COHERENT, PLUNGING WATER JETS FOR OIL SPILL CONTROL

Abstract

ABSTRACT The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Oil and Hazardous Materials Simulated Environmental Test Tank (OHMSETT) has designed a wide variety of water jet applications for control of spilled oil. This latest study reveals the advantage of using a simple nozzle consisting of a standard pipe mounted to produce a coherent vertical jet of water downward. Examples are illustrated with test data for several cost effective, field erectable systems using standard available water pumps and hardware. One system uses a series of jets to converge a 4.5-meter wide, 1-millimeter thick slick to 0.6 meter wide by 8 millimeters thick, moving at 6 knots in waves. The report reviews experience and test data obtained With a small barge, weir-type skimmer, mounted on a diverting inflatable boom system. This can be used to simulate the new USCG-ZRV fast current skimmer, the Bennett advancing belt skimmer, the U.S. Navy offshore spill tests, and dock simulations with the OHMSETT main bridge. Advancing skimmers may use the water jet boom system for three reasons. First, it allows an encounter width wider than the skimmer. Next, it will cause a thin slick to become thicker, thereby possibly allowing the skimmer oil pickup techniques to be more efficient. A water jet system can be used to couple a boom-towed skimmer and prevent skirt losses at the skimmer entrance. Future experiments are planned to field test the water jets in fixed and mobile applications on inland waterways.