A model for the weathering of Colombian crude oils in the Colombian Caribbean Sea

Abstract

A model that describes the weathering of crude in an oil spill caused by interaction with the atmosphere and the ocean was developed. This model was adapted to the Colombian crudes Cusiana (°API43.2) and Vasconia (°API20.7). To calibrate the model, evaporation and emulsification experiments were carried out at conditions similar to those of an oil spill in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. The dependence of evaporation with wind velocity, not predicted by the state-of-the-art models, was captured by a correlation for the mass transfer coefficient calculated from the experimental data. Emulsification rate, maximum water content and required evaporation to form an emulsion were determined and their values explained considering the effect of wax precipitation for Cusiana crude oil. When compared to well-established weathering software, such as ADIOS, the proposed model predicts the weathering of Colombian oils in a way that better agrees with the experiments conducted in the laboratory.