Sensitivity analysis of transportation parameters of supercritical CO₂ pipelines

To determine the range of parameters conducive to supercritical CO₂ pipeline transportation and ensure the transportation safety, the particularity of supercritical CO₂ pipeline transportation technology is analyzed based on the differences between supercritical CO₂ fluid and natural gas and crude oil. Furthermore, a software simulation system is developed to study the relationship between pipeline pressure, temperature, density, viscosity and transportation distance under different inlet temperature, pipeline flowrate and overall heat transfer coefficient. Through simulation calculation, effective transportation distance and the influence of different pipeline flowrate on physical properties, pressure and temperature under certain conditions have been figured out. The results show that when the transportation distance exceeds 100 km, the phase of CO₂ will shift from supercritical state to dense state under the research conditions. To maintain the supercritical state, heating stations at less than 100 km interval should be set up; the ideal pipeline flowrate is between 200 t/hr and 250 t/hr; the appropriate overall heat transfer coefficient is between 0.84 W/(m²·℃) and 1.3 W/(m²·℃). This research is a basic research on supercritical CO₂ pipeline transportation, and can provide references for the construction of a complete system of supercritical CO₂ pipeline transportation.