HR: 1340h
AN: H13F-1653    [Abstracts]
TI: Simulation of CO2 dispersion in the atmospheric boundary layer using a mesoscale model
AU: * Granvold, P W
EM: granvold@gmail.com
AF: University of California, Berkeley, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Berkeley, CA 94720-1710, United States
AU: Chow, F K
EM: chow@ce.berkeley.edu
AF: University of California, Berkeley, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Berkeley, CA 94720-1710, United States
AU: Oldenburg, C M
EM: CMOldenburg@lbl.gov
AF: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division 90-1116, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
AB: The consequences of unexpected releases of CO2 from underground carbon sequestration sites must be understood before large-scale carbon capture and storage projects are implemented. Carbon dioxide gas can migrate through faults, fractures, or abandoned wells that penetrate the subsurface storage site and provide a pathway to the ground surface. Though such leakage is typically slow and in small amounts, CO2 can accumulate at the ground surface because it is denser than the surrounding atmosphere. Such accumulation presents health risks for humans and animals in the vicinity, and can cause damage to crops, trees, and other vegetation. Because atmospheric dispersion of CO2 is driven by gravity and ambient wind conditions, the danger from CO2 is greatest in regions with topographic depressions where the dense gas can pool, or under stably- stratified background atmospheric conditions which further inhibit mixing and dilution of the gas. We are developing a simulation tool for predictions of CO2 releases from underground storage sites in a mesoscale atmospheric model. The model solves the compressible fluid flow equations, and has been modified to account for transport of dense gases. Example simulations from sources of different release strengths over various topography and background atmospheric conditions illustrate the behavior of the model and its utility for risk assessment and certification of carbon sequestration sites.
DE: 0345 Pollution: urban and regional (0305, 0478, 4251)
DE: 1610 Atmosphere (0315, 0325)
DE: 3307 Boundary layer processes
DE: 3329 Mesoscale meteorology
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting