Influence of disposal depth on the size of CO2 droplets produced from a circular orifice

Abstract Disposal of liquid, anthropogenic CO 2 in intermediate-depth ocean waters has been accepted as a means to reduce atmospheric concentrations of this greenhouse species and mitigate global warming. Since the CO 2 -seawater system is hydrodynamically unstable, liquid CO 2 effluent in the ocean will break up into droplets. This paper discusses the influence of both the discharge orifice and properties of CO 2 and seawater on the size of CO 2 droplets produced. It is found that the droplet size is affected strongly by disposal depth. This suggests that determination of the behavior of CO 2 discharged in the ocean must consider not only the orifice configuration, but also fluid properties at the disposal site.