TIEEP Energy Forum at 2021 AIChE SPTC
Introduction: The material here was presented at the Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization Session/TIEEP Energy Forum at the AIChE Southwest Process Technology Conference, Thursday morning, September 30, 2021.
Forum Overview: Decarbonization is an important challenge facing industry. Producing the products that society needs while emitting less carbon dioxide to atmosphere will take effort, commitment, and doing things in new or different ways. This session explores this topic from several different perspectives, including design, operations, carbon free power production, and low carbon hydrogen production.
KEYNOTE: Houston - The Low-Carbon Capital of the World
Keynote Speaker: Charles McConnell, University of Houston
Houston’s status as the Energy Capital of the World is well-established, and solidly founded on the extensive oil and gas industry that has long been a driving force in the city and the region. However, as the drive to decarbonize takes shape, the extensive infrastructure within the Greater Houston Area and beyond provides a unique opportunity for creative transformations. Analysis by a team from the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business – Gutierrez Energy Management Institute, the Center for Houston’s Future (CHF), and UH Energy outlines four areas in which the Houston region can lead the global energy transition: carbon capture, utilization and storage; hydrogen; decarbonizing the electricity grid; and the circular economy/plastics recycling. This talk provides an overview of the opportunity that stands before us to thrive through the energy transition.
Segment AssetsAn Overview of Pathways to Decarbonization
Guest Speaker: John (Jack) Buehler, Shell
Jack noted that energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way to decarbonize industrial processes, but it is not sufficient. A wide range of other options are either available or under development. These include electrification using renewable energy, low carbon hydrogen, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), biofuels, and nuclear energy. He also noted that because of Scope 3 emissions (i.e., emissions from the use of products), many oil & gas companies are transitioning to selling fuels with low carbon intensity, and petrochemical companies are transitioning to renewable feedstocks and increasing the recycle of waste plastics (“the circular economy”).
Segment AssetsDecarbonization: Challenges and Needs
Guest Speaker: Daniela Ferrari, The Dow Chemical Company
Daniela explained how The Dow Chemical Company is applying many of the techniques and technologies that Jack described within their facilities. She also singled out a couple of proprietary technologies that Dow has developed to reduce GHG emissions: fluidized catalytic dehydrogenation technology (FCDh) for on-purpose propylene, and electric cracking (together with Shell) for olefin production.
Small Modular Nuclear Reactors for Process Applications
Guest Speaker: Lorena Sullivan, Fluor
NuScale’s 77 MWe nuclear power modules are tiny compared to the South Texas Project Electric Generating Station, with its 3 GW+ capacity. However, modules can be combined to increase power output, and small modular reactors (SMRs) offer a promising new future for scalable nuclear power, which could have direct applications in the process industries. Lorena noted that the advantages include flexibility in size, cost, operational flexibility, resiliency, and unparalleled safety case. NuScale received standard design approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in September 2020.
Segment AssetsThere Is No C in Hydrogen: Low Carbon Footprint Hydrogen Production
Guest Speaker: Matt Reisdorf, Fluor
While hydrogen (H2) contains no carbon, the methods most commonly used to produce it do release large quantities of carbon dioxide. The most common approaches to decarbonizing hydrogen production are carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS – making so-called “blue” hydrogen), and electrolysis with renewable energy (so-called “green hydrogen”). Matt discussed the technologies, costs, applications and limitations of the various options, and the potential for hydrogen as a vehicle for industrial decarbonization.
Segment Assets