This said TCM’s Managing Director, Muhammad Ismail Shah, at the CLIMIT Summit conference in Larvik on Tuesday 7 February. The CLIMIT Programme is Norway’s national programme for research, development and demonstration of CO2 capture and storage technology (CCS). The programme is directed towards companies, research institutes and academia. 250 participants took part at the CLIMIT Summit where TCM’s Managing Director was invited to tell about the company’s different activities in the field of carbon capture. 

 

22 test campaigns over the years

Since the start in 2012, TCM has performed 18 test campaigns at the three test sites, and a further four are to be carried out this year. This week Shell Catalysts & Technologies has started its third campaign at the amine plant. The company offers two leading carbon capture technologies; The CANSOLV CO₂ Capture System and ADIP ULTRA. The test at TCM will involve a proprietary amine-based solvent that is part of the CANSOLV CO₂ technology. It is expected that this will be then qualified for delivery to carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects around the world. Technology from Shell has been choosen by Hafslund Oslo Celsio for their capture project at Klemetsrud in Oslo, which is part of the Norwegian Longship project.

Three more campaigns to come

At the CLIMIT Summit Muhammad Ismail Shah said that three other technologies are planned to be tested at TCM this year, respectively two projects financed by the EU and one developed by American InnoSepra.

– The level of activity is very high, and we also receive more and more inquires from companies asking for assistance in their planning of full-scale carbon capture projects, Shah said.

Helping to become smart buyer of technology

TCM’s Advisory Services, which started in 2019, is providing assistance to project owners and technology developers based on TCM’s non-proprietary know-how and learnings.

­– The objective here is to support in successful deployment of CCS technology. The role of TCM is to enable the customer to ask the right and smart questions and make them able to select a suitable technology. However, TCM does not select technology for them, he emphasized.

Advice on technical issues

Some of these questions could be, to help the customer understand its flue gas characteristics to the ppm and sub ppm level, and mitigate any adverse effects of it on the solvent, operation, corrosion, degradation and its compliance with a emission permit and general HSE.

– Another example could be helping the customer in identifying the right and representative KPIs and helping in setting up a performance test. It could also be providing guidelines and recommendations for establishing emission permit and sharing TCM experience in identification, quantification, and operation of measurement instruments. We have over the years developed both online and extractive sampling and analysis methods and instruments with leading R&D, such as the University of Oslo and SINTEF, to demonstrate this, Shah said at the CLIMIT Summit.

“I was very happy to be part of a test campaign evaluating the limitations of CO₂ capture plant dispatchable/dynamic operation. This understanding will be an important factor for deployment of commercial CO₂ capture projects,” says Matthew Campbell, Technology Manager at TCM.

TCM would like to thank Imperial College London, SSE plc and Net Zero Teesside for their major contributions and TCM’s opportunity to co-author on this paper.

Link to paper (ssrn)

Shell Catalysts & Technologies offers two leading carbon capture technologies: The CANSOLV CO₂ Capture System and ADIP ULTRA. The test at TCM will involve a proprietary amine-based solvent that is part of the CANSOLV CO₂ technology. It is expected that this will be then qualified for delivery to carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects around the world.

Shell Catalysts & Technologies has previously carried out two test campaigns at TCM, in 2014–15 and 2016. One of its technologies has been chosen for Hafslund Oslo Celsio’s full-scale capture plant at Klemetsrud, Oslo, Norway. This project is part of the large Norwegian full-chain CCS project named Longship and, following the planned start-up in 2026, 400,000 tons of CO₂ emitted by Celsio each year will be captured and permanently stored in the Norwegian shelf.

Nick Flinn, VP Decarbonization Technologies, Shell Catalysts & Technologies, says, “We are very pleased to continue using TCM’s excellent facilities and expertise. The purpose of the next campaign is to make a final test and verification of this upgraded solvent that will be introduced to the market.”

A contribution to realizing carbon neutrality

Nick emphasizes that Shell is strengthening its efforts in the energy transition field to help realize a carbon-neutral world on a global scale. He says, “For many years, Shell has strived to minimize CO₂ emissions utilizing its cutting-edge technologies. Today, we possess reliable and economically feasible carbon-capture technologies, supported by many years of research and development activity, and a robust track record of commercial plants around the world.”

Nick continues, “TCM’s abundant knowledge and experience in environmental impact assessment, and its state-of-the-art testing environment, will further raise the level of our CO₂ capture technologies, enabling us to accelerate business expansion, especially in the vital UK and European markets. We expect that the new testing programmed will contribute to realizing carbon neutrality in the years ahead.”

TCM relevant for many years to come

Muhammad Ismail Shah, Managing Director at TCM, also welcomes the collaboration. He says, “It is very satisfying that a leading capture technology developer such as Shell Catalysts & Technologies has, again, chosen TCM as the arena for its carbon capture tests. Our staff are ready to ensure effective execution of the tests, and to provide expert advice throughout the campaign.”

Muhammad highlights the importance of an experienced capture technology supplier returning to TCM to run a campaign: “This shows that even the mature amine technology is still developing, and that suppliers are continuously making improvements and innovations to have better efficiency and to reduce costs when using the technology in a full-scale plant. Based on this, we believe that TCM will be relevant as an arena for testing both mature and completely new technologies for many years to come.”

“We will now make all necessary preparations for the upcoming campaign for Shell and look forward to welcoming their team,” Muhammad concludes.

The statement belongs to Philip Loldrup Fosbøl, Associate Professor in chemical and biochemical engineering at Danish Technical University (DTU). As a researcher, he has worked together with TCM for several years. But last week he took part in a delegation of 47 compatriots who visited Norway to familiarize themselves with the Norwegian investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a tool in the climate battle. The represented both energy authorities, the employer’s organization Danish Industry, a number of interest organizations and NGOs, as well as many from both large and slightly smaller businesses with varying degrees of commitment within CCS. The program consisted of a meeting day in Oslo with presentations from the Norwegian authorities and industry actors with a focus on the Longship project, and then travel to Bergen with presentations and site tours at TCM at Mongstad and Northern Lights in Øygarden.

Success with cooperation between industry players

– What has been succesful in Norway is to create an understanding of the need for cooperation between heavy industry players in order to succeed with CCS, beacuse the challenges are so great. Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, all being owners in both TCM and the Northern Lights project, are good examples of that. In Denmark, investment in CCS has so far been based on competition between the actors with moderate initiatives and participation from state authorities. This is in contrast to, for example, investments and operation of our test center for wind farms, which is financed through the collection of green fees.

Philip Loldrup Fosbøl nevertheless sees obvious opportunities for cooperation between Denmark and Norway on CCS. – The storage capacity Norway offers thorugh Northern Lights will be interesting for industry with large point emissions of CO₂ both in Denmark and a number of other countries in Europe. In a longer term, I believe that Danish technology developers will also be able to contribute with good solutions for use both in capture facilities and in connection with the transport of CO₂.

Reduces costs after testing at TCM

High costs are an ever-recurring theme for carbon capture and storage with today’s technology.

– We have to acknowledge that, in the same ways as when planning and designing new wind farms or power plants that are necessary to take civilization to the green shift. But when we were presented in Oslo with the plans for capturing CO₂ at Hafslund Oslo Celsio and at Heidelberg Materials’s cement factory in Brevik, I was confirmed how incredibly important TCM has been as a knowledge arena and tool for the industry to optimize costs for investments and operation of the capture facilities. I believe it has been absolutely crucial that they have had TCM to carry out tests and make improvements to the technologies chosen for these projects.

Fosbøl also highlights the importance TCM has had and continues to have as a mediator of knowledge to the CCS community globally about, among other things, results from the non-proprietary test campaigns at Mongstad. He believes that the Norwegian state and the industrial owners should join forces to continue the business when the current operating period expires in 2023.

– It normally takes five to seven years for an innovation-driven business to build up the expertise it needs, and you only become really good in your field after ten years have passed. That’s where TCM is now, with a record of a total of 18 completed test campaigns for technology developers as well as the open, research-based campaigns, and an organization that is well-trimmed for new tasks.

Amine technology must be constantly improved

Fosbøl believes that the mature amine technology will be dominant in the CCS market for at least 20 years, before it is possibly replaced by new and more cost-effective technologies.

– But it is with the amine-based technologies as eith the electric car; models will continue to be developed with solutions that have better performance and qualities than the one that was last launched. For this, the industry needs TCM as an arena, because no one else can offer similiar test facilities. The same of course applies to developers of new trapping technologies based on completely differnt principles, because TCM possesses unique expertise and has arranged for testing of these as well. In other words, TCM has big tasks ahead – and I look forward to following the business for many years to come, says Philip Loldrup Fosbøl.

 

Shah was invited to present innovation in carbon capture and storage (CCS) during the Net Zero Markets session. He used the opprtunity both to inform about the signficance of ten years of testing and verification at Mongstad, and about the status of realizing full-scale capture and storage both in Norway and internationally.

Shah began by telling about the background to why he, as an immmigrant from Pakistan, now is the leader of the world’s largest and most flexible centre for testing and verifying technologies for capturing CO₂. After taking a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in Peshawar, he traveled to Denmark where he took a master’s degree in oil and gas engineering at the University of Aalborg in 2008. Already as a student he became interested in climate technology and got his first job in the Norwegian company Xynergo, which belongs to Norske Skog. There he worked on projects for converting biomass into fuel. In 2011, the road went to Gassnova, which is the main owner of TCM, as an adviser in the technology area. In 2016, Shah was offered a job at TCM, and moved west with his family. Before he took over as Managing Director in January this year, he was TCM’s Technology Manager for two years.

17 test campaigns since inception

– At TCM, since opening in 2012, we have carried out 17 test campaigns for technology companies and research-related institutions, Shah said. Aker built the amine plant and was the first company to test its technology at the plant in 2013. There was then great uncertainty as to whether the tecnology worked as expected. However, this was tested and documented.

– The fact that Aker, in competition with several other companies, has been chosen as the technology supplier for the capture of CO₂ at Heidelberg Materials’s cement factory in Brevik is not only a feather in the cap for Aker, but also for TCM. At this facility, from 2024 onwards, 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ will be captured annually, and thereafter be transported to Northern Lights’ reception facility in Øygarden and stored in a reservoir under the seabed in the North Sea.

 

Testing at TCM important for Longship

This project is part of Longship – which is the largest industrial venture in Norway in recent times, financed by the Norwegian state and industrial players. Longship also includes capture of CO₂ in connection with Celsio at Klemetsrud, Oslo. In this project, which will start in 2026, capture technology developed by Shell Cansolv will be used.

– Shell Cansolv tested the technology in two rounds with us at Mongstad in 2014 – 2016. In other words, test programs at TCM have been of vital importance for the development of the Norwegian flagship for capturing and storing CO₂, Shah emphasized.

The TCM Manager also mentioned that the Norwegian investment in building a CCS industry is making its mark internationally, exemplified by, among other things, the fact that Aker is now building a compact capture plant in the Netherlands with the capacity to capture 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. – The exciting thing about this project is that the catch will be used in production in local green houses, to replace fossil CO₂. The realization of a project that uses CO₂ capture in this way is both innovative and important.

Muhammad Ismail Shah made no secret of the fact that the construction of the test centre at Mongstad was expensive, but he is convinced that both Norway and the CCS industry internationally have received  value for the money. – TCM has been a gift to the world, he maintained – and justified the claim by, among other thngs, referring to the good cooperation TCM has with authorities, research institutions and technology suppliers in the USA.

Close cooperation with the USA

– One of the first to visit Mongstad during the construction of TCM was the then energy minister Steven Chu. Already in 2009, a bilateral agreement (MoU) was concluded between Norway and the USA, where carbon capture and storage was highlighted as an area for joint efforts and cooperation. Since then, a number of American companies have come to Mongstad to test their technologies, and have benefited from the expertise we have made available.

In addition to two facilities for testing conventional capture technologies, TCM has also established a separate area for testing new and less mature technologies. Shah pointed out that two American companies, TDA Research and Membrane Technology Research, have already carried out successful test campaigns, and that more want to do the same. In June, a large delegaton from the USA visited Mongstad to summarize experiences and discuss further cooperation.

The costs of capturing CO₂ must be lower

The TCM Manager concluded his lecture by emphasizing that testing of capture technologies at Mongstad has been crucial in bringing forward technologies that can contribute to a reduction in climate emissions. – But neither we nor the growing CCS industry are on target. Our common challenge and task is to further reduce the costs of capturing CO₂. We can achieve this together with the industry through continous investment in innovation, development and verification of various technologies.

– It is great that we once again can again meet our good partners in the USA physically at this arena, says Managing Director Muhammad Ismail Shah. TCM is represented at the conference by Head of Business Development, Freddy Garcia, and Acting Technology Manager, Matthew Campbell.

The Pittsburgh conference is organized by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), https://netl.doe.gov/, which, on behalf of the US Department of Energy (DoE), works to stimulate research and development of measures that contribute to a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases, including the capture and storage of CO₂. The DoE has participated in fundng a number of test campaigns at Mongstad, most recently for RTI International which will end its six-month campaign with a new solvent next month, read https://tcmda.com/rti-is-testing-at-tcm-so-far-so-good/.

An arena for exchange of experiences

At the conference, everything that can crawl and go by expertise in climate technology in the USA as well as other parts of the world meets to exchange experiences. – Capture and storage of CO₂ (CCS) is one of several topics that will be highlighted. From TCM we are using the opportunity to inform the participants about the measures and the leadership Norwegian industry, in collaboration with the authorities, is taking to realize full-scale capture and storage. Longship is the biggest climate project in Norway, Shah emphasizes.

– For TCM, it is also important to talk about the opportunities we offer for testing and verification of both mature and new technologies. Here we get good help from representatives from American companies who have been at Mongstad, and who can elaborate on their experiences with testing at the amine plant and in the test area for new technologies – and the assistance TCM has been able to provide. TCM enjoys great recognition internationally, but it is important for us to constantly reach out with our offers and advantages to new companies and people working on the development of CCS technology.

A gigantic CCS project

In the presentation of Longship at the conference, TCM emphasizes that the transport and storage part of the project, Northern Lights, will benefit various industries throughout Europe. – Reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases is necessary in all sectors for Europe to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. CCS technology is a tool that makes it possible to maintain acitivity and jobs in industries with high emissions.

 

Shah points out that the Norwegian oil and gas industry has been capturing and storing CO₂ for more than 25 years. At the Sleipner field, more than 1 million tonnes of CO₂ is separated from natural gas and stored annually. Similiary, at Snøhvit, since 2008, up to 700,000 tonnes have been stored annually. Transport of CO₂ to the European continent has taken place for several years and is used in the food industry.

The Longship project includes the construction of a large capture facility at Heidelberg Materials’s cement factory in Brevik and one adjacent to the waste management facility at Klemetsrud in Oslo – with transport of liquid on purpose-built ships to the reception facility in Øygarden – and then storage in a reservoir under the seabed in the North Sea. From 2024, Northern Lights will have the capacity to store 1.5 million tonnes CO₂ annually, and in the next phase 5 – 7 million tonnes.

Longship will provide valuable learning

– An important goal of Longship is to demonstrate safe and feasible handling of CO₂. The project will involve a lot of learning and enable cost reductions for subsequent projects, by sharing knowledge both domestically and abroad. For TCM’s part, we see significant tasks in contributng with our expertise for the successful implementation of Longship and projets in the same category that are being planned in several European countries, says Muhammad ismail Shah.

Shah succeeds Robert Henricks, who has been acting Managing Director since September 2021.

– We are happy that Shah has agreed to lead TCM. He has solid professional background and broad experience from leading demanding projects with CO₂ capture, says Chairman of TCM’s Company Meeting, Svein Ingar Semb. Semb represents Gassnova SF, which on behalf of the Norwegian state has a stake in TCM of 73.9 percent. Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies are TCM’s other owners, who agree with the promotion of Shah.

Looking forward to getting started

– TCM is the world’s largest and most flexible test center for verification of CO₂ capture technologies, and a leading competence center in the field. I take on the leadership with humility, energy and great joy. We have a lot of excting tasks ahead of us in the development of technologies that contribute to reduce climate emissions, says Muhammad Ismail Shah.

Shah holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Engineering an Technology in Peshawar, Pakistan. He also has a Master’s degree in oil and gas engineering from Aalborg University, Denmark. Shah started his professional career in 2008 with projects for the conversion of biomass to transport fuel. In 2011, he was hired as a technology consultant at Gassnova, and five years later seconded to TCM.

In addition to participating in the management of test projects for CO₂ capture technologies at Mongstad, Shah has also written a number of research-based publications on the topic.

Muhammad Ismail Shah is married, has four children and lives in Alversund in Alver municipality.

Acting CEO Robert Henricks returns to his role as Operating Officer at TCM. – It has been a demanding period of great activity at TCM under Henrick’s leadership, at the same time as an ongoing pandemic. We thank him for his excellent efforts, says Svein Ingar Semb.

 

About TCM

TCM is advancing carbon capture for a cleaner and greener future, by bridging the gap between technology developers, science and industrial application of CO₂ technologies. The main objective of TCM is to test, verify and demonstrate different technologies related to cost-efficient and industrial scale CO₂ capture.

TCM also offers advisory services for carbon capture projects. The aim is to facilitate the spread of carbon capture technology in varous industries. Technology Centre Mongstad is thus an important part of Norway’s contribution to the fight against climate change.

He came to TCM from Equinor in February for the position as Operation Manager, and temporarily took over as Managing Director in September. – The working days have been long and my learning curve steep. But I really enjoy to be in the centre of the development of technologies which will contribute to solve the climate challenges, he says with a smile.

In the latest issue of «Teknisk Ukeblad», TCM is referred to as «Norwegian spearhead against global warming». This is a description Henricks can sign on to. – We are at the start of an industrial era, both in Norway and Europe, where TCM with its experience and expertise have a lot to contribute with, both in terms of development, testing and optimization of capture technologies, and when it comes to training technical personnel for operating full-scale plants in a responsible manner. The tasks are in line for TCM, and will be there for many years to come.

Henricks has extensive experience from operational support and management, not at least as responsible for modifications and project-based maintenance at Equinor’s refinery at Mongstad. But he admits that he didn’t know much about the business «on the other side of the fence» before he became Operation Manager at TCM.

Productive and active organization

– What has surprised me is how productive and active this relatively small organization is – across the board, from the technical operational to the research. I see that the organization has tailored its way of working, and has found procedures and routines that seems to fit well with what we shall deliver.

Henricks points to tighter financial frameworks in recent years which have made it necessary to scale down the operational part of the organization. This has led to the form of operation becoming what he characterizes as «lean & mean». – In the year we now are leaving behind, with many demanding projects, it has led us to spend some time finding out how to solve the tasks with the resources we have available, and where our capacity limit goes.

The key to success

– In 2021, TCM carried out a test campaign for Mitsubishi (MHIENG) at the amine plant, and they have since given you praise for the execution. What significance does this have for TCM’s position in the future?

– Mitsubishi’s decicion to come from Japan to Norway and TCM to further ensure quality and reduce risk when using its capture technology, was a big feather in our cap. It says something about how solidly competent the entire TCM’s range of expertise and services is – from the technical-operational to the researched-related environment. It is the breadth of expertise at TCM – from the technicians in the field to our research engineers – that is the key to success. We will take this with us into the next era. We see that a number of CCS full-scale projects are beginning to take shape, where TCM not only further can contribute to quality assurance and optimization of the technologies, but also by conducting training of operators, technicians and engineers.

Successful start-up of a new test area

– In 2021, TCM also has introduced an area for new capture technologies. How would you summarize the test campaigns that have been conducted so far on the Site for emerging technologies?

– TDA Research and Membrane Technology and Research (MTR) are behind our two first and still ongoing campaigns for emerging technologies. Right from the start this summer, this has been surprisingly painless. Of course, we have had to step in and assist with unexpected challenges, whether there have been frost problems or other equipment challenges, and together with the customers we have got the pilot plants up and running again. We receive very good feedback on our flexibility and ability to solve problems, and look forward to conducting a number of tests within emerging technologies in the years to come.

– Advisory services have become increasingly important for TCM. Which assignments within this business area will you highlight as particularly significant in the past year?

– A number of small and larger assignments are carried out within Advisory Services, and I will highlight projects related to Longship as particularly important. Longship is the Norwegian state’s largest initiative within CCS, and for TCM it is absolutely essential to and a matter of course to use our ten-year-long specialist expertise to support these projects.

Ready to support full-scale projects

– TCM rounds out ten years in 2022. What will be the most important task in the anniversary year?

– We will first and foremost prepare and carry out a large test campaign for Research Foundation RTI (US) at the amine plant. Then we will end the campaigns for TDA Research and MTR on the Site for emerging technologies, and then prepare and acquire new test customers for this area. In addition, work is underway on another possible amine campaign towards the end of the year.

– How do you assess TCM’s role and opportunities in the longer term, after the current time of office and business which ends two years from now?

– As I have stated, we are now at the beginning of a new era for capturing and storing CO₂ . TCM is ready to support the CCS full-scale projects that are underway both in Norway and in Europe, especially the projects related to the Longship initiative. How TCM will develop in a longer perspective will be exciting. Our owners are in the process of debating this, as well as how TCM will support the development of various technologies in the future. It may, for example, be in new and still immature technologies, and perhaps by redefining the business to also be able to contribute to research on other future-oriented technologies. The possibilities are many, and we want to be part of this journey. With the expertise TCM possesses, we definitely make a difference in the climate fight.

MOF4AIR is a Horizon2020 project gathering 14 partners from eight countries in Europe and Asia to develop and demonstrate the performances of MOF-based CO₂ capture technologies in power plants and energy heavy industries. MOF4AIR stands for Metal Organic Frameworks for carbon dioxide Adsorption processes in power production and energy heavy industries. University of Mons in Belgium is coordinating the project as a research centre with a strong experience on the MOF thematic, as well as the different carbon capture processes.

The project gathers in total six research centres with the needed expertise for the project, three SMEs (subject-matter expert) specialized in the production of the MOFs and their shaping at an industrial scale, three demonstration sites, a cement association and one SME specialized in communication and dissemination.

– TCM is, together with TÜPRAS at Turkey and SOLAMAT at France, chosen as demonstration sites for the project, tells Ahmad Bashir Wakaa, Process Engineer at TCM. – EDIBON is the EPC contractor for the project, and the discussion with them took place around the design of the skid which will be tested at our Site for emerging technologies in 2022 – 2023, he says. This is, in essence, a 40-foot high cube container which consists of two different parts; the process area and the operator’s area.

TCM is one of the three different industrial sites that will validate and demonstrate the MOF technology through a six months test campaign in order to get the technology developed and achieve the objectives of the project.

If you are interested to learn more about MOF4AIR project, visit the homepage.