A new project aims to conduct test operations and
measurements for a small-scale ship-based CO2 capture demonstration plant. The project, which will deploy the
demonstration unit on a Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) vessel working
in collaboration with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Company and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai
(ClassNK) is an R&D effort aimed at verifying the equipment's use.
The two-year project will begin with the launch of a HAZID
(hazard identification) evaluation of the demonstration plant and deployment on
vessels, with verification from ClassNK. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will begin the
development and construction of a small-scale CO2 capture demonstration plant
and evaluation of system safety.
During the second phase, which is expected to start in the
middle of 2021, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will begin test operations of the
demonstration plant at its factory. By the end of 2021, they aim to be
operating the demonstration plant on-board “K” Line’s Corona Utility, an 88,000
DWT coal carrier built in 2016 and operated for Tohoku Electric Power Co. The
installation will provide the opportunity to measure the system’s performance
under marine conditions, to jointly develop a new marine system for vessels.
The marine-use CO2 capture demonstration plant will be based
on an onshore plant and designed to capture a portion of a vessel’s gas
emissions. This project will not only verify the efficacy of capturing and
storing CO2 from a vessel’s gas emissions, but also the operability and safety
of CO2 capture facilities at sea. These demonstration tests are aimed at
promoting the development of more compact equipment required by marine
environments along with the development of system requirements necessary for
stable continuous operation at sea.
As the world’s first marine demonstration test, the
partnership says the project will provide invaluable insights into facilities
design and technologies for capturing CO2 emissions and achieving zero
emissions onboard vessels. Additionally, the captured CO2 is expected to be
recycled as a new CO2 source for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes or as a
raw material in synthetic fuel through methanation. In this way, the project
will significantly contribute to the long-term reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions.
The project is supported by the Maritime Bureau of the
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as part of its programs
to support research and development for advancing marine resources
technologies.