Research project EverLoNG

Six work packages:

• WP1. Demonstrating ship-based carbon capture
  EverLoNG’s prototype will be designed, engineered, built and operated within WP1. This small-scale prototype unit, which can capture ten tonnes of CO₂ on board, will first be installed on board TotalEnergies’ LNG carrier. During a 3000-hour test campaign a life-cycle analysis (part of WP4) will be performed, providing data on environmental emissions and the impact the motion of the ship has on capture rates, capture solvent behaviour and degradation. The prototype unitwill be moved on board Heerema’s Sleipnir for a second campaign of around 500 hours of CO₂-capture operations to compare the system performance on both vessels and provide further insights.
• WP2. Ship-based carbon capture in the full CCUS chain
  In the second WP we assume a more holistic view of SBCC as part of an international carbon capture and utilisation (CCUS) network. It will concern the quality requirements and logistics of CO₂ offloading and its transport and utilisation and/or geological storage, providing practical recommendations for port authorities and industries.
• WP3. Impact of SBCC on ship infrastructure
  In this work package we investigate the integration of SBCC technology on board ships and its flexibility for large-scale use in multiple scenarios. The effect of ship motion on CO₂ capture is a crucial one for SBCC’s development pathway. The technology brings additional challenges to both ship design and ship systems, such as deck space, added weight, impact on the LNG-vaporisation process and onboard heat management. These are key research questions being investigated in WP3, with our findings providing guidelines on retrofitting SBCC or integrating it into newbuild ships.
• WP4. Environmental impact & techno-economic aspects
  We will carry out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) within WP4. This considers the full chain of SBCC for both EverLoNG ships, including the fate of the captured CO₂ once offloaded, transported, and geologically stored or utilised. The impact of greenhouse gas emissions alongside other impact categories, such as particulate matter formation or fossil depletion potential will also be investigated in the LCA.

  Mandatory energy efficiency measures – known as the EEDI/EEXI indices – are another approach for quantifying the emission reductions achieved by SBCC. WP4 and WP5 will use the findings of WP3 to investigate this.

  As we know SBCC is economically viable, WP4 will explore all the techno-economic aspects of full-scale SBCC, including onboard capture, intermediate CO₂ storage, and the cost of full CCUS chains. We will develop a methodology that will help determine an optimal strategy based on transit length and the availability of ports with a CO₂-receiving infrastructure. This methodology will be used for Techno-Economc analysis (TEA) on full CCUS chains.

• WP5. Regulatory frameworks
  WP5 brings together technology developers and three major class societies – namely, Bureau Veritas Norway AS, Lloyds Register and DNV – to ensure that the technology’s design is in line with current safety regulations. Integrating safety assessments and regulatory aspects from the early stages of design will ensure the success of SBCC implementation in the near future. In this way, ship owners and SBCC developers can address any potential issues during the early design stages and make SBCC risk free for future approvals.
• WP6. Dissemination & knowledge sharing
  Sharing information and results generated by EverLoNG is key to their uptake by stakeholders, which include the international shipping community, workforces, connected industries, policymakers, national and international governments with responsibility for climate targets, and the wider public. Members of WP6 have developed the EverLoNG visual identity to unite our international partners under one flag and boost recognition.

Promising results
The first demonstration campaign of CO₂ capture in the EverLoNG project was planned to occur on the Sleipnir vessel of Heerema Marine Contractors. The mobile CO₂ capture plant from TNO (microplant) has been used. Due to limitations caused by COVID-19, TNO’s engineers had limited access to the Sleipnir. Therefore, TNO and Heerema Marine Contractors agreed on and executed an alternative plan: the microplant was installed onboard of a barge, next to the Sleipnir vessel. Heerema Marine Contractors provided a gas line connecting a slip stream of the exhaust gas from one of the Sleipnir engines to the microplant. In this way, the campaign could still be carried out, with only minor consequences to the project.

“We know the performance of the CO₂-capture technology on land, so these first results are really promising to implement this technology in the near future on board ships.” 

A test campaign of 225 hours has been completed successfully. The campaign has shown that CO₂ capture from a ship engine is feasible, and that even with low available packing height, relatively high capture rates can be achieved. In this campaign the capture rates are 60% to 70%: quite promising results so far.

The demonstration of ship-based carbon capture at the TotalEnergies’ LNG carrier and Heerema’s Sleipnir are currently planned for 2023 and 2024.

EverLoNG is a three-year international research initiative involving the maritime, R&D and engineering sectors and co-funded by the ERA-NET ACT3 programme, project number 327332. Financial contributions have been made by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the Netherlands; The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Germany; the Research Council of Norway; the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, UK; and the U.S. Department of Energy. All funders are gratefully acknowledged.

Read more about EverLoNG