It is nowadays a matter of course that technological innovations and sustainable practices go hand in hand. And reflecting the importance of sustainability for the company, Atlas Copco Gas and Process is focused on ensuring that concerns about the environment directly lead to action on the energy transformation.
Atlas Copco Gas and Process’ Cut the Carbon Campaign is an ongoing initiative that touches every facet of the way the company does business. This was highlighted in the November 2023 issue of Turbomachinery International, during which Atlas Copco Gas and Process employees participated in a Q&A about Cut the Carbon. Reducing and recapturing CO2, plus high-quality maintenance programs, were three of the key themes addressed.
Reducing CO2
Steam compression, heat pumps & liquifying hydrogen
Until recently, around two thirds of industrial energy consumption was used for process-heat applications, with fossil fuels traditionally being the most cost-effective method of generating this heat. A central aim, therefore, has been to help Atlas Copco customers recycle and re-use as much of that energy as possible, using various technologies and solutions.
One example is to provide steam compressors to recapture low-grade steam and convert it to a medium-grade steam level (without sending it back to a boiler and back into a natural gas burning process) for further use, such as for direct heat purposes and electricity generation.
A second example is to use industrial-scale heat pumps to recover waste energy. This is done via warm water streams (such as from rivers, air, or whatever the available heat source is). By recapturing the waste energy, recycling and reusing it, the customer can significantly reduce its use of fossil fuels, and lower the amount of CO2 it produces.
A third example is Atlas Copco expanders and compressors specifically designed for liquifying hydrogen for its transportation. Like heat pumps, hydrogen technology can make a significant contribution to the reduction of CO2 emissions in industrial processes.
Capturing CO2 & pipeline transportation
With a reduction of the amount of CO2 produced, a next step is to look at how to capture CO2. This is particularly feasible in applications with high-purity CO2 streams, such as ethanol production. With no impurities in the stream, ethanol producers produce about 1 pound of CO2 for every pound of ethanol they produce. In truth, however, this is the low-hanging fruit.
At the other end of the scale is capturing gas from a coal-burning power plant. In the first phase, the gas has a lot of impurities and contains CO2, steam, sulphur oxides, and nitrogen oxides. The gas goes through various stages, such as sending it to either a scrubber unit or to a membrane system to remove impurities and moisture out of the gas.
After the purification process (when it should comply with pipeline specifications), the CO2 pressure level is increased to 2,000-3,000 psi to transport the gas down a pipeline, the most efficient way to transport gas over long distances. To facilitate this, Atlas Copco utilizes its integrally geared compressors to bring the gas up to a supercritical level. Once supercritical, the stream can continue compression while hot or cooled to a liquid phase, with high-pressure pumps generating the required pressure.
Once transported via pipelines, the CO2 has a number of applications: It serves as a valuable resource as a feedstock for producing plastics or chemicals, generating electrofuels (e-fuels), manufacturing fertilizers, or it can be sequestered underground.
Maintenance programs
A second key Cut the Carbon strategy highlighted at the symposium revolved around maintenance once Atlas Copco equipment has been commissioned: In short, what should customers do to ensure the process remains reliable, stable, and efficient?
Reliable, stable, and efficient processes are predicated on having good plant maintenance strategies. It's important for customers to maintain accurate records of operating conditions, while sampling and an understanding of the equipment are also key. Atlas Copco offers various training courses and routine maintenance plans, ranging from a basic non-invasive inspection to a complete overhaul, which allows field service technicians to get a complete assessment of the equipment. Within these maintenance plans, the company provides options for storage of capital spare parts, complete skids, sub-assemblies, and purge containers for the turbocompressor or turboexpander.
Customers nowadays take maintenance a bit more seriously and many have built their own internal maintenance departments. Partnering with Atlas Copco means working together in a proactive manner: As machines age and process conditions change over time, Atlas Copco’s aftermarket teams work with customers to assess the current process conditions and then evaluate the efficiency of the equipment.
Appreciating the importance of this “efficiency of the equipment” is central to understanding the value turbocompressors and turboexpanders can bring to the bottom line: a 10 or 15% increase in efficiency could yield hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy savings, which translates into productivity gains.
Atlas Copco Field Service Technician at Job Site
As the Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia in Turbomachinery International Q&A sessions showed, Atlas Copco Gas and Process is committed to helping customers Cut the Carbon. Based on decades of experience, the company has developed the technology and the innovations to meet customers’ sustainability challenge and reduce CO2 emissions.
Reducing and capturing CO2, aided by high-quality maintenance programs, all play significant roles in Cut the Carbon strategies.
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