Experimental and numerical study of the effects of formation brine salinity and reservoir temperature on convection mechanism during CO2 storage in saline aquifers

The results of both experimental and numerical studies revealed that decrease in brine salinity and temperature lead to increase in the Rayleigh number and Sherwood number. Furthermore, at low brine salinity and temperature, density-driven fingers grow faster at earlier times; therefore, convection mechanism is stronger, and it reaches its maximum value at earlier stages which is favourable for a storage project. The results of this study will help us in selecting the most suitable saline aquifer for safe CO2 storage.