Japan: JFE Steel accelerates development of ERW line pipe for CO2 transport networks

• Verifying the strength and fracture resistance of pipelines is a critical task
• ExxonMobil, Shell and BP among other energy majors participating in project

Japan’s JFE Steel is partnering with global energy companies to develop safety evaluation technology for materials used in carbon dioxide (CO2​) transport line pipes. The company plans to establish evaluation standards for CO2​ transport line pipes in preparation for the expansion of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) projects, thereby preparing for the future construction of CO2​ pipelines.

JFE Steel announced in an official statement on 27 August that its research and development project to evaluate the characteristics and safety of line pipe materials for CO2​ transport using the electric resistance welded (ERW) steel pipe ‘Mighty Seam’ has been selected for the joint technology development support programme of the Nippon Foundation and DeepStar.

Global energy companies including ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum, Shell, BP, Total Energy, Woodside Energy, and Petrobras are participating in this project.

With the recent global expansion of CCS and CCUS projects aimed at achieving carbon neutrality, the importance of pipelines that transport large volumes of CO2​ from emission sources to storage facilities is growing. In particular, as impurities in captured CO2​ may affect the properties of steel, verifying the strength and fracture resistance of line pipelines in actual transport environments has emerged as a critical task.

Accordingly, JFE Steel plans to conduct tests simulating actual CO2​ transport environments at its Chiba Steel Research Center to evaluate the impact of impurities contained in CO2​ on the strength and fracture resistance of line pipe materials. Based on the data obtained from these tests, the company plans to establish evaluation methods and standards for CO2​ transport line pipe materials to utilise in ensuring the safety of future CO2​ transport.

In particular, ‘Mighty Seam,’ utilised in this study, is an ERW steel pipe for line pipes developed by JFE Steel that features enhanced weld quality and reliability. Through this research and development, JFE Steel plans to meet the demand for CO2​line pipe construction driven by the future expansion of CCS and CCUS, while simultaneously strengthening its technological competitiveness in the field of CO2​ transport line pipes.

Note: This article is published as part of an article sharing agreement between SteelDaily and BigMint