CO2-capture processes require a large amount of energy and the removal facilities account for a major part of investment and operating costs.
JGC and BASF began jointly developing a technology for a CO2-capture process called High Pressure Acid Gas Capture Technology (HiPACT) in 2004.
Following basic research and trials, the technology is claimed to demonstrate a significantly higher CO2 absorption rate than existing processes and is capable of recovering CO2 under high-pressure conditions.
According to BASF, an important milestone in this development is transferring the technology to an operating gas-processing facility.
HiPACT reduces the overall power consumption of the facility and lowers investment costs. Because the CO2 is released from the solvent at well above atmospheric pressure, there is a significant reduction in the amount of energy required if CO2 is used in high-pressure applications, such as chemical synthesis, or sequestered underground.
Testing will start at INPEX’s Koshijihara natural-gas plant in August 2010.
Going forward with information from the test results, JGC and BASF will focus on the commercialisation of HiPACT technology in sectors including natural-gas projects with CO2 reinjection. INPEX will aim at further energy savings at its natural-gas plants by using the HiPACT technology.
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