CFD modeling of high-pressurized CO2 released from onshore pipeline leakages

Safe pipeline transportation of carbon dioxide is a critical issue in the developing field of carbon capture and storage technology. Inadequate fluid thermo- and regimes for on- and offshore transport through high-pressurized pipelines can induce pipe material obsolescence or even pipeline rupture. In such cases, CO₂ (Carbon dioxide) will be released and dispersed in the ambient medium. The dispersion is influenced by the total amount of released fluid, jet pressure and direction, the released concentrations, leakage hole size, ambient material properties and is also affected by the dynamical conditions of the environmental medium. The goal of this study is the hydrodynamical characterization of carbon dioxide jet expansion and dispersion in the ambient atmosphere in case of onshore pipeline accidental leaks. Numerical simulations were carried out by means of a 3D turbulent CFD (computational fluid dynamics) code which includes multi-component flow treatment. The influence of the jet release pressure and size of the leakage hole on harmful CO₂ concentration distances will be analyzed.