CarbonNet project: carbon capture and storage case study – subsea system design challenges and opportunities
Bassem Youssef A * , Peter Brownlie A , Nick McCarthy A and Scott Bailey BA
B
Bassem Youssef is a subsea pipeline engineer with over 23 years of experience in the design and analysis of both offshore and onshore structures and pipelines. His extensive experience spans a variety of projects, including offshore and onshore pipelines, as well as shore crossing design. He has been involved in all project phases, from concept design to pre front-end engineering design (FEED), FEED, detailed design, and providing engineering support for operations, life extensions, and the repurposing and decommissioning of pipeline systems. Bassem has also contributed to numerous carbon capture and storage studies. Bassem received his PhD in 2011 from the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems at the University of Western Australia. His doctoral research focused on the on-bottom stability of offshore pipelines. |
Peter Brownlie is a subsea equipment and controls engineering lead with more than 30 years of engineering experience, of which 25 are in the oil and gas industry, both in a subsea system development role and previously in a design role for a leading subsea equipment manufacturer. He has led concept select, pre-FEED, and FEED phases across several countries for oil and gas and CO2 storage developments. Recently he has taken a leading role in the subsea system engineering for three planned major offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects for Australia. Previous experience included managing subsea system configuration and specification for projects in Australia, Japan, Ghana, Indonesia, and China. His expertise spans subsea equipment design, subsea controls design, and with a particular focus on subsea system design, subsea tree, and subsea wellhead design. |
Nick McCarthy is a process and flow assurance consultant with more than 25 years of international experience in the upstream energy industry. He is experienced in interfacing with multiple disciplines to deliver production and storage system designs for a wide variety of development types. Since September 2017, he has been almost exclusively involved in multi-discipline concept studies and FEEDs for a variety of international CCS projects. Nick is a subject matter expert on the inherent complexities and strategies required for the successful transportation and injection of both natural and anthropogenic CO2 into depleted gas reservoirs or saline aquifers. |
As the Engineering Director for the CarbonNet project, Scott Bailey is responsible for the leadership, direction, and oversight of the technical development and execution of the project. With nearly 30 years of experience in the refining, petrochemical, chemical, and fast-moving consumer goods sectors, and tertiary qualified in commerce, engineering, and science, Scott possesses a breadth of experience and understanding across project management, engineering, and financial management that consistently helps achieve quality project outcomes on behalf of teams and clients. A PMI-accredited Project Management Professional, Scott is skilled in stakeholder and relationship management, developed from a diverse background, originating at plant level engineering operations through to senior engineering, project leadership, and more recently complex interface management. |
Abstract
The CarbonNet project represents a pioneering and strategic intiative in the realm of carbon capture and storage (CCS) within the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is specifically designed to facilitate the state’s ambitious net zero emissions target by receiving carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial sources and securely store them in geological formations offshore. This paper presents an overview of CarbonNet’s development stages, focusing on its transition into a multi-user CCS hub. Key aspects include the project’s objectives, infrastructure, technical challenges, and innovative solutions. Initially conceptualised in 2009, CarbonNet has evolved through rigorous stages: concept and regional screening, feasibility and site selection, and in 2024, the project development and commercial establishment. The proposed pipeline network consists of an 80 km onshore pipeline and a 17 km offshore subsea pipeline, designed to transport CO2 to the Pelican Reservoir storage site, a saline reservoir under Bass Strait. Critical to the system’s design is adherence to Australian/New Zealand Standards AS/NZS 2885.1 for pipeline construction, ensuring durability and safety. During the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase, challenges were encountered, particularly in flow assurance and material selection. Steady-state and transient analyses were conducted to optimise pipeline sizing, assess operating conditions, and ensure integrity under varying scenarios. The project also addresses potential risks like stress corrosion cracking and hydrate formation, implementing rigorous testing and monitoring to mitigate these issues. The findings provide valuable insights into CO2 impurity levels, pipeline material resilience, and the integration of advanced technologies within CCS infrastructure. Ultimately, CarbonNet contributes to global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Keywords: carbon capture and storage (CCS), carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, CCS hub, digital acoustic sensing, subsea reservoir storage.
Bassem Youssef is a subsea pipeline engineer with over 23 years of experience in the design and analysis of both offshore and onshore structures and pipelines. His extensive experience spans a variety of projects, including offshore and onshore pipelines, as well as shore crossing design. He has been involved in all project phases, from concept design to pre front-end engineering design (FEED), FEED, detailed design, and providing engineering support for operations, life extensions, and the repurposing and decommissioning of pipeline systems. Bassem has also contributed to numerous carbon capture and storage studies. Bassem received his PhD in 2011 from the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems at the University of Western Australia. His doctoral research focused on the on-bottom stability of offshore pipelines. |
Peter Brownlie is a subsea equipment and controls engineering lead with more than 30 years of engineering experience, of which 25 are in the oil and gas industry, both in a subsea system development role and previously in a design role for a leading subsea equipment manufacturer. He has led concept select, pre-FEED, and FEED phases across several countries for oil and gas and CO2 storage developments. Recently he has taken a leading role in the subsea system engineering for three planned major offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects for Australia. Previous experience included managing subsea system configuration and specification for projects in Australia, Japan, Ghana, Indonesia, and China. His expertise spans subsea equipment design, subsea controls design, and with a particular focus on subsea system design, subsea tree, and subsea wellhead design. |
Nick McCarthy is a process and flow assurance consultant with more than 25 years of international experience in the upstream energy industry. He is experienced in interfacing with multiple disciplines to deliver production and storage system designs for a wide variety of development types. Since September 2017, he has been almost exclusively involved in multi-discipline concept studies and FEEDs for a variety of international CCS projects. Nick is a subject matter expert on the inherent complexities and strategies required for the successful transportation and injection of both natural and anthropogenic CO2 into depleted gas reservoirs or saline aquifers. |
As the Engineering Director for the CarbonNet project, Scott Bailey is responsible for the leadership, direction, and oversight of the technical development and execution of the project. With nearly 30 years of experience in the refining, petrochemical, chemical, and fast-moving consumer goods sectors, and tertiary qualified in commerce, engineering, and science, Scott possesses a breadth of experience and understanding across project management, engineering, and financial management that consistently helps achieve quality project outcomes on behalf of teams and clients. A PMI-accredited Project Management Professional, Scott is skilled in stakeholder and relationship management, developed from a diverse background, originating at plant level engineering operations through to senior engineering, project leadership, and more recently complex interface management. |
References
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Victoria Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR) (2023) CarbonNet Project. Available at https://djsir.vic.gov.au/carbonnet [accessed 27 September 2023]
