Central Texas Pipeline for Gaseous CO2 is Approved in Record Time

Date Installed:
July 2022

Location & Region:
U.S. Texas

Product Used:
6-inch, 1500 PSI

Application:
CO₂ Gathering Line

Project Overview 

In Bowie, Texas, an Operator needed to transport gaseous CO2 from four facilities to a single off-site Class II injection well while utilizing an existing natural gas pipeline right of way. 

FlexSteel 6-1500 Line Pipe benefitted the Operator by: 

  • Eliminating corrosion 

  • Minimizing excavation requirements 

  • Rapidly increasing installation speed 

  • Greatly improving safety and quality for construction crews 

Key Points: 

  • CO2 injected at off-site Class II injection well 

  • Project sequestered 180,000 mT of CO2 

  • Project approved by Texas RRC and US EPA 

  • Project approved, installed, and commissioned within 6 months 

The Challenge

A major upstream oil and gas operator sought to offset its carbon footprint by developing a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project in central Texas. Gathering from four production facilities, the project would capture and inject up to 12 million standard cubic feet per day of acid gas waste. These facilities would gather produced gas from approximately 1,100 wells and separate valuable hydrocarbons from the gaseous waste, composed primarily of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide. 

As part of the system design, the operator wanted a reliable pipeline solution which would provide both commercial and technical benefit during the installation and operation of the pipeline. The expansive nature of the project would require approximately 36-miles of pipeline materials which would need to be treated against common corrosive mechanisms of this acid gas waste. Finally, the operator had to navigate multiple routing and permitting challenges along the proposed right-of-way. 

The Solution

After considering various pipeline material options, the operator chose FlexSteel 6-inch 1500 psi line pipe. Given the highly corrosive nature of the proposed gas stream, extensive efforts would be needed to ensure metallic pipeline materials were properly protected. Further, various permitting challenges for new lay steel would incur significant time and capital costs, threatening the viability of the project. As a core customer of FlexSteel pipe, the Operator was confident and comfortable in the use of FlexSteel pipe for this high-profile application. Furthermore, the ability for rapid pipeline installation via pipe-in-pipe methodologies greatly improved the project’s budget and timeline. 

The Result

Beginning at opposite ends of the 36-mile route, the Operator orchestrated simultaneous installation of FlexSteel 6-1500 pipe via pipe-in-pipe rehabilitation and traditional trench lay. In total, 6-miles of the project route were installed via insertion into an existing 12-inch carbon steel line. Pulling an average length of 2,275 feet each time, the near 30,000 feet of FlexSteel pipe was installed within 10 days. Averaging approximately 30 linear feet of excavation per bell hole, the 6-miles of 6-1500 pipe was installed requiring only 500 feet of surface disturbance. 

Within one month of construction, the entire 36-mile route was installed, ShieldSure ® annulus tested, and commissioned. Despite the economic benefits of operating the CO2 in dense phase, the Operator elected to remain in gas phase, eliminating an estimated cumulative 40 months of project permitting. The vast majority of this accelerated timeline resulted from the benefits of utilizing a Class II injection well (3.5 months) rather than a Class VI permit (36 months). In 2022, the aggregate total reportable greenhouse gas emissions from all four amine separation facilities were approximately 180,000 metric tons of CO2. In 2024, the Operator received approval from the United States EPA for their Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Plan for this project, officially commencing capitalization of the sequestered CO2. The Operator remains a steadfast proponent of the various benefits of FlexSteel pipe and has extensively utilized pipe-in-pipe methodology for installations around the country.