VALVE LUBRICANTS FOR CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE OPERATIONS

Understanding how Valve Lubricant 601 behaves when mixed with Supercritical CO2

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO₂) and storing it where it will not enter the atmosphere. The aim is to prevent the release of large quantities of CO₂ into the atmosphere to help reduce the impact of heavy industry processes on the environment and limit climate change. With an increased focus and need to limit our carbon footprint, the Carbon Capture and Storage market is expected to increase significantly over the coming years.

These storage areas are normally in underground geological formulations and require injecting liquified or supercritical CO₂ into the reservoir, either as part of an Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technique, or simply to just store it in the rock formation to prevent release into the atmosphere.

Injecting liquified or supercritical CO₂ into reservoirs poses certain challenges to the equipment involved, not least the valves on the Injection Christmas trees and the valve lubricants used in them. It is paramount to ensure that the valve grease used in these API 6A gate valves is not freely miscible with the CO₂ fluid so that it keeps its grease-like properties and is retained in the valve cavity to ensure long lasting protection of the valve internal components.

RS Clare teamed up with Schlumberger and a prominent IOC (International Oil Company) to conduct a detailed analysis on Valve Lubricant 601^TM and how it behaves when mixed with Supercritical CO₂.

OPERATING TEMPERATURES & PRESSURES

Understanding how Valve Lubricant 601 behaves when mixed with Supercritical CO2

The operating pressures and temperatures used in the analysis were specific to the carbon capture and storage project being carried out by the operator (2500 psi and 120°C). The graph below shows the amount of CO₂ absorbed by the Valve Lubricant 601^TM base fluid at 120°C (operating temperature) at varying pressures. At 2500 psi (operating pressure) only 5.4% of the supercritical CO₂ is absorbed by the base fluid, meaning that it is not freely miscible/does not form a supercritical fluid with the CO₂.

At 5.4% CO₂ absorption, Valve lubricant 601^TM retains approximately 70% of its viscosity, meaning the lubricant will remain grease-like and be retained in the valve cavity.

If an operator was to use a valve grease that was not as stable in these conditions, and the CO₂ absorption rate was higher, then it would dilute the grease to the point where much more of its viscosity is lost. This would result in the grease more freely flowing out of the valve cavity causing potential problems downhole blocking up in the formation, and leaving the valve unprotected and exposed to wear on the gates and seats and corrosion. If the grease did form a supercritical fluid with the CO₂, it could potentially strip the grease of the base oil and leave behind the grease thickener and solids, causing drying out and hardening of the grease and possible valve actuation issues.

This lab analysis together with a long history of Valve Lubricant 601 being used in CO₂ injector trees gives service companies and operators confidence that their valves will be fully protected when using Valve Lubricant 601^TM.

Our Leading Oil & Gas Lubrication Solution

Long-Term Performance & Cost Savings

EXPERT VIEW

Download Our Oil & Gas Lubricants Brochure

Our range of advanced lubricants for the Oil and Gas industry have been proven to deliver increased valve integrity, enhanced functionality and a more cost effective operation for our customers around the globe.

Explore our full range of premium oil and gas lubricants and sealants in our Oil and Gas brochure.

Case Studies

Read some of our latest case studies to find out more about how we have helped solve valve integrity issues to deliver well integrity for our customers in some of the most challenging service conditions throughout the world.

VALVE SEALANT 701 RESTORES WELL INTEGRITY TO ENABLE VALVE REPLACEMENT FOR XMAS TREE WING VALVE

VALVE LUBRICANT 601’S EXCELLENT CAVITY RETENTION EXTENDS GREASING INTERVALS TO EVERY 12 MONTHS

Multiple Passing Valves Sealed After Injection of Valve Lubricant 601 for ADCO, BAB Field - Abu Dhabi

MULTIPLE PASSING VALVES SEALED AFTER INJECTION OF VALVE LUBRICANT 601^TM FOR ADCO, BAB FIELD – ABU DHABI

CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE TO SEAL ALL LEAKING GATE VALVES FOR ADCO NORTH EAST BAB (NEB) FIELD – ABU DHABI

DID YOU KNOW?

VALVE LUBRICANT 601^TM IS RECOMMENDED FOR BOTH GATE VALVES AND PLUG VALVES

Name*
Email Address*
Telephone Number
Job Title
Company*
Country*
Company Type
Your Enquiry*
Contact Permission*
We'd like to send you technical information, promotional information and the latest news from RS Clare by email. We'll always treat your personal details with the utmost care and will never share this information with other companies.
- Yes please, I'd like to receive technical information, promotional content and your latest news.
- No thanks, I don't want to receive technical information, promotional content or your latest news.
Email
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Agents & Distributors

All
Marine
Rail
All Agents & Distributors

All
Marine
Rail
All Agents & Distributors