Three partners are looking into the feasibility of carbon capture and storage on ships.
Inspection and testing Bureau Veritas is working with Hong Kong shipowner Wah Kwong and the environmental technology company Shanghai Qiyao to assess whether carbon capture and storage (CCS) can work on ships.
Qiyao has developed a customised design of CCS units for the Wah Kwong fleet, and Bureau Veritas has reviewed the plans according to existing regulations and rules to ensure the safety of the vessels and equipment.
The first stage of the study will take place on bulk carriers, but ultimately the plan is to develop the CCS unit for diferent ship types and sizes.
”The CCS system mainly consists of an absorption unit, a separation unit, a compression unit, a refrigeration unit and a storage unit,” says the study. ”The main principle is that the organic amine compound solution reacts with the carbon dioxide in the absorption unit, separating it from the rest of the exhaust gas. The dissolved carbon dioxide compound solution is desorbed at high temperature in the separation tower, before the extracted CO2 is compressed, purified and cooled into liquid carbon dioxide and stored in a low temperature storage tank.”
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies (CCUS) have been used in land-based industry for years, according to Alex Gregg-Smith, Senior Vice President & Chief Executive, North Asia & China, with Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore.
”We are very honoured to collaborate on this study. BV’s expertise in supporting CCUS projects, combined with Wah Kwong’ and Qiyao’s technical and strategic capabilities, will help to spur the implementation of CCUS technology in the shipping industry,” said Gregg-Smith.
