Modeling Wyoming's Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Network

Abstract

A model of Wyoming's carbon dioxide pipeline network has been developed and used to analyze its capacity. The inlet to this pipeline is at Exxon Mobil's Shute Creek gas processing plant, and supercritical gas is then sent to Rangeley (Colorado), Rock Springs, Monell, Baroil and Salt Creek (all in Wyoming) fields. Along the way, the supercritical gas is cooled to a liquid. Here it is shown that the pipeline could easily accommodate a rate increase from the current 250 MMSCFD to 325 MMSCFD, utilizing the gas that is currently being vented from the Shute Creek intermediate separator, while maintaining the current inlet temperature and pressure. If new CO₂ supplies became available it would be possible to increase the carbon dioxide throughput from 250 MMSCFD to 600 MMSCFD while extending the pipeline to other oilfields such as Beaver Creek and Hartzog Draw. In certain circumstances, this high rate may produce output pressures below the required miscibility pressures and also produce phase changes in the pipeline. However, this could be easily remedied by adding relatively modest horsepower pumps at intermediate pipeline locations.