The Norwegian technology center in Mongstada (TCM) (AspenONE Engineering)

For the last few years, during the actions directed to increase in payback of the enterprises of processing industries, technologies of catching and deduction of CO2 underwent significant changes. The experimental plants financed from means of the state and private organizations worldwide play an important role in development of programs of increase in production efficiency and providing compliance to regulatory requirements. The aspiration to reduce emissions of CO2 and to make this process more economic is the most relevant if producers want to reduce operating costs of the plant and to minimize influence of the enterprise on the environment.

One of stubborn tasks of the enterprise is search of a compromise between environment protection and commercial purposes of the company. Nevertheless, the companies can develop jointly technologies of low-carbohydrate production in the power industries and promote decrease in penalties concerning the volumes of the caught carbonic acid (CO2) imposed by state bodies. Cooperation between owners of the enterprises and producers of technologies contributes to the development of healthy competition among solution providers, and it is also efficiency factor for an initiative of reducing costs of energy and capital costs. Applying the innovative solutions on production and using "purer" technologies of processing of combustible materials, for example, technology of catching and storage of carbon (CCS/WUHU), the organizations can promote decrease in harmful impact of production on the environment. The more will be projects will show this approach commercially, the it is more than chances that the CCS/WUHU technology will become profitable.

Meeting difficulties

So far heads of the enterprises worry that effluent taxes will force the companies to revaluate the commercial strategy, it is worth thinking of what opportunities the CCS technology is capable to give also. If this technology is used as the industry standard, the enterprises should have an opportunity to profit from this. Storage of CO2 in itself rather expensive process if not to benefit from it. It can be reached, having resorted to the Tertiary method of oil production (EOR). EOR allows to use rather large number of CO2, besides this method already proved the viability and is applied worldwide. For example, the project Veyburn-Midale's Apaches and the Perm basin in the Southwest of the USA apply this technology already for years.

Such approach is very important for development of the industry in the long term. If just to store CO2 in the earth or to dissolve in the ocean, at the companies will almost not invest an incentive in money in new technologies, it will be simpler to them to pay the commission for non-compliance with the state regulations. There is a consensus that measures for reduction of emission of CO2 - rather progressive step and that interest in CCS technology increases worldwide. Technologists can reduce emissions of carbonic acid in the atmosphere in several ways:

• Production process conversion so that to reduce energy costs by production of necessary products;
• Increase in efficiency of all supply chain, in that case power consumption by all lifecycle of production will be reduced;
• Effective removal of CO2 from gaseous production wastes, and its transportation through the pipeline to storage location.

Thus, the enterprises can reduce risks and minimize costs on an object. Such tools for modeling of similar complex actions, for example, modeling of technology process and creating applications for optimization of a supply channel, are already everywhere used on a global scale

It is important for any company operating in the conditions of high costs that the technology for energy saving or the program for reduction of emissions of carbon brought benefit. While reduction of energy costs and increase in supply chain performance is a commercial incentive for adoption of CCS technology as the industry standard, for the enterprises this technology should have profitability upward potential. The bills regulating questions of emissions of CO2 still are at a development stage, but effects of implementation of a certain state policy and a condition in the industry will have a certain commercial effect in world oil market within long years. The European oil refineries face different difficulties, including decrease in regional demand for oil products and restrictions imposed on the enterprises of penalties for exceeding of quotas of emission of greenhouse gases. Many plants reside under threat to be sold or at all closed in connection with a situation in the market. If the European processing plants face the international competition or requirement to select between costs concerning emission of CO2 and a potential gross profit, there is a vozmzhnost of emergence of effect of "greenhouse migration".

On the other hand, Japan has long experience of legal regulation of questions of emission of carbon in the atmosphere. In 1997 the Japanese federation of a yuiznes (Japan Keidanren) developed and accepted "the Keydarnensky voluntary action plan on environment protection" (Keidanren Voluntary Action Plan on the Environment), the program of voluntary implementation of technologies for catching of carbon and corresponding adaptation of trade operations. Reduction of level of emission of carbon on 2010 up to one mark lower than a similar indicator of 1990 became a main goal of the plan, and participants of the Voluntary program set own regulations on emissions. The program was integrated into the Japanese voluntary system of trade in quotas for emissions in 2005, and then is expanded in October, 2008. China, however, was against severe measures on reduction of emission of CO2, and now sets regulatory policy taking into account a ratio of emissions of carbon to GDP unit.

Setting an example

The principle of knowledge sharing is very important for the program of demonstration of CCS that, in turn, it is directed to development acceleration technologists and cost reduction. Industry experience and knowledge gained in implementation of such projects helps to observe the correct balance between commercial benefit and ecological initiatives. However deeper understanding of CCS technology will help to gain trust of the international community, both from society, and from other companies.

Software implementation of aspenONE by the Technology center in Mongstada (further TCM) on the world's largest object can serve for testing and improvement of technologies for catching of a carbon dioxide gas as a good example of the project on use of CCS technologies. TCM uses Aspen Plus® and Aspen IP.21® for planning, verification and check of execution of testings and their results. Application of a product line of Aspen Plus and Aspen IP.21 in TCM proves that producers can reduce emission of a carbon dioxide gas, using the most economic solution, at the same time providing reduction of operating costs and decrease in negative impact on the environment.

TCM is owned by the Government of Norway and a number of the producers leading in the power industry. The main tasks of TCM are: 1) testing, check and demonstration of the technologies for catching of a carbon dioxide gas (CO2) offered by producers: 2) cost reduction, decrease in technical and financial risks, and also probabilities of emergence of the problems connected with environmental pollution; 3) development of technologies of catching of carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide gas), and 4) use of such technology in world scales.

Software of aspenONE allows the companies of processing industry to optimize the activity in the field of engineering facilities, industrial production and the organization of supply chains. As a result the leading producers have more opportunities for increase in volumes of the made products, increase in profit, decrease in operating costs and increase in energy efficiency. The leader in the market – the simulator of technology process Aspen Plus, one of components complex aspenONE Engineering software, helps engineers to simulate, trace and reduce emissions of CO2. It is software it is capable to find the solution for profitable use of greenhouse gases, thus to transform a problem of emission in a potentiality for business. As engineers face the accruing technical requirements, penalties on emission of gases and with increase in costs for industrial process, the plant can benefit from this, reducing energy consumption and costs for control of emissions, and also promoting development of an alternative fuel type on the basis of gases. For example, customers can use Aspen Plus for creation of advanced process models of catching of CO2 and processing of biofuel on condition of existence by the most complete database of physical entities. The improved modeling tools of use of aminosolvents allow to predict the processing process course more precisely. Using new Aspen Plus simulars, clients can upgrade the device of the production facilities and optimize them for use of energy and loading of carbon.

Software for management of energy and emissions of a carbon dioxide gas helps the companies to understand complexity of rational use of natural resources that plays an important role and contributes to long stable business development. According to the last report published by the international analytical agency Forrester Research in 2010, "About evolution of the software for management of energy and emissions of a carbon dioxide gas" (The Evolution Of Enterprise Carbon And Energy Management Software) concerning the volume of the world market of information and communication technologies category software is estimated at 395 billion. In the report it is established that key factors of market development of software are possibilities of cost reduction and increase in efficiency, i.e. reflects the fact that financially supported initiatives are more interesting to the companies. The fast payback – the most important factor for the enterprises buying software, and environmental friendliness of the solution is regarded as "an additional bonus".

Profitability

Still not clearly, how development of legislative regulation of emissions of CO2 and its influence on oil markets worldwide, including on oil-processing industry will continue. Because of legislative regulation of emissions of CO2 in different regions of costs of producers will probably increase. The European Union and the United States recognized need of observance of higher standards of energy efficiency without prejudice to competitiveness.

Observance of regulatory restrictions can mean implementation of new operational procedures for the companies that considerably will increase complexity of infrastructure of the organization. Software applications, thus, can help with determination of a sustainability strategy of the company and ensuring transparency concerning emissions of CO2. Capability measure energy consumption and the emissions of a carbon dioxide gas connected with it means that the enterprises can trace sustainability strategies in a material equivalent. The innovative approach used in the TCM center will also help the enterprises of processing industry to create cost-efficient methods of catching of carbon in extensive scales. It shows as production engineers can effectively model the systems of catching of carbon, forecasting and decrease in emissions using software for optimization of aspenON. The huge positive impact on production process and the environment became result. The profitability of the enterprises is caused also by development of effective management tools by energy consumption and emissions of CO2 which can be applied in further work of the enterprise and organization of a supply chain.

The companies with accurately structured strategy of improvement of processes of management of energy consumption and emissions of CO2 will be able to optimize the assets, to reduce emissions of a carbon dioxide gas and to conform to regulatory requirements of the state and the industry. By means of advanced technologies, initiatives of catching of carbon play an important role in demonstration of ecological benefit and economic feasibility for manufacturing industry.