A scalable infrastructure model for carbon capture and storage: SimCCS

In the carbon capture and storage (CCS) process, CO2 sources and geologic reservoirs may be widely spatially dispersed and need to be connected through a dedicated CO2 pipeline network. We introduce a scalable infrastructure model for CCS (simCCS) that generates a fully integrated, cost-minimizing CCS system. SimCCS determines where and how much CO2 to capture and store, and where to build and connect pipelines of different sizes, in order to minimize the combined annualized costs of sequestering a given amount of CO2. SimCCS is able to aggregate CO2 flows between sources and reservoirs into trunk pipelines that take advantage of economies of scale. Pipeline construction costs take into account factors including topography and social impacts. SimCCS can be used to calculate the scale of CCS deployment (local, regional, national). SimCCS' deployment of a realistic, capacitated pipeline network is a major advancement for planning CCS infrastructure. We demonstrate simCCS using a set of 37 CO2 sources and 14 reservoirs for California. The results highlight the importance of systematic planning for CCS infrastructure by examining the sensitivity of CCS infrastructure, as optimized by simCCS, to varying CO2 targets. We finish by identifying critical future research areas for CCS infrastructure.