SILICONES FOR CO2 CAPTURE AND EOR

摘要

Aminosilicones have been found to be useful materials for the post-combustion capture of CO2. Two processes have been investigated using these compounds; a solution based process using triethylene glycol (TEG) as a non-aqueous co-solvent1 and a phasechange procedure that converts a low viscosity liquid aminosilicone to a solid carbamate salt on exposure to CO2. Both processes have shown promise as alternatives to aqueous-based organic amine technologies and have been increased in scale. The phase-change process is in the process of being elevated to the bench-scale and the solution process installed at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) at pilot scale. In addition, the CO2 captured from these processes is being examined for use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). To facilitate the use of CO2 in these applications, an additive that increases the viscosity of supercritical CO2 is needed. A third program in which low molecular weight silicones self-assemble to provide a viscosity increase is underway. The current status and the latest developments in all three programs will be discussed.