CO₂ transport is an essential part of carbon capture and storage (CCS). It is what takes place between the point where the CO₂ is captured and the point where it is injected into the reservoir. The two main transport options are by pipeline and ship.

SINTEF Energy Research has been involved in CO₂-transport research projects since 2000. The research activity spans from in-depth and long-term research addressing fundamental issues of CO₂ behaviour in pipelines to industrially focused conceptual studies related to large-scale ship and pipeline-based CO₂ transport. The aim of all the projects is to enable a safe and efficient design and operation of CO₂ transport and injection systems.

Safety and operational issues such as start-up and shut-down are important in pipeline transport of CO₂. The pipeline transport of CO₂ is different from that of natural gas, since CO₂ will be in a liquid-like (supercritical) state in the pipelines. A further challenge arises since the CO₂ produced in the capture process will contain impurities like e.g. water, H₂S and methane. These components can significantly influence the thermodynamical and transport properties of the CO₂. In a new project called “CO₂ Dynamics”, SINTEF Energy Research will address these issues by conducting in-depth research on the single-phase (liquid) and two-phase (gas-liquid) flow of CO₂ with impurities.

Ship transport can be an alternative to pipeline transport for longer distances and smaller transport amounts.