The role of calcite-dolomite coupled dissolution on CO2 density-driven transport in saline aquifers
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Zhenjiang You: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4843-2107
Abstract
In saline aquifers, multiple minerals of varying reactivity typically coexist, significantly influencing density-driven convection (DDC) coupled with geochemical reactions during CO2 geological storage. This study develops a convective-reactive transport model to simulate CO2 dissolution, incorporating the kinetic dissolution of both calcite and dolomite, as well as dynamic changes in porosity and permeability. The effects of mineral relative content, reaction rate, and heterogeneity on the CO2 DDC process are further investigated.Some novel findings are obtained that, unlike previous studies focusing on single-mineral or inert systems, this work explicitly couples CO2 DDC with kinetic reactions of two distinct carbonate minerals, and identifies four convective regimes (diffusion, early convection, stable convection, and convection shutdown) corresponding to different dominant reaction stages. The results also reveal that mineral heterogeneity influences DDC not merely through spatial distribution, but critically through mineral reaction kinetics, challenging the common reliance on static mineral maps.Through the key findings, the major contributions deepening the understanding of CO2 storage include that the presence of calcite accelerates convection onset and enhances dissolution flux compared to dolomite-only systems; quantifying that how increasing calcite content or dolomite reaction rate promotes stronger convection and dissolution trapping; and revealing that dynamic reactive transport models are essential for reliable CO2 storage predictions in multi-mineral saline aquifers. These findings highlight the need to consider both geochemical and hydrodynamic factors together when selecting storage sites and forecasting performance in multi-mineral saline aquifers.
Keywords
CO2 dissolution, density-driven convection, geochemical reactions, mineral heterogeneity, saline aquifer
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
8-1-2026
Volume
177
Publication Title
International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer
Publisher
Elsevier
School
Centre for Sustainable Energy and Resources / School of Engineering
Funding Information
The financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 42407065), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu province (Grant No. BK20230647), the Natural Science Research Project of Higher-Education Institutions of Jiangsu Province (No. 23KJD610001) are greatly appreciated.
Copyright
subscription content
Comments
Tan, Q., Huang, Y., Chen, H., Tian, R., Peng, H., & You, Z. (2026). The role of calcite-dolomite coupled dissolution on CO2 density-driven transport in saline aquifers. International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, 177, 111503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2026.111503