Decision-Making Tool for Chemical Dispersant Application in Ocean Oil Spill Cleanup Operations

Abstract

Oil spills in the ocean are caused by a variety of incidents, and several cleanup methods exist including the application of chemical dispersants. The window of opportunity during which the dispersants will be most effective will depend on the spilled oil properties, dispersant characteristics, and environmental conditions. These parameters will determine the dispersant application system needed for the most effective response. In order to effectively produce policies prior to oil spills and make timely response decisions for the use of chemical dispersants, a quantitative selection tool was generated in the form of an interactive decision tree that can be used to choose the most effective dispersant delivery technology based on a set of ocean conditions and dispersant application parameters. This decision tree was generated in Microsoft Excel for ease of use, future expansion, and can be used to identify the most suitable chemical dispersant delivery system based on user input parameters. The technical approach to creating this interactive decision tree is described herein, and a worked example using this decision tree based on a hypothetical spill is provided.