Simulation Of The Conceptual Design Of Offshore Salt Caves For CO2 Storage

There is a growing demand for systems to store the excess gas produced by the offshore industry, especially gases rich in CO2. The geological composition of the Santos Basin in Brazil and the location of the production platforms make it plausible to build caves in the salt layer for this purpose. A system engineering model based on Epoch-Era analyses was employed to analyze the possible solutions to the problem aiming at the conceptual design stage. The system was decomposed and described in means of its several components and subsystems. Some of the most important decisions to be made have been outlined. An estimate of the utility and costs involved was obtained for each epoch. The utility was calculated based on the attributes of each solution and the relevance of each attribute to the stakeholders. An analysis of the solutions tradespace was carried out from the utility and cost estimates to discuss the best alternatives. Also, a three-dimensional web-based simulation model was implemented to provide a more realistic picture of the system's operation.