DNV and Equinor to develop CCS safety software

DNV and Equinor are to work together over the next three years to further develop DNV’s KFX CO₂ computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation software that aims to improve carbon capture and storage (CCS) project safety.  

CCS technologies are expected to play an increasingly important role on the road to net zero and, according to the partnership, there is a need for tools that simulate what actually happens if accidents occur. This is used as basis for design and to mitigate consequences in the event of accidental release.

The KFX CO₂ software simulates accidental releases of CO₂ from storage facilities or leaks from pipelines, trucks or ships. CO₂ is usually transported and stored in liquid or supercritical state. It is much heavier than air and a release of concentrated CO₂ will therefore typically follow the contours of the terrain and accumulate in pits, valleys and lower-lying ground. The software will take complex thermodynamics and interaction between geometry and terrain into account, including dry-ice formation and sublimation of CO₂, and will support a new level of safety for handling captured CO₂.