Oil Containment Booms Research Articles

Numerical and experimental study of oil boom motion response and oil-stopping effect under wave-current action

Little research has been done on the failure of oil booms when wave-current coupling is present. This study investigates the motion response and oil-stopping failure of the oil containment boom experimentally and numerically. The oil containment effect under wave-current and the motion response of the oil containment boom were investigated through experiments. Using CFD software FLUENT for simulation, the study established a multiphase flow analysis model to simulate the oil containment of an oil containment boom and used the volume of fluid method (VOF) to track the oil-water interface. The study compares the experimental and numerical results, which are coincident with each other, and validates the validity of the numerical model. Numerical methods are used to analyze the effects of various working conditions (water flow rate, wave parameter, wave reversal, skirt height, and initial oil spill volume) on the oil containment effect of the oil containment boom. The results show that the presence of waves accelerates the oil containment failure; compared to the wave-current flowing in the same direction, wave-current reversal is better for oil containment, and the initial oil spill volume primarily affects the thickening of the oil layer, which provides an important reference for the design of an effective oil containment boom.

Applications of bubble curtains in marine oil spill containment: Hydrodynamic characteristics, applications, and future perspectives

Although the marine oil spill pollution issue does not bring us to flock in droves as the new emerging oceanic techniques like wave energy converters, remote operated vehicle (ROV), blue ammonia and green hydrogen, the huge pollution risks of the marine oil spills caused by man-made intentional discharge, old equipment, accidental leakage, war and other aspects should arouse our sufficient attention and concern. As the primary countermeasure of emergency response to a marine oil spill, rapid & efficient oil containment is crucial to limit the pollution scope and the subsequent recovery and treatment. Here, we summarized the existing investigations on oil-spill containment with a marked emphasis on the applications of bubble curtains and their working mechanisms. The critical research progress and trends about the remediation techniques and the application of bubble curtains in marine environments were briefly introduced. The article thoroughly analyzed the basic working mechanism of the bubble curtains in oil spill containment, the technical difficulties of the existing methods, the potential application prospects of coupling with the traditional oil containment booms and the critical scientific problems to be studied in the future. Regarding the issues involving insufficient oil retention performance and inconvenient deployment of the existing traditional oil boom under complex and variable sea conditions, the performance and structural optimization of bubble curtain enhanced oil containment boom will get the top priority in developing the next-generation oil containment techniques.

Multiphase CFD simulation of the nearshore spilled oil behaviors

Oil spills are a serious environmental problem. To better support risk assessment and pollution control for oil spills, a good understanding of oil transport in the environment is required. This study focused on the numerical simulation of the nearshore oil behaviors based on computational fluid dynamics. Based on the Navier-Stokes momentum equations for an incompressible viscous fluid and volume of fluid (VOF) method, a 3D numerical model of three-phase transient flow was developed. The wave number, averaged flow velocity and oil properties would affect the oil spread extent and the oil volume fraction. The higher the averaged flow velocity and wave number, the lower the oil concentration, and the faster the horizontal movement of the oil. The spilled oil may move to contact the seafloor by increasing the averaged flow velocity at the inlet boundary. Through increasing the wave number, the oil would stay near the water surface. In the nearshore, where the wave is the main seawater motion, the oil containment boom should be set preferentially to the direction of wave transmission for oil cleaning. This study shows that by doubling the wave number and increasing the averaged flow velocity (ten times) at the same time, the maximum oil volume fraction would be reduced by around 32%. Finally, the water temperature had no significant impact on the oil migration, and the impact of evaporation should be considered in the simulation.

Estimation of a Mechanical Recovery System’s Oil Recovery Capacity by Considering Boom Loss

Ability to estimate the recovery potential of countermeasures is vital in establishing a rational response solution for oil spills at sea. This requires estimation of how much oil can be recovered and the determination of the rational quantities and operating conditions of the response equipment. In this study, a constant loss rate model and a variable loss rate model were developed to estimate the recovery potential of a mechanical oil recovery system, while considering the escape of oil containment booms. The latter model could calculate the speed at which oil loss began to occur and the volume of oil lost. A case study was performed to analyze the significance of oil loss and to calculate changes in recovery potential with respect to adjustable vital variables. The developed model was able to estimate the best operating situation, which optimizes the recovery potential for different response times and environmental conditions.

Modelling and assessment of accidental oil release from damaged subsea pipelines

This paper develops a 3D, transient, mathematical model to estimate the oil release rate and simulate the oil dispersion behavior. The Euler-Euler method is used to estimate the subsea oil release rate, while the Eulerian-Lagrangian method is employed to track the migration trajectory of oil droplets. This model accounts for the quantitative effect of backpressure and hole size on oil release rate, and the influence of oil release rate, oil density, current speed, water depth and leakage position on oil migration is also investigated in this paper. Eventually, the results, e.g. transient release rate of oil, the rise time of oil and dispersion distance are determined by above-mentioned model, and the oil release and dispersion behavior under different scenarios is revealed. Essentially, the assessment results could provide a useful guidance for detection of leakage positon and placement of oil containment boom.

Experimental and numerical investigations on reliability of air barrier on oil containment in flowing water

Air barriers have been recently developed and employed as a new type of oil containment boom. This paper presents systematic investigations on the reliability of air barriers on oil containments with the involvement of flowing water, which represents the commonly-seen shearing current in reality, by using both laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. Both the numerical and experimental investigations are carried out in a model scale. In the investigations, a submerged pipe with apertures is installed near the bottom of a tank to generate the air bubbles forming the air curtain; and, the shearing water flow is introduced by a narrow inlet near the mean free surface. The effects of the aperture configurations (including the size and the spacing of the aperture) and the location of the pipe on the effectiveness of the air barrier on preventing oil spreading are discussed in details with consideration of different air discharges and velocities of the flowing water. The research outcome provides a foundation for evaluating and/or improve the reliability of a air barrier on preventing spilled oil from further spreading.

One-step fabrication of a nickel foam-based superhydrophobic and superoleophilic box for continuous oil–water separation

Developing novel oil–water separation material, especially with uncomplicated fabrication and easily continuous separation procedure, is of great significance for environmental protection, but it is still a worldwide challenge. In this study, we present a simple one-step copolymerization method for fabrication organics coated three-dimensional material based on commercial nickel foam with dopamine and octadecylamine. The as-prepared nickel foam shows high superhydrophobicity with water contact angle (CA) of 154° ± 2°, water shedding angle of 4° ± 1° and superoleophilicity with oil CA of almost 0°. The as-prepared foam can fast and selectively remove oil from water due to its special wettability and porous structure. Besides, the foam can be manipulated to realize oil–water separation with a magnet bar due to its intrinsic magnetism. More interestingly, because of it being lightweight, and softness and toughness performance, the as-prepared foam can continuously remove and collect oil from water surface by folding it to a closed hollow box, which integrates the functions of oil containment boom, oil-absorption material and oil skimmer into one device. We believe that this research can provide a nice idea to design new material and device for practical oil–water separation.

A facile method to fabricate functionally integrated devices for oil/water separation.

In this paper, we present a facile method for the fabrication of a functionally integrated device, which has the multi-functions of the oil-containment boom, oil-sorption material, and water/oil-separating film, through a single immersion step in an ethanol solution of stearic acid. During the simple immersion process, the two dominant factors of superhydrophobicity, surface roughness and low-surface-energy coatings, could be accomplished simultaneously. The as-prepared functionally integrated device with superhydrophobicity/superoleophilicity displayed a lower density than that of water, such that it could float on water and act as an oil-containment boom; an efficient oil-absorbing property, which was attributed to the capillary effect caused by micrometer-sized pore structures and could be used as oil-sorption materials; a high oil/water separating efficiency which was suitable for water/oil-separating film. In this way, the functions of oil collection, absorption, and water/oil separation are integrated into a single device, and these functions could work independently, reducing the cost in terms of energy consumption and being versatile for a wide range of applications.

MODELING OIL SPILL CONTAINMENT IN COASTAL AREAS

Floating oil containment booms represent an important part of contingency plans developed to protect sensitive shorelines and/or coastal infrastructure. These booms can however fail to effectively contain oil if improperly deployed or used during unfavorable conditions. Modeling the use of booms using different realistic scenarios can help both improve the understanding and reduce the occurrence of boom failure due to oil leakage or boom submersion. Our project is focused on improvements of shoreline defenses against marine pollution (ISDAMP) and is funded by the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (European Commission). In order to guide planners or responders to select effective boom positions, a numerical model was developed. A high resolution integrated numerical modeling approach was implemented including a 3D hydrodynamic model, an oil dispersion model (MOHID) and a wave model (WW3). Additionally, a 3D finite-element model of the booms typically used in coastal areas (BAR3D) was developed. The originality of this approach lies in the use of a small scale (100m) resolution hydrodynamic model to apply force on a 3D boom in realistic conditions.

In Situ Separation and Collection of Oil from Water Surface via a Novel Superoleophilic and Superhydrophobic Oil Containment Boom

We have prepared a porous, superoleophilic and superhydrophobic miniature oil containment boom (MOCB) for the in situ separation and collection of oils from the surface of water. The MOCB was fabricated by a one-step electrodepositing of Cu2O film on Cu mesh surface without using low surface energy materials. Oils on water surface could be fast contained in the MOCB while water was completely repelled out of the MOCB, thus achieving the separation of oil from water surface. In addition, the contained oil in the MOCB could be in situ collected easily by a dropper, thus achieving the collection of oil. Moreover, the MOCB could be reused for many times in the oil-water separating process with large separation abilities more than 90%. The MOCB also possessed excellent water pressure resistance for about 164 mm water column and good corrosion resistance in simulating seawater. Therefore, the findings in the present study might offer a simple, fast, and low-cost method for the in situ separation and collection of oil spills on seawater surface.

A CFD (computational fluid dynamic) simulation for oil leakage from damaged submarine pipeline

The objective of the present paper is to study the oil flows from damaged submarine pipelines with different leak sizes. CFD (computational fluid dynamic) simulations with FLUENT software are carried out to investigate the process of oil spill from submarine pipeline to free surface. Effects of oil density, oil leaking rate, leak size and water velocity on the oil spill process are examined. High density, slow leaking, small leak size or fast current brings about long time for oil reaching the maximum horizontal migrate distance when it reaches surface. And this maximum horizontal migrate distance increases with the increase of leak size or water velocity, while increases with the decrease of leaking rate. Then, the dimensionless time required for oil droplets which have the longest horizontal migrate distance when they reach the sea surface and the dimensionless longest horizontal distance the droplets migrate when they reach the sea surface are analyzed and the fitting formulas are obtained. Only the formula for the dimensionless longest horizontal distance versus dimensionless density meets the polynomial, other five formulas meet the natural logarithm distribution. Using the formulas we can obtain when and where to see oil reaching the sea surface, and conduct rapid response. Finally, the maximum horizontal migration distance of oil at certain time is predicted, and a forecasting model is proposed. The using methods of fitting formulas and the forecasting model are shown in the paper by examples. These calculated results provide useful guidance to place the oil containment boom.

Marine Oil Spill Emergency Response Research

Oil spill emergency response is a way of controlling and cleaning oil spill fast and effectively according to emergency plan; it would decrease the pollution of oil spill. Refer to the vessel oil spill emergency response system status of China, based on the research of vessel oil spill emergency response system, this paper analyzes the function and parameter of a variety of oil spill emergency equipments, then does 3d modeling to WQJ1000 oil containment boom, this is of special interest to the oil spill emergency response system simulation.

A Functionally Integrated Device for Effective and Facile Oil Spill Cleanup

In this Letter, we have fabricated a multifunctional device for highly efficient and inexpensive oil spill cleanup by combining electroless metal deposition with self-assembled monolayers, which has integrated the functions of oil containment booms, oil-sorption materials, oil skimmers, and water-oil separating devices. This functionally integrated device has a lower density than that of water, which leads to a potential application as oil containment booms; it can take up oil that is 3.5 times its own weight, which shows excellent oil-sorption properties, with the water-oil separating yield of the as-prepared device being up to 92%. The device has the advantages of high efficiency, capacity of antiwave, and reproducibility, which is suitable for many types of organic solvents or oils, even for emulsion of petroleum and water, and thus is a proof-of-principle idea to be applied in marine spilt oil cleanup and other water-oil separating systems.

FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION ANALYSIS APPLIED TO OIL CONTAINMENT BOOMS

ABSTRACT The most important aspect of the ongoing research project is to develop numerical coupled hydraulic-structural analysis models of oil containment booms. This should be later applicable for investigation of the efficiency limits of a new system of oil spill containment booms called Cavalli system. This system consists of surrounding the oil slick with a special boom and protecting it against waves and currents. It provides the possibility to divide the encircled area in several smaller circles and to increase the thickness of the oil slick inside. The whole system consists of a two-phase fluid (oil and water) and a boom that should be structurally stable for the pressure loads imposed by the fluids. It is finally important to evaluate the behaviour of the flexible skirt under different wave and current conditions, as almost all of existing research in the field have been undertaken for rigid barriers. To assess the behaviour of a flexible barrier fluid-structure interaction analysis is to be conducted. The problem is considered as a fluid-structure interaction problem as the boom usually undergoes large deformations and rotations, which modifies the flow characteristics during operation that is not the case for a rigid boom.

Oil Spill Response Centers in Brazil – a New Experience

ABSTRACT It has been noticed, in the latest Brazilian oil spill emergencies, that the time of arrival of equipaments in the emergency site, due to some differents facts (Brazilian dimensions, transport infrastructure, Customes etc) was of 48–60 hours. Furthermore, one may notice that all the Brazilian oil spill response equipment was not enough for Tier 2 and 3 emergencies. Petrobras has decided to install a total of nine Oil Spill Response Centers, strategically located throughout Brazil, thus increasing its response capacity for potential oil spills. Each of the Centers is equipped with special barges, oil recovery boats, skimmers, sorbents, containment and sorbent booms. Equipments and logistic support can be rapidly dispatched to any area in Brazil where an emergency might occur. The CDAs operate with about 250 trained technicians, available 24 hours per day. This provides regularly trained skills, together with Petrobras technicians and the local communities, in order to guarantee readiness in the event of a spill. Some data about how and where the Centers have been working after two years operation are now shown. In fact, the CDAs have been participating in a lot of response calls, although most of them are inspections for prevention, supporting the Petrobras’ units operations, other companies’ emergencies and ocasional oil spills. However, it should be noted that Brazil has more capacity to face oil-related emergencies than before.

In Situ Burning

Abstract Introduction: The use of in situ burning as a spill response technique is not new, having been researched and used for a variety of oil spills since the late 1960s. In general, the technique has proved effective for oil spills in ice conditions and has been used successfully to remove oil spills in ice-covered waters resulting from storage tank and ship accidents in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia. Although there have been numerous incidents of vessel oil spills that inadvertently caught fire, the intentional ignition of oil slicks on open water has only been seriously considered since the development of fire-resistant oil containment boom beginning in the early 1980s. The development of these booms offered the possibility of conducting controlled burns in open water conditions. In situ burning operations using these booms have been conducted at three spills in the last decade: a major offshore tanker spill, a burning blowout in an inshore environment, and a pipeline spill into a river. In situ burning of thick, fresh slicks can be initiated very quickly by igniting the oil with devices as simple as an oil-soaked sorbent pad. In situ burning can remove oil from the water surface very efficiently and at very high rates. Removal efficiencies for thick slicks can easily exceed 90%. Removal rates of 2000 m3/hr can be achieved with a fire area of only about 10,000 m2 or a circle of about 100 m in diameter. The use of towed fire containment boom to capture, thicken and isolate a portion of a spill, followed by ignition, is far less complex than the operations involved in mechanical recovery, transfer, storage, treatment and disposal. If the small quantities of residue from an efficient burn require collection, the viscous, taffy-like material can be collected and stored for further treatment and disposal. There is a limited window of opportunity for using in situ burning with the presently available technology. This window is defined by the time it takes the oil slick to emulsify; once water contents of stable emulsions exceed about 25%, most slicks are unignitable. Research is ongoing to overcome this limitation. Despite the strong incentives for considering in situ burning as a primary countermeasure method, there remains some resistance to the approach. There are two major concerns: first, the fear of causing secondary fires that threaten human life, property and natural resources; and, second, the potential environmental and human-health effects of the by-products of burning, primarily the smoke. The objective of this chapter is to review the science, technology, operational capabilities and limitations and ecological consequences of in situ burning as a countermeasure for oil spills on water. The main focus of this section is on marine oil spills in open water conditions. The use of in situ burning for spills in ice conditions is dealt with in another chapter. Much of the content of this chapter is updated from an in-depth review of in situ burning produced for the Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) in 1994 (ref. 1). Interested readers are encouraged to refer to the original report for fully-referenced details of the summary presented here. The MSRC report is available from the American Petroleum Institute in Washington, DC.

FULL SCALE OIL CONTAINMENT BOOM TESTING AT SEA

ABSTRACT In May 1994 the Marine Spill Response Corporation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and Minerals Management Service conducted a joint test of oil containment booms in Lower New York Bay and in the Atlantic Ocean east of Sandy Hook New Jersey. These tests allowed the collection of quantitative data on boom performance, including tow forces, skirt draft, and boom freeboard, as a function of tow speed and environmental forces due to currents, wind, and waves. Four booms were chosen for testing based on their different physical characteristics: The 3M Fire Boom, the Barrier Boom, the USCG/Oil Stop inflatable boom, and the U.S. Navy USS-42 boom. Use of these booms allowed data acquisition over a range of buoyancy to weight ratios from 5:1 up to 52:1, nominal skirt drafts from 61 cm up to 150 cm, and freeboards from 37 cm up to 119 cm. The data collected allows a comparison between methods for calculating boom loads and measured loads. Existing calculation methods predict towing loads below the mean loads experienced by a boom when used at sea. Further research will be required to develop an encompassing dimensionless empirical formula, based on hydrodynamic theory and the dynamics of vessel motions, to more closely predict oil containment boom tow loads.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF OIL CONTAINMENT BOOMS1

ABSTRACT In recent years, major oil spills, such as the Exxon Valdez incident, and many smaller spills have given rise to a worldwide marine environmental concern. One of the most successful devices for containing and facilitating the recovery of spilled oil, and one which does not endanger or alter the environment in any way, is the oil containment boom. Described in this paper is a finite element (FE) based method for structural analysis of oil booms. In general, a number of FE models for a typical oil boom section are set up using the COSMOS FEA code. These models differ from one another in oil boom geometry, deployment configurations, and oil boom components. The FEA (fimite element analysis) models are made from the plate elements (skirt and tube), truss elements (tension members and ballast chain), and beam elements (end connector). Loads due to tow/current velocity, wind velocity, wave action, and ballasting, as determined from aero/hydrodynamics analysis, are applied as distributed pressures on the plate and beam elements. This method will predict boom tensile load strength, detailed stress distribution, and distortion characteristics for a particular boom with specific deployment configuration and environmental condition. The derived information can be used to highlight critical design features, thereby optimizing the oil boom design. Alternatively, this information can be used for the selection of an oil boom suited for a particular application and, more importantly, can provide the user with a control evaluation tool to determine whether a given oil boom design can withstand the stresses of its intended application.

Reaction of Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, to a Controlled Oil Spill

Three captive bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, were observed in an ocean pen measuring 14 × 11 m, divided into three equal areas by oil-containment booms. Each dolphin was placed in the pen alone for 4 d with no oil present, and 2 d with dark-colored mineral oil in one of the areas. We noted their area of surfacing, underwater movements, dive times, and reactions. After a few brief contacts with the oil, dolphins completely avoided surfacing in the slick. The oil also acted as a temporary barrier restricting their underwater movement.

THE USE OF DEFLECTORS FOR DEPLOYMENT OF OIL BOOMS IN RIVERS

ABSTRACT A study was conducted to design, develop, and test deflectors for use in aligning oil containment booms at an angle to the current direction in flowing waters. A series of experimental field trials were undertaken in which booms, fitted with deflectors, were either towed in a lake or deployed in flowing water. During the program, several design improvements were incorporated and a final suggested design was established. A simple hydrodynamic theory has been devised which enables the boom deflection angle to be predicted from the number, dimensions, and configuration of the deflectors and the dimensions of the boom. Agreement between the simplified theory and the experimental results is satisfactory. A graphical procedure has been devised by which an on-scene commander can calculate the requirements for deflecting a given boom. Two promising applications for deflectors are discussed. A permanently deployed system could be used across a waterway subject to periodic oil discharges. A boom with deflectors closed could be moored alongshore in sensitive areas, allowing rapid deployment into the river current upon release of the deflectors.