UK university designs carbon emissions pipeline in the North Sea

Scientists have come up with a design for a pipeline to pump millions tonnes of greenhouse gases under the North Sea. It would transport carbon dioxide from fossil fuel power […]

Scientists have come up with a design for a pipeline to pump millions tonnes of greenhouse gases under the North Sea.

It would transport carbon dioxide from fossil fuel power stations and industrial plants, such as refineries and steel works to be stored permanently underneath the sea.

Engineers from the University of Hull lead by Professor Meihong Wang, have developed the project which could help reduce emissions in the Humber region which, at 60 million tonnes annually, is one of the highest in the UK.

The researchers studied design, technical and cost considerations if a pipeline was to be built.

Professor Wang said: “The Humber region is a likely site for a carbon dioxide transport pipeline in the future because of its high amount of emissions. It is also close to depleted gas fields and porous rock underneath the North Sea, where CO2 can be permanently stored.

“In the future, it is expected that the major carbon dioxide emitters such as large scale power stations and industrial plants will have systems to capture their carbon dioxide. These ‘clusters’ will be connected to a single shared pipeline network.”

The research project has been awarded the Ludwig Mond Prize by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) for the best contribution to the progress of mechanical engineering of interest to the chemical industry.

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