Direct Air Capture CO2 Reduction

As we discussed in previous blogs in this series on carbon capture in the oil and gas industry, meeting new emission standards is the goal. There are different paths to that goal, such as green hydrogen or blue hydrogen, or even small, clean modular nuclear reactors.

Hydrogen is capturing the attention of the media, with blue hydrogen created through steam and methane reformation, which off gases CO2 that is captured and sequestered. Green hydrogen is created through an electrolysis process that creates hydrogen and oxygen.

For the purpose of this blog post, though, we’ll focus on direct air capture and what is needed to start such a venture. In particular, we’ll focus on a new initiative started by Occidental Petroleum called, 1Point5. They are acquiring or leasing 55,000 acres along the Gulf Coast of Texas to develop a carbon capture and sequestration hub. Not just one facility but many, to sequester CO2 in reservoirs. For reference, one of these reservoirs can hold approximately 1.2 billion metric tons of CO2.

Table stakes

Successfully establishing a carbon capture enterprise like 1Point5 requires technology that can keep up with growth in the industry and will require unique table stakes. From the start, the plan is to develop a modular business that can scale. Not a static stick-built one where the equipment is built and then shipped to the site. To be modular requires a distributed control system (DCS).

Rockwell Automation, as a technology partner for 1Point5, brings the following with PlantPAx®:

• Open architecture
• Scalable and remote support automation
• Future proofing
• Lifecycle partner

Let’s take a closer look at what each of those points offer.

Open architecture

Using a common automation platform for seamless integration between critical areas of the plant, the modern DCS connects process, discrete, power, information, and safety control into one plant-wide infrastructure.

The same platform can be used for single stations or for large, distributed architectures. Modules can connect seamlessly to run the facility, integrating without replicating data, driving down the operating costs.

Scalable and remote support automation

A scalable and modular architecture allows for growth at a pace that meets the demands of the business. In this case carbon capture and sequestration. Faster and easier integration helps ensure better batch management as it applies to carbon capture and sequestration, and improved data collection. For a carbon capture business model data is essential to show progress, receive carbon credits, and know how much carbon has been removed from the air.

Remote support reduces the cost of personnel having to travel to a, possibly remote, location to service a device or system. Data collection, too, can be done remotely. The cloud makes it easier to design the facility and the automation envelope, it is also used for conveniently downloading firmware updates. Remotely updating provides a significant cost savings over having to manually update each item.

Future proofing

A modular, backwards compatible system provides room to expand as needed without having to invest in new technologies or complex workarounds to connect the new sections of the facility to the older ones.

Leveraging cloud technology and having an HMI that can be connected at an enterprise level in a centralized control room can serve at a facility level as well as a device level for certain packaged systems. Providing near real-time data visualization allows for accurate decision-making, which in turn reduces costs. There’s no need to redo something and the likelihood of errors is greatly reduced.

Lifecycle partner

At Rockwell Automation, we offer lifecycle services that support our customers and offer access to a wide range of our technology partners. These are our partners who use Rockwell Automation technologies to support their process units. In essence, having Rockwell Automation as a lifecycle partner expands the technology ecosystem a customer has access to.

Accessing tools such as machine learning, data science, and digital twin technology to run scenarios at the enterprise level, can help establish optimal ways to run operations. Pushing these scenarios automatically down along the infrastructure further reduces costs.

Building for the future

For 1Point5 to meet its stated direct air capture goals, Rockwell Automation was selected as their technology partner. As this is a new direction in the energy industry, we are proud our technology is being used to help meet carbon capture goals.

To learn more about PlantPAx® and the different applications for a distributed control system click here.