I am pleased to announce the publication of our latest research article in Transport in Porous Media, titled “Direct Observation of Convective Mixing During CO₂ Dissolution in Saturated Transparent Porous Media.”

This study offers real-time visual evidence of how CO₂ dissolves and starts to mix convectively in porous media, a vital process for long-term geological carbon storage. While convective dissolution has been extensively modelled, direct observations under reservoir-like conditions are still scarce. Our research helps fill this gap.

Using high-pressure optical shadowgraphy, we observed CO₂ dissolving into a saturated porous medium under controlled temperature and pressure conditions that simulate subsurface storage environments. This setup enabled us to capture:

• The onset of convection,
• The growth and acceleration of descending plumes,
• And the quantitative scaling of plume velocity with the Rayleigh number.

Our results indicate that, within the studied conditions, the plume velocity approximately follows a square-root relationship with the Rayleigh number, providing new experimental support for predictions long established in theory and simulation. These measurements offer a valuable benchmark for refining models of CO₂ dissolution and improving forecasts of long-term storage efficiency.

This work was made possible through collaboration with Fabrizio Croccolo, Paul Fruton, and Cedric Giraudet, whose contributions were essential to the project’s success.

The article is available open access here:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11242-025-02259-0