Mitigating global warming and reducing CO2 emissions from the environment necessitates the implementation of carbon capture, sequestration, and storage (CCS) as an immediate and feasible solution. Amines are widely employed to capture CO2 gas from industrial exhaust streams. To enhance the cost-effectiveness of amine services, the incorporation of glass-reinforced plastic material holds immense potential for substantial cost benefits. The primary aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of utilizing glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) as a construction material for vessels, piping, and ducting in the cold section of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) system. The research examined the potential of completely replacing metallic equipment and piping (such as carbon steel (CS), stainless steel (SS) or SS cladded CS) with GRP materials. The investigation revealed that complete substitution of GRP for certain CO2 service components, including the scrubber, pre-scrubber, tanks, piping, and ducting, may be feasible under specific process conditions. These process conditions encompassed temperatures below 100°C, pressures below 10 bar for piping, and pressures below 0.2 bar for the remaining components. Two fabrication methods, filament winding and contact molding, were employed throughout the design calculations and utilizing corresponding material properties. A chemical compatibility study by Shell, presented at the 2023 AMPP conference and expo (Paper # AMPP-2023-18832), confirmed that the selected resins used to prepare the GRP material are chemically compatible with the commercial amine formulation used for CO2 capturing at the same application limit identified for the present work. The study unequivocally confirmed that glass-reinforced plastic can be incorporated with confidence, adhering to the safety limits prescribed by international standards. This resounding validation strengthens the viability and applicability of GRP in the given context, bolstering its position as a reliable and suitable construction material.
