Carbon Capture & CO₂ Compression Equipment worked example

Water Use Intensity with capture-loop water consumption rate of 6 gal / hr: a worked example

Suppose capture-loop water consumption rate falls to 6 gal / hr. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate water and wastewater cost for capture-system cooling, solvent makeup, washing, humidification, or direct air capture operation.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Capture-loop water consumption rate: 6 gal / hr (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 12)
  • Water-consuming operating hours: 8 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Water and wastewater unit cost: 3.5 $ / gal (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Water consumed = capture water use rate × water-use operating hours.
  • Total water and wastewater cost works out to 168 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Water consumed works out to 48 units at these inputs.
  • Water-use operating hours works out to 8 hr at these inputs.
  • Water and wastewater unit cost works out to 3.5 $ / unit at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where capture-loop water consumption rate sits at 12 gal / hr and the headline result is 336 $, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 168 $.
  • It computes total water and wastewater cost by multiplying the water use rate by operating hours to get gallons consumed, then multiplying by the unit cost. 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

  • Total water and wastewater cost: 168 $ (headline result)
  • Water consumed: 48 units
  • Water-use operating hours: 8 hr
  • Water and wastewater unit cost: 3.5 $ / unit

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Water Use Intensity calculator, set capture-loop water consumption rate to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.