The ecology and maritime traffic safety would be at risk if a CO₂ reservoir or transmission pipeline were to leak. To address this need, multiphase Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models were developed using ANSYS Fluent to predict these coupled processes. The 3D Eulerian-Eulerian CFD model has been developed for validation and the 2D model for predicting the 50m case. The physical and chemical processes involved, such as buoyancy, turbulence, and gas dissolution kinetics, are all considered. The mass transfer coefficient is estimated using the Hughmark correlation. Seawater temperature and salinity are used for estimating dissociation and Henry’s Law constant. The 3D model is validated with the QICS and Hauser Tank Experiments. Hypothetical CO2 release from High Island 10L was simulated and compared to prior work. Findings indicate that the water column can fully mitigate a CO2 release of 35 kg/s in 50 m of water due to CO2 absorption in seawater during ascent. The CFD simulations offer understanding of environmental impact including bubble plume behavior, dissolution into the water column, and consequent changes in seawater pH and pCO₂ and a framework for evaluating CO2 leak impacts on marine environments in the Gulf of Mexico.
Rosario N., Hooshmand N., Rajan V. & Chen D. H., 2026. Seawater acidification and bubble plume dispersion from accidental subsea CO₂ pipeline rupture: a multiphase CFD study. Preprints. Article.
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