1. Increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are known to be causing a gradual warming of the Earth's surface and potentially disastrous changes to global climate. Since carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas, CO2 sequestration is being explored as one possible approach to limit the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Sequestration covers technologies that capture carbon at its source (e.g., power plants, industrial processes) and directs it to non-atmospheric sinks (e.g., depleted oil and gas reservoirs, deep saline formations, deep ocean), as well as processes that increase the removal of carbon from the atmosphere by natural processes (e.g., forestation). To understand the process of gas flow in saline formations, in this study, computer simulations as well as experimental studies of multi-phase gas-liquid flows in a lattice-like flow-cell were performed. In the experiment, the displacement of a two immiscible fluids in the flow-cell was analyzed. Different orientations of the cell, as well as different liquids were tested. Flow patterns during the gas injection into the saturated cell were studied and the residual saturation of the phases and fractal dimensions of the gas- liquid interface were evaluated. Computational simulation of the flow cell is also performed using the Fluent™ code for the experiment flow-cell. Since the experimental flow-cell channels had random width and depth, a picture from the physical cell was vectorized in a CAD package that was used in the Gambit™ preprocessor and a two dimensional computational grid was developed. Residual saturation of the phases and fractal dimensions of the gas-liquid interface were evaluated from the numerical simulation and are compared with the experiment. Flow Cell Abstract COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF MULTI- PHASE FLUID FLOW THROUGH FLOW CELLS (WITH APPLICATION TO CO 2 SEQUESTRATION) Department of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering Kambiz Nazridoust, Joshua Cook and Goodarz Ahmadi Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699-5727 http://www.clarkson.edu/fluidflow/kam/research/ Governing Equations Conclusions Continuity: Momentum: Large Eddy: Computational Model Experiment Setup Reduce CO 2 Emissions By Sequestration In Deep Geological Formations  Depleted Oil and Gas Reservoirs  Coal Seams  Deep Brine-Fields Darcy’s Law for Two-Phase Flow: Objectives  Provide More Detailed Description of Two-Phase Flow During CO 2 Sequestration  Develop Better Understanding of Displacement of Oil, Gas, or Brine by CO 2  Study effects of Gravity and Flow Rate on Two-Phase Flow through Porous Media Using Synthetic Porous Media (Flow cell) 100mm Parts similar to whole, even if approximate or statistical Too irregular for traditional geometrical language Fractional or “fractal” dimension that is a non-integer number Fine Structure (structure on some arbitrarily small scale) Downward Flow, Q = 2.8 mL/min t = 9 sec t = 11 sec t = 14 sec t = 59 sec Horizontal Flow, Q = 0.2 mL/min t = 92 sec t = 143 sec t = 173 sec t = 254 sec Upward Flow, Q = 1.4 mL/min t = 3 sec t = 9 sec t = 215 sec t = 11 sec Pressure Evolution with Time for Horizontal Flow, Q = 0.2 mL/min Pressure Drop vs. Time Horizontal Flow, Q = 8.0 mL/min t = 5 sec t = 3 sec t = 4 sect = 26 sec Fractals Results = ∫x S(x,t)dx ∫S(x,t)dx - average position x - distance in flow direction S – saturation of air Average Position of Injected Fluid Fractal GrowthCompact Growth  t  t 1/(Df-1) Pressure Evolution with Time for Downward Flow, Q = 1.0 mL/min Pressure Drop vs. Time Flow shows predicted behavior: Limiting regimes with a crossover region. Fractal dimension at breakthrough generally decreases as instability of the system increases. Maximum saturation of air ~ 38% occurs for least unstable flow configuration which is vertically downward flow and for lowest flow rate. Numerical results are in quantitative agreement with the experimental results. Simulation results show similar flow behavior to the experiment in upward flow and the effects of the gravitational force. Results (in progress)