Under the support of the CAGS3 exchange program, Dr Ruina Xu from Tsinghua University, China, visited the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Sydney from 23 July to 22 August, 2017. During her visit, Dr Xu and Professor Dianne Wiley, Head of School, and her team, including Dr Minh Ho, worked together studying the impact of flexible CO2 transport on the safety of CO2 transport and geological storage.
Prof Dianne Wiley is an expert in CO2 capture and CCS system research who has proposed flexible strategies to facilitate CO2 capture technologies to adapt to the dynamic operation of power plants and electricity markets.
Dr Ruina Xu’s team with the support of CAGS phase 1 and 2, has carried out numerical simulations and experimental research of two-phase flow and heat transfer in pipelines and reservoirs. Their answers to these basic research questions are applicable to the assessment of CO2 transport and the security of geological storage.
Through this visit, the two teams investigated whether the use of flexible CO2 capture might result in dynamic phase changes during high-pressure transportation of in pipelines or during subsequent injection into the storage reservoir. The influence of flexible capture on the safety of pipeline transportation and geological storage was also considered. This collaboration is providing insights into the operation of the whole CCS chain in order to promote the development of new ideas and solutions to issues related to the practical implementation of large-scale commercial CCS projects.
