The European Union has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Investments in renewable energy are not enough, so other measures are also being taken. The implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies by various industrial sectors offers great opportunities. CCS is the ENCASE consortium’s area of research.

Infrastructure and knowledge

The aim of research institutions, CCS infrastructure operators, the scientific community and small and medium-sized enterprises is to transport carbon dioxide and inject it underground in a safer, more cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.

The main task of the project is the continuous improvement of CCS-related research infrastructures. They are intended to provide the basis for further research and technological development within seven of the world's leading centres equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, tools and methods.

Working together to develop the technology will increase the capacity of the infrastructure, improve the competences of staff and enable research institutions to address key gaps in their information.

The project's data will raise awareness in both the industry and academia, contributing to the development of innovative companies and the training of future CCS personnel.

There are also plans to run social innovation labs and initiatives involving different partners to address the specific needs of local communities.

The research infrastructure will be available to industry and small and medium-sized enterprises, facilitating the prototyping of new equipment and technologies to monitor, control and forecast carbon dioxide fluxes and pollutants. 

Contribution of WUT scientists

As part of the project, a team from the Warsaw University of Technology will perform two tasks. The first is the development of a numerical model and a simulation tool for the hydraulic modelling of the pipeline network of carbon dioxide-pollutant mixtures.

– This will allow us to track the composition of mixtures and conduct an analysis of the model's sensitivity to changes in the thermodynamic properties and transport parameters of mixtures – says Prof. Maciej Chaczykowski.

Prof. Chaczykowski, who is a scientist from the Division of Gas and Heating Systems at the Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering will manage the work at our university.

– In the second task, we are developing and verifying a numerical model of multiphase carbon dioxide flow with pollutants in pipelines. Particular emphasis is placed on the simulation of emergency scenarios – adds Prof. Maciej Chaczykowski.

The international ENCASE consortium consists of 20 partners from 6 countries: Institute for Energy Technology; OTECHOS; CIGNUS; EQUINOR; SLB (Norway); Delft University of Technology; SHELL; EBN; TNO (Netherlands); University College London; The Open University; OGM; TUV; BP (United Kingdom); University of Technology of Compiègne; The French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks – INERIS (France); Politecnico di Milano; Laboratorio Energia & Ambiente Piacenza – LEAP; Alpha Consult; Greentech (Italy); Warsaw University of Technology (Poland).

You can find more information about the "European Network of Research Infrastructures for CO2 Transport and Injection (ENCASE)" project on: www.encase-eu.com.