(112c) Optimization and Transport of CO2 from Refineries in Southeast Texas for Offshore Subsea Storage

Behind fossil fuel-based power generation plants, petroleum Refineries are the second largest stationary source of CO₂emissions. Refineries often undergo process upgrades and plant expansions to maximize the crude throughput, thus maximizing profits. This in turn causes the amounts of CO₂ emissions from the refineries to vary annually, although predictably. For instance, process upgrades generally result in lower CO₂ emissions (~10%) based on total number of barrels of throughput. In addition, CO₂ emissions increase by 85 – 90% when the plant capacity is doubled. Due to these constant changes in the refineries, estimating the amount of carbon dioxide to predict the size of the compressor and the recompression station required for the purposes of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) becomes complicated.

In this study, the Petroleum Refineries present in the Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas area were analyzed for CO₂output using data available from EPA’s Facility Level Information on GreenHouse Gases Tool (FLIGHT). Refinery Capacity and actual production was determined from quarterly and annual reports from the respective refineries. The petroleum refineries considered for this study include Valero Refinery (Port Arthur, TX), Total Petrochemicals & Refining USA, Inc. (Port Arthur, TX), ExxonMobil Beaumont Refinery (Beaumont, TX), and, Motiva Enterprises, LLC (Port Arthur, TX).

Among the six different types of CO₂ emission sources found within refineries, Stationary Fuel Combustion Sources, Catalytic Cracking and Reforming Units, and Sulfur Recovery Units accounted for about 80 – 85% of the total carbon dioxide emissions. The CO₂ emissions produced from these units was found to have the highest correlation with crude throughput. These findings were used to size compressors and a design CO₂ gathering network for delivery of CO₂from these facilities to offshore, subsea locations in the Gulf of Mexico.