Engineering contractor URS has been awarded a contract by energy major ExxonMobil to provide detailed engineering, procurement and construction management services for a commercial carbon capture and storage demonstration plant that will use ExxonMobil's controlled freeze zone technology.
The controlled freeze zone (CFZ) technology seeks to expand the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) by reducing the cost of removing CO2 from natural gas.
Developed by the ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, the CFZ process reportedly accomplishes low-cost, energy-efficient separation of high-purity methane from CO2 and hydrogen sulphide in a single step process and mechanical features establish a controlled freezing environment that overcomes the typical solidification barrier for methane-CO2 separation by distillation.
The technology is claimed to be a significant advancement for removing CO2 and other contaminants from highly sour gas resources around the world and facilitates their re-injection either for geosequestration or enhanced recovery purposes.
Construction on the treatment facility, which will be located at ExxonMobil’s Shute Creek treating facility near LaBarge, Wyoming, will commence in summer 2008, and operational startup is expected in late 2009.