Geological Carbon Dioxide Sequestration requires a fundamental understanding of modeling multiphase flows in fractured media. Subsurface flow is highly dependent upon the rock structure within the flow domain, with high permeability and fractured regions dominating the transport of the fluids. Discrete-fracture simulators often assume the cubic law relationship for single phase flow through a smooth set of parallel plates, and with good reason. The number of fractures that need to be modeled at

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... the reservoir scale may greatly exceed 10,000; and the relationship between the pressure field and the fluid flow needs to be easily describable in order for the model to be computationally efficient. The work described in this paper examines two-phase, immiscible flows through rough fractures. Computations are performed utilizing the full multiphase Navier-Stokes equations for flow through CT scanned fractures in Berea sandstone. A number of computer simulations are performed, and an empirical model is generated that is similar to the cubic law, yet accounts for the roughness of the fracture and the interaction of the invading and defending fluids and the effect of capillary forces. The fracture roughness and capillary forces are shown to restrict the flow; hence the standard cubic law tends to over-estimate the flow rate of the invading fluid.