Sinking inside the box

Abstract

Convection in a closed porous domain is a temporally and spatially complex flow which evolves over long time scales as the driving buoyancy contrasts are eliminated by mixing. In a contribution that combines numerical, experimental and asymptotic approaches, Hewitt, Neufeld & Lister (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 719, 2013, pp. 551-586) demonstrate that the essential dynamics can be captured by simple 'box' models, both when the buoyancy supply is imposed at the upper boundary and when the domain contains a moving interface between different fluids. This work provides insights into the dynamics and viability of schemes for the geological sequestration of CO2. © 2013 Cambridge University Press.