Numerical Prediction of the Behavior of CO 2 Bubbles Leaked from Seafloor and Their Convection and Diffusion near Southeastern Coast of Korea

• Published in: Applied Sciences
• Main Authors: Se-Min Jeong, Seokwon Ko, Wu-Yang Sean
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020
• Subjects: carbon capture and storage; CO2 ocean geological storage; multi-scale ocean model; hydrostatic approximation; Eulerian–Lagrangian two-phase model; environmental impact; Technology; T; Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General); TA1-2040; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Physics; QC1-999; Chemistry; QD1-999; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/app10124237; https://doaj.org/article/10e06108c5ca4eef8e7b6e023e9b427d

Among various carbon capture and storage technologies to mitigate global warming and ocean acidification due to greenhouse gases, ocean geological storage is considered the most feasible for Korea due to insufficient inland space to store CO 2 . However, the risk of CO 2 leakage and the behavior and environmental effects of the leaked CO 2 need to be assessed for its successful implementation. Therefore, the behavior of CO 2 bubbles/droplets dissolving into the surrounding seawater and the diffusion of dissolved CO 2 by ocean flows should be accurately predicted. However, finding corresponding research has been difficult in Korea. Herein, the behavior and convection-diffusion of CO 2 that was assumed to have leaked from the seafloor near the southeastern coast of Korea were numerically predicted using a multi-scale ocean model for the first time. In the simulation region, one of the pilot projects of CO 2 ocean geological storage had started but has been temporarily halted. In the ocean model, hydrostatic approximation and the Eulerian–Lagrangian two-phase model were applied for meso- and small-scale regions, respectively. Parameters for the simulations were the leakage rate and the initial diameter of CO 2 . Results revealed that all leaked and rising CO 2 bubbles were dissolved into the seawater before reaching the free surface; further, the change in the partial pressure of CO 2 did not exceed 500 ppm during 30 days of leakage for all cases.