Establishment of Pigging Model for CO2 Long-distance Pipeline Pigging Devices and Research on Pigging Performance

Abstract

CO₂ pipeline transportation is a key link in the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology. Due to the presence of impurities in the gas source and the special transportation conditions, hydrates are prone to form during the pipeline transportation of CO₂. Therefore, pigging operations need to be carried out to ensure the safe and smooth operation of the pipeline. Based on the CO₂ pipeline pigging parameters in the carbon capture and storage process of Kingsnorth, a pigging numerical model with the help of the pigging theory and pigging module of OLGA software was constructed in this study. The model verification results show that under the basic and full transportation volume conditions, the relative errors of the simulated values and the on-site detection values of the pigging time of the supercritical/dense-phase CO₂ pipeline and the pigging speed at the pipeline outlet are 4.20%, 4.17%, 3.17%, and 3.86% respectively, all within the acceptable range of the project. Based on this model, a simulation study was conducted on the pigging work of a certain supercritical CO₂ long-distance pipeline. The results show that the pigging effect of the intelligent pigging device is superior to that of the polyurethane mechanical pigging device. The pipeline pigging model established in this research can accurately predict the pigging performance of CO₂ long-distance pipelines, providing a research method and guidance for the optimization of CO₂ pigging devices.