Consequence of high-pressure CO2 pipeline failure: Full-scale burst test and numerical simulation

Abstract

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a widely acknowledged technique for mitigating global warming. High-pressure pipelines emerge as the most efficient and economical means to transport Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) from source to storage sites. Given the hazardous nature of CO₂ and the potential for catastrophic consequences in an unplanned release, ensuring safe operation of CO₂ pipelines is paramount. This necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the potential consequences of CO₂ pipeline failures. This paper presents experimental measurements of CO₂ dispersion profiles following a full-scale burst test, simulating a real-world CO₂ pipeline failure scenario. The experimental setup comprised an 82.7 m buried pipeline test section with a diameter of 324 mm, connected at both ends to 60 m reservoirs. The rupture of the pipeline was initiated at the middle of the test section using an explosive charge. Measurements were carried out for the transient downwind CO₂ concentrations and temperatures following the explosive release. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models employing proposed numerical methods were used to simulate the experimental scenario. The performance of these methods was validated through comparisons with experimental measurements. The validated numerical methods were then employed to predict consequence distances for full-scale CO₂ pipeline failures in real-world scenarios.