Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

2023

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Todd Letcher

Keywords

Carbon capture and storage, Carbon dioxide transport, Carbon dioxide utilization, Economic evaluation, Enhanced oil recovery, Ethanol production

Abstract

Since the Industrial Revolution, anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have spiked dramatically, prompting discussions on climate change. Mitigating climate change requires significant reductions in global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as CO2 is the most abundant anthropogenic GHG. A process that assists in offsetting the exponential growth in CO2 emissions is carbon capture and storage (CCS). Integrating carbon capture technology into the ethanol industry can provide an economically feasible way to achieve net reductions in CO2 emissions. The proposed work investigates the economic viability of applying CCS technologies to the 16 ethanol facilities in South Dakota (SD) and quantifies the potential reduction in CO2 emissions for the state. A pipeline network is developed within the state, transporting the congregated CO2 to the oil fields in Harding County, SD. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is examined as a storage option as this method provides additional revenue to the CCS operation and creates a more economically feasible option. Sensitivity analyses are performed to evaluate the impact of variations in performance parameters on the system. Results from this study show a positive net present value (NPV) for each CO2-EOR scenario; hence, a CCS operation in SD can be economically viable when combined with the ethanol industry, and the financial benefits from EOR and tax credits are considered. Sensitivity studies show NPV is highly sensitive to oil price and oil recovery rates. Additionally, the modeled CCS system can geologically store 50.44 million MtCO2 in the Harding County oil fields. Thus, over the simulated storage period, 50.44 million MtCO2 are put to beneficial use and prevented from entering the atmosphere.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Ethanol fuel industry -- South Dakota.
Carbon dioxide mitigation -- Economic aspects.
Carbon sequestration -- Economic aspects.
Climate change mitigation.
Carbon dioxide -- Physiological transport.

Number of Pages

163

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright