Circular 597: Illinois Basin – Decatur Project: Process Design and Operation of Carbon Dioxide Surface Facilities

Numerous organizations and researchers from government, academia, and industry have worked together as a team to carry out the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project (IBDP), a 1-million-tonne carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage demonstration project. The IBDP is led by the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium, one of seven U.S. Department of Energy Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships, and is managed by the Illinois State Geological Survey. The overall objective of this and other U.S. Department of Energy Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership projects is to confirm that CO₂ injection and storage can be achieved safely, permanently, and economically. In this report, we review the development of a process design basis to meet the overall CO₂ injection research objectives, and we evaluate the various process configurations that led to the final process design used by the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) at the host site to complete the detailed engineering and construction for the project. Here, we present a detailed review of the operational performance of the surface facility equipment during the 3-year injection phase that followed commissioning and startup in November 2011. Actual performance is compared with the original design, and a detailed breakdown of the costs is presented. The total fixed capital investment for the compression, dehydration, and transmission facilities was $20.3 million. The overall capital and operating costs for compression, dehydration, and injection of the CO₂ were estimated at $28.53/ton ($31.45/tonne) injected, and electricity costs were estimated at 101.6 kWh/ton (112 kWh/tonne). These costs are reviewed and compared with what might be expected for a full-scale power plant application (approximately 10 times larger), which could be lower because of economies of scale and the longer project duration with a longer capital amortization schedule.

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