Carbon Capture & CO₂ Compression Equipment worked example

CO₂ Compressor Power with co₂ compressor power draw of 6 kW: a worked example

Suppose co₂ compressor power draw falls to 6 kW. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate CO₂ compressor electricity cost and specific cost per tonne for a planned compression run or operating period.

The inputs for this scenario

  • CO₂ compressor power draw: 6 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 12)
  • Compression runtime: 8 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Electricity price: 0.12 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • CO₂ compressed: 1,000 t CO₂ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: CO₂ compression electricity cost = CO₂ compressor power draw × compression runtime × electricity price.
  • CO₂ compression electricity cost works out to 5.76 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Compressor energy used works out to 48 kWh at these inputs.
  • Compression electricity cost per tonne CO₂ works out to 0.01 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Hourly compressor electricity cost works out to 0.72 $ / hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where co₂ compressor power draw sits at 12 kW and the headline result is 11.52 $, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 5.76 $.
  • It multiplies compressor power draw by runtime and electricity price for total cost, then divides by tonnes compressed for cost per tonne. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • CO₂ compression electricity cost: 5.76 $ (headline result)
  • Compressor energy used: 48 kWh
  • Compression electricity cost per tonne CO₂: 0.01 $ / piece
  • Hourly compressor electricity cost: 0.72 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live CO₂ Compressor Power calculator, set co₂ compressor power draw to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.