Gas Compression
Carbon Capture & CCUS
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global energy transition — moving from demonstration projects to large-scale industrial infrastructure as governments and industries accelerate decarbonisation commitments. At the heart of every CCUS project is a CO₂ compression system, raising captured carbon dioxide to the pressures required for pipeline transport, geological storage or utilisation as a chemical feedstock.
NEXT Lubricants supports carbon capture and CCUS with compressor lubricants developed for the specific operating conditions of CO₂ capture, compression, transport and utilisation applications.
Compression process
Carbon Capture & CCUS — Process, Applications & Compressor Role
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage involves capturing CO₂ from industrial sources — power generation, cement, steel, chemicals, refining and waste-to-energy — and either storing it permanently in geological formations or using it as a feedstock for urea, methanol, synthetic fuels and other products. Each pathway requires CO₂ to be compressed from near-atmospheric capture pressures to the supercritical conditions required for efficient pipeline transport — typically above 74 bar — and onward to injection pressures at the storage site or utilisation facility.
CO₂ in CCUS service is rarely pure. Captured CO₂ from post-combustion processes may contain moisture, SOx, NOx, oxygen and other impurities depending on the capture technology and emission source. These impurities influence lubricant compatibility and the aggressiveness of the gas environment at the compressor — making lubricant selection for CCUS compression a more nuanced task than for clean, dry CO₂ in industrial gas applications. CO₂ also dissolves readily into compressor lubricants at the elevated operating pressures of pipeline and injection service, reducing lubricant viscosity in the oil-CO₂ mixture and influencing film behaviour within the compression system.
Post-Combustion Capture & Compression
CO₂ captured from flue gas at power stations, cement plants, steel mills and other large industrial emitters is compressed from near-atmospheric capture pressures to pipeline transport conditions, operating continuously as a critical path asset in the carbon capture facility.
Direct Air Capture
Direct air capture facilities extract CO₂ from ambient air and compress it across multiple stages to storage or utilisation pressures. Inlet CO₂ concentration is very low and moisture and atmospheric contaminants are present at the compressor inlet depending on the capture technology used.
Geological Storage Injection
Compressed CO₂ is injected into deep geological storage formations — depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, saline aquifers or basalt formations — at reservoir injection pressures that can exceed several hundred bar at the wellhead.
CO₂ Utilisation — Chemical Feedstock
Captured CO₂ is used as a feedstock for urea synthesis, methanol production, synthetic fuels and other e-chemical applications, requiring compression to the specific pressures of the downstream utilisation process.
CO₂ Liquefaction & Ship Transport
CO₂ is liquefied for bulk distribution to industrial and food and beverage end users, and for ship-based transport in emerging CCS export infrastructure. Liquefaction compression operates at the pressures and temperatures required to bring CO₂ to liquid phase, with specific demands on lubricant behaviour at sub-ambient low-side conditions.
Related Applications
Explore Other Gas Compression Applications
Carbon capture and CCUS is one part of NEXT Lubricants’ gas compression application range. We also support the following applications.
Sour Gas Compression
Compression of gas streams containing hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) where gas composition places specific demands on materials and lubricant compatibility.
Hydrocarbon Gas Compression
Process gas compression in oil refining and gas processing across a range of hydrocarbon gas streams and operating conditions.
Petrochemical Gas Compression
Process gas compression in petrochemical manufacturing where gas streams include reactive and specialty components under demanding operating conditions.
Biogas Compression
Compression of methane-rich biogas streams in upgrading and handling systems where CO₂, moisture and contaminants must be managed.