Oil Spill Emergency Research Articles

Application of the SOSim v2 Model to Spills of Sunken Oil in Rivers

Sunken oil transport processes in rivers differ from those in oceans, and currently available models may not be generally applicable to sunken oil in river settings. The open-source Subsurface Oil Simulator (SOSim) model has been expanded to handle spills of sunken oil in navigable rivers, utilizing Bayesian inference to integrate field concentration data with bathymetric data to predict the location and movement of sunken oil. A novel prior likelihood function incorporates bathymetric input, with sampling grid and default parameters adapted appropriately for rivers. SOSim v2 was demonstrated versus field observations taken following the M/T (Motor Tanker) Athos I oil spill. The model was also modified to operate in 1-D, to assess the longitudinal distribution of sunken oil in a non-navigable river using available poling data collected following the Enbridge Kalamazoo River oil spill in 2010. Results of both case studies were consistent with observed data and local bathymetry in 2-D and 1-D, and the model is suggested as a complement to deterministic models for oil spill emergency response in rivers.

Inversion of the Thickness of Crude Oil Film Based on an OG-CNN Model

In recent years, marine oil spill accidents have occurred frequently, seriously endangering marine ecological security. It is highly important to protect the marine ecological environment by carrying out research on the estimation of sea oil spills based on remote sensing technology. In this paper, we combine deep learning with remote sensing technology and propose an oil thickness inversion generative adversarial and convolutional neural network (OG-CNN) model for oil spill emergency monitoring. The model consists of a self-expanding module for the oil film spectral feature data and an oil film thickness inversion module. The feature data self-expanding module can automatically select spectral feature intervals with good spectral separability based on the measured spectral data and then expand the number of samples using a generative adversarial network (GAN) to enhance the generalization of the model. The oil film thickness inversion module is based on a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN). It extracts the characteristics of the spectral feature data of oil film with different thicknesses, and then accurately inverts the oil film’s absolute thickness. In this study, emulsification was not a factor considered, the results show that the absolute oil thickness inversion accuracy of the OG-CNN model proposed in this paper can reach 98.12%, the coefficient of determination can reach 0.987, and the mean deviation remains within ±0.06% under controlled experimental conditions. In the model stability test, the model maintains relatively stable inversion results under the interference of random Gaussian noise. The accuracy of the oil film thickness inversion result remains above 96%, the coefficient of determination can reach 0.973, and the mean deviation is controlled within ±0.6%, which indicates excellent robustness.

Facile Fabrication of Marine Algae-Based Robust Superhydrophobic Sponges for Efficient Oil Removal from Water.

Water pollution caused by oil spillages has aroused worldwide attention. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop low-cost, environmentally friendly materials to remove oil contaminants from water. Herein, a “green” superhydrophobic sponge made from marine algae was fabricated by one-step growth of silicone nanofilaments onto a AgNP-decorated alginate sponge via chemical vapor deposition of an azeotrope of (CH3)3SiCl and SiCl4. The reaction of the azeotrope with the alginate sponge was termed “instant”, as it took only a few minutes (5 min) at room temperature to achieve superhydrophobicity (152.0°). Such sponges resist high temperatures, UV irradiation, organic solvents, and mechanical abrasion without losing the superhydrophobicity. The sponges absorbed oil droplets within seconds (1.3–7.0 s) with 11.7–17.1 g/g of sorption capacities for oils of different viscous levels (0.56–1775.00 mPa·s). These sponges could retain 90% of the initial oil sorption capacities after 10 consecutive oil sorption/desorption cycles. Benefiting from the superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity, the sponges also exhibited high efficiency in oil/water mixture separation. Once the oil/water mixture was injected into the sponge, oil drops were retained in inner pores while water was rejected and spouted from the surface. These excellent performances make the resultant sponge a competitive material for oil spill emergency remediation.

Dynamic Scheduling Optimization of Marine Oil Spill Emergency Resource

Huang, X.L.; Ren, Y.T.; Zhang, J.A.; Wang, D., and Liu, J.P., 2020. Dynamic scheduling optimization of marine oil spill emergency resource. In: Qiu, Y.; Zhu, H., and Fang, X. (eds.), Current Advancements in Marine and Coastal Research for Technological and Sociological Applications. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 107, pp. 437-442. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.With the increasing development of marine resources development and marine transportation, oil spill has become one of the main threats to marine ecological environment. Considering that the oil film has the characteristics of drift, this paper studies the oil spill emergency material scheduling problem with multiple oil films. Firstly, the position of oil film drifting with time under the influence of sea condition is calculated. Secondly, aiming at the shortest scheduling time and the lowest cost, the dynamic scheduling optimization model of oil spill emergency materials is constructed. The maximum threshold of emergency dispatch time is introduced to transform the model, and MPSO algorithm is designed to solve the model. The results show that the emergency materials can be transported to the accident site within the prescribed time, thus preventing the continuous diffusion of pollution. At the same time, it can avoid unnecessary waste and reduce economic loss. And it can provide the theoretical support for the decision-maker to make the emergency material dispatch plan.

Scenario-Based Marine Oil Spill Emergency Response Using Hybrid Deep Reinforcement Learning and Case-Based Reasoning

Case-based reasoning (CBR) systems often provide a basis for decision makers to make management decisions in disaster prevention and emergency response. For decades, many CBR systems have been implemented by using expert knowledge schemes to build indexes for case identification from a case library of situations and to explore the relations among cases. However, a knowledge elicitation bottleneck occurs for many knowledge-based CBR applications because expert reasoning is difficult to precisely explain. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a method using only knowledge to recognize marine oil spill cases. The proposed method combines deep reinforcement learning (DRL) with strategy selection to determine emergency responses for marine oil spill accidents by quantification of the marine oil spill scenario as the reward for the DRL agent. These accidents are described by scenarios and are considered the state inputs in the hybrid DRL/CBR framework. The challenges and opportunities of the proposed method are discussed considering different scenarios and the intentions of decision makers. This approach may be helpful in terms of developing hybrid DRL/CBR-based tools for marine oil spill emergency response.

Cleaning up Emergency Oil Spills from the Water Surface with Magnetic Adsorbents

There was suggested a method of obtaining a complex adsorbent with magnetic properties for the oil spill clean-up from the water surface by means of controlled magnetic field. As magnetic filler a finely-dispersed iron-ore concentrate in the form of magnetite, obtained by wet magnetic separation of crushed iron ore, was suggested. As an adsorbing component the disintegrating electric-furnace steelmaking slag, obtained by dry air-cooling method, was selected. The mass ratio of components slag:magnetite is 1(1,5÷2,0). For cleaning up emergency oil spills with the suggested magnetic adsorbent a facility, which is installed on a twin-hulled oil recovery vessel, was designed. The vessel contains a rectangular case between the vessel hulls with inlet and outlet for the treated water, the bottom of which is a permanently moving belt. Above the belt, at the end point of it there is an oil-gathering drum with magnetic system. The adsorbent is poured to oil-products layer from a hopper, provided with drum feeder. Due to the increased bulk weight the adsorbent sinks rapidly into the oil layer on the water surface. If the large non-floating flocculi are formed, they sink and sedimentate on the moving belt and are moved to the oil-gathering drum. The saturated adsorbent is removed from the drum surface with a scraper, connected with a gutter, with contains a rotating auger.

Liquidation of Oil and Petroleum Products Spills Based on Use of NA and CA-Differences of Zeolite

The article discusses the use of ecologically and economically practical proved methods of neutralizing the soil ecosystems in Yakutia after emergency oil spills. Experimental studies have been made to develop a new biosorbent based on a natural sorbent. The natural zeolite Na and CA-differences from the Khonguruu deposit (The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia) is used as a base for obtaining the biosorbent. The necessary typification of zeolite deposits revealed at the stage of exploration, in order to determine the field of practical application of raw materials in the preparation of the field for industrial development. The types of raw materials according to the cationic composition difference are identified: clinoptilolite-heulandite and heulandite. A brief description of the material composition and averaged physico-chemical characteristics of various types of zeolite raw material is given. We present the results of the experimental application of hydrocarbon oxidizing microorganisms (HOM) immobilized on zeolite (clinoptilolite- heulandite series) from the Khonguruu deposit in oil-contaminated soils. It has been established that the obtained biomineral compositions provide a significant activation of petroleum hydrocarbons (HC) biodegradation in the soil. In general, the technology of using zeolite raw materials for cleaning up oil spills from different types of permafrost soils provides a significant ecological and economic effect, thus contributing to the reduction of the time for rehabilitation of disturbed lands and the improvement of the environment in the disturbed territory.

The oil spills stopping device for oil pipelines

Emergency oil spills during main pipeline transportation have an extremely negative impact on the ecosystem. It is not possible to estimate the effects of oil spills, because oil is a product of long period decay. Oil pollution compromises processes proceeding in the biosphere, changes the living conditions of living organisms and their interrelation. Oil spills need to be prevented for negative impact reduction or, in case of an accident occur, spill need to be stopped and consequences need to be eliminated in a short time. Accident prevention is achieved by observing the requirements and rules of engineering surveys and pipeline design. If the requirements of standards are complied with, the hydrogeological and climatic features of the district are considered during design, construction and operation, the pipeline should work without accidents during the service life. But accidents may occur as a result of human factors, natural calamities and other unexpected circumstances. Oil spill prevention is not simple and not standard task. For time and costs reducing universal tool for oil spill prevention needs to be invented. This tool needs to be used before temporary clamping structure will be installed.

Oil spills and ecological risks evaluation

The paper reviews and presents the data and classification of the emergency oil spills during its production and transportation. Eco-economic risks depending on the oil spill degree were calculated. Though in some cases these risks are insignificant, in the large-scale oil spills the consequences may be quite serious.

Aspects for Priority Protection Assessment of Abiotic Components to Oil Exposure

The analytical review was prepared to assess coefficients of priority protection the features of special significance for mapping the vulnerability of marine coastal zones from oil pollution. Nowadays, this issue is a rather complex scientific problem, because there is no consensus on how to evaluate, calculate and how to present them. In most cases, such coefficients are given by one or more parameters in relative units (points, ranks). As a rationale, only criteria are given, taking into account which it is determined how much one object is more important for protection than another, and specific values are based mainly on the subjective expert’s opinion and are therefore ambiguous. At the same time, the availability of maps showing the environmental vulnerability of marine coastal zones is very important in case of emergency oil spills, as it facilitates the indicating of priorities for cleaning, especially at the initial stages of spill response and minimizes potential damage to the natural and man-made environment. This paper proposes approaches, where the basis for obtaining quantitative standardizable indicators of priority protection the features of special significance presented with minimal subjectivity and maximum generality.

ЭТНОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ЭКСПЕРТИЗА ПОСЛЕДСТВИЙ АВАРИЙНОГО ЗАГРЯЗНЕНИЯ ОКРУЖАЮЩЕЙ СРЕДЫ

The article discusses approaches to conducting ethnological expertise to assess the consequences of changes in the native habitat of indigenous peoples of the North in connection with an emergency oil spill at the TPP-3 in Norilsk on May 29, 2020. It shows the impact on the environment as a result of past economic activity on the territory of the Norilsk industrial district, as well as possible changes in the sphere of traditional nature management in connection with an emergency oil spill. It is proposed to divide the assessment of negative effects on the environment and the traditional way of life of indigenous peoples associated with past economic activities and changes caused by the current impact of accidental pollution and its consequences on the ethnic group and the traditional way of life of the local population. The stages and content of ethnological expertise of changes in the native habitat of indigenous peoples on the territory of the Taimyr Dolgan-Nenets municipal district of the Krasnoyarsk territory due to an emergency oil spill are considered. The assessment of possible harm to small indigenous peoples for subsequent compensation is proposed to be determined on the basis of reduced resource productivity of the territory and lost profits for certain types of traditional nature use. The zone of withdrawal of the territories of traditional nature use area stress should be determined on the basis of instrumental measurements of the level of environmental pollution (water, soil, etc.). Holding the ethnological expertise in connection with environmental pollution on the territories of traditional nature use, including the assessment and compensation of the caused harm, allows to harmonize the interests of all stakeholders to minimize ecological, economic and social risks in the field of natural use.

Geographical and ecological land zoning of onshore oil pipeline location by level of hazard to environment from emergency oil spills in Arctic region

Geographical and ecological land zoning of onshore oil pipeline location by level of hazard to environment from emergency oil spills in Arctic region

Методы инвентаризации и паспортизации аварийных разливов нефти на объектах нефтегазового комплекса

Методы инвентаризации и паспортизации аварийных разливов нефти на объектах нефтегазового комплекса

Модификация спутникового радиолокационного многоуглового метода измерений параметров аварийных разливов нефти на морской поверхности

Модификация спутникового радиолокационного многоуглового метода измерений параметров аварийных разливов нефти на морской поверхности

Dispersant Enhances Hydrocarbon Degradation and Alters the Structure of Metabolically Active Microbial Communities in Shallow Seawater From the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico.

Dispersant application is a primary emergency oil spill response strategy and yet the efficacy and unintended consequences of this approach in marine ecosystems remain controversial. To address these uncertainties, ex situ incubations were conducted to quantify the impact of dispersant on petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) biodegradation rates and microbial community structure at as close as realistically possible to approximated in situ conditions [2 ppm v/v oil with or without dispersant, at a dispersant to oil ratio (DOR) of 1:15] in surface seawater. Biodegradation rates were not substantially affected by dispersant application at low mixing conditions, while under completely dispersed conditions, biodegradation was substantially enhanced, decreasing the overall half-life of total PHC compounds from 15.4 to 8.8 days. While microbial respiration and growth were not substantially altered by dispersant treatment, RNA analysis revealed that dispersant application resulted in pronounced changes to the composition of metabolically active microbial communities, and the abundance of nitrogen-fixing prokaryotes, as determined by qPCR of nitrogenase (nifH) genes, showed a large increase. While the Gammaproteobacteria were enriched in all treatments, the Betaproteobacteria and different families of Alphaproteobacteria predominated in the oil and dispersant treatment, respectively. Results show that mixing conditions regulate the efficacy of dispersant application in an oil slick, and the quantitative increase in the nitrogen-fixing microbial community indicates a selection pressure for nitrogen fixation in response to a readily biodegradable, nitrogen-poor substrate.

Oil Spill Segmentation in Ship-Borne Radar Images with an Improved Active Contour Model

Oil spills cause serious damage to marine ecosystems and environments. The application of ship-borne radars to monitor oil spill emergencies and rescue operations has shown promise, but has not been well-studied. This paper presents an improved Active Contour Model (ACM) for oil film detection in ship-borne radar images using pixel area threshold parameters. After applying a pre-processing scheme with a Laplace operator, an Otsu threshold, and mean and median filtering, the shape and area of the oil film can be calculated rapidly. Compared with other ACMs, the improved Local Binary Fitting (LBF) model is robust and has a fast calculation speed for uniform ship-borne radar sea clutter images. The proposed method achieves better results and higher operation efficiency than other automatic and semi-automatic methods for oil film detection in ship-borne radar images. Furthermore, it provides a scientific basis to assess pollution scope and estimate the necessary cleaning materials during oil spills.

Optimization on Emergency Materials Dispatching Considering the Characteristics of Integrated Emergency Response for Large-Scale Marine Oil Spills

Many governments have been strengthening the construction of hardware facilities and equipment to prevent and control marine oil spills. However, in order to deal with large-scale marine oil spills more efficiently, emergency materials dispatching algorithm still needs further optimization. The present study presents a methodology for emergency materials dispatching optimization based on four steps, combined with the construction of Chinese oil spill response capacity. First, the present emergency response procedure for large-scale marine oil spills should be analyzed. Second, in accordance with different grade accidents, the demands of all kinds of emergency materials are replaced by an equivalent volume that can unify the units. Third, constraint conditions of the emergency materials dispatching optimization model should be presented, and the objective function of the model should be postulated with the purpose of minimizing the largest sailing time of all oil spill emergency disposal vessels, and the difference in sailing time among vessels that belong to the same emergency materials collection and distribution point. Finally, the present study applies a toolbox and optimization solver to optimize the emergency materials dispatching problem. A calculation example is presented, highlighting the sensibility of the results at different grades of oil spills. The present research would be helpful for emergency managers in tackling an efficient materials dispatching scheme, while considering the integrated emergency response procedure.

Research and Design of Intelligent Management Platform for Ship Oil Spill Emergency Equipment Depots Based on Internet of Things

Due to the low efficiency, informatization and decision-making ability of the traditional ship oil spill emergency equipment depots, an intelligent management platform for ship oil spill emergency equipment depots based on the Internet of things technology is proposed. The paper designs an intelligent management platform for the ship oil spill emergency equipment depots, which adopts the idea of modular design, constructs from the aspects of framework structure, platform function, and technical route. The platform could realize intelligent dynamic tracking and management of the entire process of equipment entering, storing, using, maintaining, and exiting the depots, which can greatly improve the level of informatization of equipment depots, the management efficiency of ship oil spill emergency equipment depots, the accuracy and speed of equipment operations and emergency response capabilities.

Environmental status of continental shelf in the Pechora Sea: analysis and recommendations

We have assessed the hydrocarbon reserves, including oil, in the waters of the Arctic seas of the Russian Federation. We have considered current projects for extraction of hydrocarbons in the Pechora Sea at the Prirazlomnoye field. We have carried out comprehensive analysis of environmental issues related to operation of oil exploration facilities, describing the prospects for development of offshore hydrocarbon fields on the continental shelf of the Pechora Sea. The valuable ecosystem components of the Pechora sea have been characterized. We have discussed the set of measures developed for reducing environmental risks: organizing a three-tier automated system for oil spill response in any situation, including emergency; using the “zero discharge” approach, in which all human and industrial waste is collected in special closed containers transported to the shore for disposal; vessels of the auxiliary fleet are equipped with the appropriate equipment enabling them to be directly eliminate emergency oil spills; annual oil spill response (OSR) exercises are held; since the terminal is located in a permafrost region, the oil storage tanks were built with double walls (the tank-in-tank principle), which virtually eliminates the risks of oil spills. We have formulated recommendations for maintaining sustainable environmental status of the continental shelf of the Pechora Sea.

Application Prospepects of a Mineral Sorbents in Yakutia

The subject covered in the paper is practical application of ecologically and economically proved methods to restore the disturbed soil ecosystems in Yakutia after emergency oil spills. Experimental studies have been performed on the development of a new petroleum biosorbent based on a mineral composition. The natural zeolite from the Khonguruu deposit (Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russia) is used as a base for obtaining the new petroleum biosorbent. A brief description of the material composition and physico-chemical characteristics of various types of zeolite raw material is given.We present the results of the experimental application of hydrocarbon oxidizing microorganisms (HOM) immobilized on zeolite (clinoptilolite-geylandite series) from the Khonguruu deposit in oil-contaminated soils. It has been established that the obtained biomineral compositions provide a significant activation of the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons (HC) in the soil. The most intensive processes occur at the first stage of the treatment activities (up to 90 days from the experiment’s start). The effect of the zeolite with fraction size less than 0.25 mm on the intensity of the destruction of oil is somewhat higher, compared with fraction size 0.5-3.0 mm. During one growing season, the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in soils treated with HOM was 36-54%; in soils treated with HOM immobilized on zeolite - 71-99%; in control variants not treated with biological preparations, the degradation coefficient of oil contamination is not significant. In general, the technology of using zeolite raw materials for cleaning up oil spills from different types of permafrost soils provides a significant ecological and economic effect, thus contributing to the reduction of the time for rehabilitation of disturbed lands and the improvement of the environment in the disturbed territory.