Convective dissolution of carbon dioxide into brine in a three-dimensional free medium
Paul Fruton, Aziza Nauruzbaeva, Henri Bataller, Cédric Giraudet, Alberto Vailati, Fabrizio Croccolo
Abstract
Carbon dioxide (CO${}_{2}$) can be stored in huge quantities in deep saline reservoirs, thus providing a key contribution to the fight against global warming. A complete understanding of the convective dissolution process can help optimize CO${}_{2}$ storage. Observing in a different direction, i.e. parallel to gravity, highlights the 3-dimensional structure of convection dominated, at an early stage, by falling sheets. That allows an accurate measurement of the onset time of convection, verifying the predicted power-law master curve independent of the liquid phase composition. This demonstrates that adding salt simply shifts the thermodynamic state by to a different Rayleigh number.