The plans are part of the Humber Zero project, a world-scale carbon reduction project to support the decarbonisation of critical UK industry, which aims to capture up to 8 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030.
The flue gas, which is produced from the refinery’s fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) and contains CO2, needs to be pre-treated before entering the carbon capture process.
Scalable solution
Adam Young, project lead at the refinery, said: “Utilising carbon capture technology in conjunction with an FCC would be a first of a kind, and the pre-treatment is vital to the process. This work will create a blueprint for over 300 FCCs across the world and could support the industry to reduce carbon emissions.
“We are pleased to be working with Babcock & Wilcox, leveraging their expertise and knowledge. The pre-treatment is vital to the process to enable the carbon capture technology to work optimally.”
Babcock & Wilcox will be working closely with the Phillips 66 Limited Humber Refinery team, alongside the chosen technology provider, Shell Catalysts & Technologies, and the engineering contractor Worley.
Supporting clean energy
“B&W is a global leader in pre-treatment of flue gas prior to CO2 capture systems, and we are very excited to be a part of this industry-leading CO2 capture project,” said Joe Buckler, Babcock & Wilcox Senior Vice President, Clean Energy.
“The Humber Refinery project is an excellent opportunity to further demonstrate how we can use our reliable and efficient technologies and expertise to drive innovation and support a clean energy future.”
Phillips 66 Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Phillips 66, which is already using similar pre-treatment technology in its US refineries. Subject to obtaining all necessary external and internal consents and approvals, it plans to complete construction of the carbon capture facility by the end of 2027.
The Humber region produces 40% of the nation’s industrial CO2 emissions, so Humber Zero is expected to play a crucial role in the government hitting its 2050 net-zero carbon emission target. UKRI, through the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, is investing £12.5m of government funding in the current phase of the project, matched by Phillips 66 Limited and VPI Immingham LLP.
