be transferrable to CCS, operational risk. says Jörg Massopust, Head of Digital Sales & Alliances.

“By understanding the fuid, a digital twin can be devel- AI solutions will enable predictive maintenance to ex- oped that takes into account those impurities and can also tend the time between inspections and overhaul. Then au- monitor and reduce the amount of power needed to pres- tonomous operation with completely computerized opera- surize and heat the CO2,” says Greatorex. “This is impor- tion of the equipment will come with robotic surveillance tant because energy is not always easy to get to on a CCS for visual, leakage and noise inspections. Robots will do network. There is not always a source of power at the point the normal daily maintenance and report to a remote op- of injection or the midpoint of a pipeline or even excess erations management center. power at the capture source. By deploying a digital twin, Next will be humanization of those digital systems operators can be sure the plant is not over-compressing or where human-like avatars will report proactively to human overheating, resulting in signifcant OPEX savings.” operators. “This will come in the next decade: maybe even

ABB’s automation, electrical and digital solutions are in this decade.” january/february 2024 OFFSHORE ENGINEER 35