From carbon management strategies to implementation: Modeling and physical simulation of CO2 pipeline infrastructure -- a case study for Germany

TL;DR

This paper introduces an integrated approach combining energy scenarios and physical simulation to design feasible CO2 pipeline networks, demonstrated through a detailed case study of Germany's infrastructure planning for 2045.

Contribution

It develops a reproducible framework for pipeline network design that accounts for physical, economic, and geographic factors, aiding large-scale CCUS infrastructure planning.

Findings

Approximately 7000 km of pipeline is feasible for Germany's CO2 transport needs.

Estimated investment costs for the pipeline system are around 17 billion Euros.

The method successfully determines pipeline diameters, pump locations, and operating conditions for stable dense-phase CO2 transport.

Abstract

Carbon capture and storage or utilization (CCUS) will play an important role to achieve climate neutrality in many economies. Pipelines are widely regarded as the most efficient means of CO2 transport; however, they are currently non-existent. Policy-makers and companies need to develop large-scale infrastructure under substantial uncertainty. Methods and analyses are needed to support pipeline planning and strategy development. This paper presents an integrated method for designing CO2 pipeline networks by combining energy system scenarios with physical network simulation. Using Germany as a case study in a projection to the year 2045, we derive spatially highly resolved CO2 balances to develop a dense-phase CO2 pipeline topology that follows existing gas pipeline corridors. The analyzed system includes existing sites for cement and lime production, waste incineration, carbon users, four coastal CO2 hubs, and border crossing points. We then apply the multiphysical network simulator MYNTS to assess the technical feasibility of this network. We determine pipeline diameters, pump locations, and operating conditions that ensure stable dense-phase transport. The method explicitly accounts for elevation and possible impurities.The results indicate that a system of about 7000 km pipeline length and a mixed normed diameter of DN700 on main corridors and of DN500/DN400 on branches presents a feasible solution to connect most sites. Investment costs for the optimized pipeline system are calculated to be about 17 billion Euros. The method provides a reproducible framework and is transferable to other countries and to European scope.