ABOUT THIS POSITION

To reduce carbon emissions to the atmosphere there are many plans to capture and store CO2 in the subsurface within the next few years. The transport from capture plant to the subsurface occurs through a system of pipelines and wells. In the Netherlands, storage occurs in depleted natural gas reservoirs at a depth of about 3 kilometers, which are currently at low pressure. The transport lines are operated at pressures above 80 bar to keep the CO2 in the higher density liquid phase. As a result, control valves are required to make sure the CO2 flows into the reservoirs at the required flow rates while keeping the pipeline at pressure.

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU

• This internship requires a longer effort: we are therefore looking for a student to do a MSc thesis, or for a student that is willing to commit at least 6 months to an internship.
• We are looking for a student who is enthusiastic, critical and a team-player. We expect you to work hard and independently on your own project, but ask for help if needed.
• The student should regularly work from the office in Rijswijk in order to interact with supervisors and other colleagues.
• Knowledge of Ansys Fluent and Python is recommended.

The goal of this project is to determine the flow behaviour of CO2 in a valve, both to better predict the phase distribution and temperatures downstream of the valve and to predict where inside the valve wear and tear may occur. To this end CFD simulations of CO2 flow through a valve are performed, taking into account the phase transition in the valve. In previous MSc internships a start was made with these simulations and 1D simulations were successfully executed. In these simulations it was possible to determine the temperature inside and downstream of the valve. In this project these simulations should be extended to 2D and 3D, such that the exact geometry of the valve can be taken into account. The results of the simulations should be compared to existing valve models. Furthermore, the simulation results can later be compared to the results of CO2 experiments.