A multiscale modeling study for the convective mass transfer in a subsurface aquifer

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel multiscale modeling framework for simulating CO2 mass transfer in subsurface aquifers, revealing how CO2 migration and dissolution influence natural convection and vorticity.

Contribution

It presents a new efficient multiscale model for CO2 plume migration in aquifers, demonstrating its effectiveness and potential for geoscience applications.

Findings

CO2 migration enhances vorticity generation.

CO2 dissolution significantly affects natural convection.

Vorticity decreases with increasing porosity.

Abstract

Quantitative and realistic computer simulations of mass transfer associated with CO2 disposal in subsurface aquifers is a challenging endeavor. This article has proposed a novel and efficient multiscale modeling framework, and has examined its potential to study the pen- etrative mass transfer in a CO2 plume that migrates in an aquifer. Nu- merical simulations indicate that the migration of the injected CO2 enhances the vorticity generation, and the dissolution of CO2 has a strong effect on the natural convection mass transfer. The vorticity decays with the increase of the porosity. The time scale of the vertical migration of a CO2 plume is strongly dependent on the rate of CO2 dissolution. Comparisons confirm the near optimal performance of the proposed multiscale model. These primary results with an idealized computational model of the CO2 migration in an aquifer brings the potential of the proposed multiscale model to the field of heat and mass transfer in the geoscience.