Physical modeling of the champagne effect

A particularly important concern is the champagne effect, a hydraulic process with the potential to cause a loss of storage cavern pressure or even blowout of the cavern. Under subcontract to the Pacific Northwest Laboratory, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute conducted an investigation to determine the factors that influence bubble formation in a CAES cavern. Using this information, they then undertook to develop a model to predict the effect of those bubbles on the discharge of water from a CAES cavern. This research project involved parallel analytical and experimental efforts. Two physical models were developed, one relatively simple and analytical, the other much more detailed and numerical. A high-solubility carbon dioxide/water laboratory model of a CAES system was also constructed. Results obtained from bubble formation experiments using the laboratory-scale CAES facility were compared with those generated by the predictive models. The high-solubility CO2/H2O champagne effect laboratory model successfully simulated the behavior of a CAES system.