Abstract
ABSTRACT Results are presented on the factors relating to the dissipation of oil spills at sea, including evaporation, emulsion formation, spreading, and natural dispersion into the water column. For Ekofisk oil, 20% evaporates in about 7.5 hours and, while emulsion formation is as rapid as for Kuwait crude, the resulting viscosity is low and insufficient to allow interference with the natural spreading and dispersion rates. Spreading has two components. One is controlled by surface tension-viscous drag forces and the other is wind-induced. Together they contribute to the two dimensional dissipation of the oil so that subsequent oil concentrations in the sea are of necessity, low. These concentrations were measured for naturally dispersing and chemically dispersed slicks. The chemically-dispersed slicks were of two kinds. One was previously weathered for three hours, the other was of controlled thickness and was dispersed immediately upon being laid. Resulting concentrations of oil in the sea are low and of short duration compared with those required to give observable effects in laboratory toxicity studies. No significant deleterious effects were found to result from the dispersion of oil slicks at sea using low toxicity dispersant chemicals; also it was noted that, in any case, substantial quantities of oil can be expected to enter the sea before oil recovery operations can be mounted.
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