Development of the Inland Estimated Recovery System Potential (ERSP) Calculator

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mechanical oil spill recovery response planning currently depends on an equation contained in regulations which assigns an oil removal capability value to an individual oil skimmer. The Effective Daily Recovery Capacity (EDRC) calculator, the current planning standard oil spill recovery planning calculation method, depends solely on a prescribed percentage of the skimmer's nameplate capacity. EDRC came under heavy scrutiny as an inadequate means for vessel and facility plan holders to calculate their oil spill equipment needs in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident. EDRC's calculation omitted factors such as the encounter rate and onboard storage of skimmers. These limitations led the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to develop a new calculator called the Estimated Recovery System Potential (ERSP) calculator in collaboration with the United States Coast Guard (USCG). ERSP is an oil encounter rate-based calculator that evaluates mechanical recovery equipment as a complete “system” as opposed to focusing on an individual component such as the skimmer capacity or an intake pump. This calculator incorporated the previously neglected factors such as decreasing oil thickness over time, swath width of skimmers, speed of the skimmers relative to the oil spill, oil/water separability, pump rate, onboard fluid storage, and transition time. Although ERSP appears to significantly improve mechanical recovery planning for offshore and nearshore skimming operations, USCG recognized that it may not be applicable for the inland operating environments where large numbers of oil spills occur. The USCG Research and Development Center (RDC) initiated a project to conduct research into oil spill response planning factors for the inland operational environment. RDC and RPS Group (Project Team) interviewed numerous governmental, industry, and Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) subject matter experts to gain a broad perspective on this tool, what factors were critical to include, and how best to implement the tool. These interviews and further research led to the creation of the Inland ERSP Calculator conceptual model. Employing a system-based approach, the conceptual model provides the relationship between these factors and the ways in which they contribute into the calculator's estimation of oil spill recovery capacity. The Project Team presents this Inland ERSP Calculator conceptual model as consideration for regulatory implementation as a planning tool. It may improve planning capabilities for oil spill events in inland environments.