Oil Vapor Research Articles

Droplet Microfluidics with MALDI-MS Detection: The Effects of Oil Phases in GABA Analysis.

Microfluidic and mass spectrometry (MS) methods are widely used to sample and probe the chemical composition of biological systems to elucidate chemical correlates of their healthy and disease states. Though matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI)-MS has been hyphenated to droplet microfluidics for offline analyses, the effects of parameters related to droplet generation, such as the type of oil phase used, have been understudied. To characterize these effects, five different oil phases were tested in droplet microfluidics for producing samples for MALDI-MS analysis. Picoliter to nanoliter aqueous droplets containing 0.1 to 100 mM γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and inorganic salts were generated inside a polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic chip and deposited onto a conductive glass slide. Optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and MALDI-mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of the droplet samples and surrounding areas revealed patterns of solvent and oil evaporation and analyte deposition. Optical microscopy detected the presence of salt crystals in 50–100 μm diameter dried droplets, and Raman and MSI were used to correlate GABA signals to the visible droplet footprints. MALDI-MS analyses revealed that droplets prepared in the presence of octanol oil led to the poorest detectability of GABA, whereas the oil phases containing FC-40 provided the best detectability; GABA signal was localized to the footprint of 65 pL droplets with a limit of detection of 23 amol. The effect of the surfactant perfluorooctanol on analyte detection was also investigated.

Experimental Study on the Synergistic Effect between Evaporation Weathering and Emulsification of Oil Spills

First, a range of experiments using a stainless steel shallow plate in a thermostatic oscillator were carried out to simulate evaporation weathering of oil spills under different temperatures, wind velocities, oil film thicknesses, and wave conditions. The information on influencing factors of evaporation weathering could be obtained. Then, evaporation experiments of four oil samples with three emulsification states were conducted, and the effect of emulsification on evaporation of oil spills was investigated. The characteristics of each operation were described, mass loss characteristics of oil spills with time were plotted, and the effects of evaporative weathering processes under different conditions were quantitatively compared. A high-precision visualization system was utilized to simulate experimentally oil spill emulsification processes, and the effect of evaporative weathering on emulsification weathering of oil spills was investigated. The results of evaporation experiments showed that the increase of temperature could promote the evaporative weathering. The thin film thickness was beneficial to evaporation of oil spills. The increment of the wind speed could promote evaporation behavior when the wind velocity was small, but the increase of velocity had little effect on oil evaporation when the wind speed was large. Wave conditions had little effect on oil evaporation under the conditions of this experiment. The effect of different emulsification states on oil evaporation was not consistent. Unstable or semistable water-in-oil emulsions inhibited oil evaporation at the initial stage of evaporation, but water evaporation would increase oil-phase evaporation with the destruction of the emulsion structure. Stable water-in-oil emulsions inhibited evaporation weathering. The evaporation weathering of oil was conducive to the emulsification of oil.

Incidence of chronic respiratory conditions among oil spill responders: Five years of follow-up in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort study

BackgroundOver ten years after the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, our understanding of long term respiratory health risks associated with oil spill response exposures is limited. We conducted a prospective analysis in a cohort of U.S. Coast Guard personnel with universal military healthcare. MethodsFor all active duty cohort members (N = 45,193) in the DWH Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort Study we obtained medical encounter data from October 01, 2007 to September 30, 2015 (i.e., ~2.5 years pre-spill; ~5.5 years post-spill). We used Cox Proportional Hazards regressions to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR), comparing risks for incident respiratory conditions/symptoms (2010–2015) for: responders vs. non-responders; responders reporting crude oil exposure, any inhalation of crude oil vapors, and being in the vicinity of burning crude oil versus responders without those exposures. We also evaluated self-reported crude oil and oil dispersant exposures, combined. Within-responder comparisons were adjusted for age, sex, and smoking. ResultsWhile elevated aHRs for responder/non-responder comparisons were generally weak, within-responder comparisons showed stronger risks with exposure to crude oil. Notably, for responders reporting exposure to crude oil via inhalation, there were elevated risks for allsinusitis (aHR = 1.48; 95%CI, 1.06–2.06), unspecified chronic sinusitis (aHR = 1.55; 95%CI, 1.08–2.22), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other allied conditions (aHR = 1.43; 95%CI, 1.00–2.06), and dyspnea and respiratory abnormalities (aHR = 1.29; 95%CI, 1.00–1.67); there was a suggestion of elevated risk for diseases classified as asthma and reactive airway diseases (aHR = 1.18; 95%CI, 0.98–1.41), including the specific condition, asthma (aHR = 1.35; 95%CI, 0.80–2.27), the symptom, shortness of breath (aHR = 1.50; 95%CI, 0.89–2.54), and the overall classification of chronic respiratory conditions (aHR = 1.18; 95%CI, 0.98–1.43). Exposure to both crude oil and dispersant was positively associated with elevated risk for shortness of breath (HR = 2.24; 95%CI, 1.09–4.64). ConclusionsAmong active duty Coast Guard personnel, oil spill clean-up exposures were associated with moderately increased risk for longer term respiratory conditions.

DESIGN ADAPTATION OF BATCH CRUDE OIL BOILER FOR CONTINUOUS DISTILLATION OPERATIONS.

Purpose: Boilers are some of the most critical equipment in many production process especially in refinery operations, as it is used in generating steam for different applications. Different types of boilers are available commercially and have comparative advantages over one another. The pot or kettle boiler is the foremost of these equipment and consists of an empty vessel with a secure lid and a burner that is the source of heating. Though overtaken in industrial applications by more modern designs, these simple boilers which are often batch process equipment are still useful for small production processes at low pressures. The work here developed design adaptation of these batch boilers for continuous vaporization of crude oil for artesian refining of the oil.
 Methodology: Physical and assay data of Bonnylight Crude Oil (BLCO) was used for the work from the library of ASPEN Technologies. Simple mathematical models were developed from interpretation of implicit phenomena of the boiler transformation process. The models were validated using ASPEN HYSYS process simulation software Version 10.
 Findings: Computational results of the models and simulation results gave good convergence except for the heat transfer parameter of the model which had almost 100% of the simulation value. Nevertheless, the models have good predictive capabilities
 Recommendation: The design adaption models herein developed can be deployed with reasonable accuracy for the heating of crude oil especially for small artesian operations. However, the study space of the subject matter can be expanded for better accuracy and reliability.

56.2: Invited Paper: Evaluation of Optical See‐through Real Scene Image Quality in AR Eyewear Displays

Augmented Reality (AR) has become a hot topic. It seems AR is finally becoming ready for the generals: Public securities have been using AR glasses to assist their public patrol activities, the museum offers the AR glasses to enhance the visitor experience, the oil evaporation workers wear AR headset to help their evaporation operation, etc. However, the one component that is probably most limiting today's popularization is the display's image quality. This paper addressed the image quality of see‐through real scene for AR glasses. Michelson contrast or namely luminance modulation, is measured to evaluate the quality of an see‐through optics. In this paper, we studied the Michelson contrast at different locations of the optics of AR displays. Two types of AR displays were selected for the evaluation and measurement. This paper discussed the two favorable AR type technologies: waveguide and combiner (prism‐combiner).

A Comprehensive Review on the Impact of Edible Coatings, Essential Oils, and Their Nano Formulations on Postharvest Decay Anthracnose of Avocados, Mangoes, and Papayas.

Subtropical fruit such as avocados (Persea americana), mangoes (Mangifera indica L.), and papayas (Carica papaya L.) are economically important in international trade and predominantly exported to European destinations. These fruits are highly consumed due to their health benefits. However, due to long-distance shipping and the time required to reach the retail department stores, postharvest losses, due to postharvest decay occurring during the supply chain, affect the fruit quality on arrival at the long-distance distribution points. Currently, the use of synthetic fungicide, Prochloraz®, is used at the packing line to reduce postharvest decay and retain the overall quality of mangoes and avocados. Due to the ban imposed on the use of synthetic fungicides on fresh fruit, several studies have focused on the development of alternative technologies to retain the overall quality during marketing. Among the developed alternative technologies for commercial adoption is the use of edible coatings, such as chitosan biocontrol agents and essential oil vapors. The objective of this review is to summarize and analyze the recent advances and trends in the use of these alternative postharvest treatments on anthracnose decay in avocados, mangoes, and papayas.

The Application of the Essential Oils of Thymus vulgaris L. and Crithmum maritimum L. as Biocidal on Two Tholu Bommalu Indian Leather Puppets.

The chemical profile of the Thymus vulgaris (Lamiaceae) essential oil (EO) was investigated in order to evaluate its biological properties against microorganisms affecting two Tholu Bommalu, typical Indian leather puppets stored at the International Puppets Museum “Antonio Pasqualino” of Palermo, Italy. A GC–MS analysis, using both polar and apolar columns, was used to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of the Thymus vulgaris and Crithmum maritimum essential oils in vapor phase to disinfect heritage leather puppets. Pieces of leather artifacts that were affected by different bacterial colonies were exposed to EO under vacuum and static evaporation conditions. The results presented showed that the vaporization of essential oil was an efficient method in the disinfection of natural skins, eradicating microorganism in short times. T. vulgaris EO in the 50% solution showed excellent inhibitory activity against isolated bacteria with both methods, but the obtained results suggest that the vacuum method allowed for faster exposition of the artifacts to the biocide. Furthermore, the biocidal properties of the essential oil of a Sicilian accession of Crithmum maritimum (Apiaceae) aerial parts were compared and investigated. The results of the latter essential oil showed a poor activity against the isolated micro-organisms.

An Evaporation Model for Base Oil from Grease-Lubricated Rolling Bearings including Breathing

The film thickness decay of grease-lubricated bearings is determined by a loss of lubricant from the bearing. One of these loss mechanisms is base oil evaporation. In this article, a model is presented for evaporation where the volatiles leave the bearing by breathing. The model is applied to a typical drive cycle where the temperature is varied in time. The impact of the volatility of base oils and quality of sealing on the evaporation losses can be quantified with this model.

Measurement of Patchouli oil vapor using array of MOS gas sensors in various adulteration substances and concentrations

Indonesia is one of the main suppliers of Patchouli oil in the world market. It has high economical value. Indonesian Patchouli oil is mostly produced by SMEs using the distillation technique. However, the high demand and price of Patchouli oil led to the fraud of adulteration. SMEs intentionally mixed Patchouli oil with cheaper oils. This paper presented the vapor measurement of Patchouli oil by using an array of metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors (MOS) which may apply to indicate the presence of adulteration substance in Patchouli oil. A total of nine MOS gas sensors were tested. All MOS are driven with temperature modulation technique. We built an acquisition unit based on the PSoC device to acquire the MOS outputs to a computer. We tested two adulteration substances (palm oil and biodiesel oil), and two compositions (1:3 and 1:5) on two levels of Patchouli oil. Individual response of MOS was examined. The Principle Component Analysis (PCA) method was used to show the classification performance to distinguish the adulteration types in Patchouli oil. We found that there was no single MOS that able to distinguish the adulteration individually, and there were many overlapping responses to adulteration substances and compositions. The PCA results showed that on each level of Patchouli oil, nine MOS gas sensors can distinguish clearly between the with and without adulteration substances (palm oil and biodiesel oil).

Major Constituents of Cannabis Vape Oil Liquid, Vapor and Aerosol in California Vape Oil Cartridge Samples.

During the E-cigarette or Vaping product use Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) outbreak of August 2019 to February 2020, the California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Laboratory Branch received numerous cannabis vape oil cartridge investigation samples from throughout the state. Many of these products were directly linked to patients; others were collected as part of investigations. We determined the major ingredients and additives in twelve unused cannabis vape oil cartridge samples obtained before (n = 2) and during the EVALI outbreak (n = 10) in California from September 2018 to December 2019. We tested for major constituents in vape oil liquid, vape oil vapor, and vape oil aerosol phases. A nontargeted Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry direct injection screening method was developed for vape oils, a headspace heating module used for vape oil vapors and a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) vaping rig for aerosols generated by vaping. We have identified more than 100 terpenes and natural extracts, 19 cannabinoids, and other potential toxic additives such as Vitamin E Acetate, Polyethylene Glycols, and Medium Chain Triglycerides. We determined more terpenes and minor cannabinoids can be produced via vaporizing and aerosolizing the vape oil. Delta9-THC and potential toxic additives were found at lower levels in the vapor and aerosol than in the vape liquid.

Efficacy of true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) leaf essential oil as a therapeutic alternative for Candida biofilm infections.

Objective(s):The essential oil (EO) extracted from Cinnamomum verum leaves has been used as an antimicrobial agent for centuries. But its antifungal and antibiofilm efficacy is still not clearly studied. The objective of this research was to evaluate the in vitro antifungal and antibiofilm efficacy of C. verum leaf EO against C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. dubliniensis and the toxicity of EO using an in vitro model.Materials and Methods:The effect of EO vapor was evaluated using a microatmosphere technique. CLSI microdilution assay was employed in determining the Minimum Inhibitory (MIC) and Fungicidal Concentrations (MFC). Killing time was determined using a standard protocol. The effect of EO on established biofilms was quantified and visualized using XTT and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), respectively. Post-exposure intracellular changes were visualized using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The toxicological assessment was carried out with the Human Keratinocyte cell line. The chemical composition of EO was evaluated using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).Results:All test strains were susceptible to cinnamon oil vapor. EO exhibited MIC value 1.0 mg/ml and MFC value 2.0 mg/ml against test strains. The killing time of cinnamon oil was 6 hr. Minimum Biofilm Inhibitory Concentration (MBIC50) for established biofilms was <0.2 mg/ml for all test strains. SEM images exhibited cell wall damages, cellular shrinkages, and decreased hyphal formation of Candida. TEM indicated intracellular vacuolation, granulation, and cell wall damages. Cinnamon leaf oil caused no inhibition of HaCaT cells at any concentration tested. Eugenol was the abundant compound in cinnamon oil.Conclusion:C. verum EO is a potential alternative anti-Candida agent with minimal toxicity on the human host.

A Simulation Study of Steamflood Process with Co-Injection of Steam-Carbon Dioxide for Oil Recovery

Steamflood as one of thermal EOR method is effective to reduce the amount of oil left in the reservoir by mechanisms such as reducing the viscosity of the oil, oil evaporation, and displacement by steam. In this method, fluid is injected continuously into some injection wells to displace oil and obtain production from other wells. However, there are problems with steamflood process that are still not optimally solved. There is an early channelling of steam under the cap rock to the production well which leads to investigating a solution by co-injecting gases to steamflooding processes. Carbon dioxide is co-injected with steam to form gas-drive so it is expected to be able to add sweep in reservoir and also increase oil in place as gas dissolves in oil. Thermal simulation was carried out in this study using CMG STARS reservoir simulator by constructing two kind of injection schemes; steamflood only and steam-CO2 to study the performance of each method. The analysis in this research investigates the effects of steam-gas simultaneous injection in a heavy-oil recovery process specifically to the microscopic and macroscopic efficiencies. The sensitivity of some parameters in the simulation including injection rate, steam quality and slug size of gases injected are also evaluated. The result of simulation shows the highest efficiency from field-scale model is obtained from steam-CO2 method. From sensitivity analysis, it is shown that the increase of injection rate and steam quality of gas injected gives the higher recovery, but the oil recovery decreases as the slug size of gas increasing.

Ammonium Nitrate/Fuel Oil Vapour Detection with Conducting Polymer Percolation Network Sensors

Ammonium nitrate mixed with fuel oil (ANFO) is one of the most commonly used materials for improvised explosive devices (IEDs). ANFO detection is challenging because ANFO itself is not volatile. However, ammonium nitrate (AN) slowly decomposes into NH3 and HNO3.1 Additionally, fuel oils such as diesel are omnipresent and can cause a high false positive rate. Existing detection methods often require large pieces of equipment and are therefore impractical for many safety, security, and humanitarian applications. Conductive polymer (CP) based chemiresitive vapour sensors offer a potential solution because they can be used for stand-off detection, are small scale, relatively cheap, and operate at room temperature.2 Here we use percolation networks of conducting polymers to detect ANFO, instead of the more traditional thin films, to increase the sensitivity.3-5 Using a custom made sensor testing chamber, sensors based on a percolation network of polypyrrole (PPy) were exposed to a series of vapours emitted by 7 different fertilisers and ANFOs made with those fertilisers (Figure 1). The sensor responses to the fertiliser and ANFO samples were rapid and reversible. It is likely that the sensor responses measured are responses to the NH3 emitted by the fertiliser in the sample. For this reason a calibration curve based on known NH3 concentrations can be used to determine the NH3 concentration detected as a result of an unknown fertiliser or ANFO sample. Ammonia vapour concentrations emitted by the fertiliser and ANFO samples of 13-180 ppb were detected.Exposing the sensors to all 7 fertilisers and their ANFOs results in different sensor responses for the different fertilisers (Figure 1). Although one might expect that the sensor response is directly related to the nitrogen content of the fertiliser, we found that this is not the case. It is possible that other components such as additives or internal desiccants play a role. Even in small quantities around 0.1% of common additives such as magnesium nitrate play an important role in the stability of the fertiliser.6 Additionally, the porosity of the fertiliser granules or prills might affect the measured NH3 concentration because the pores may store NH3 and thus influence the amount of available NH3. The relationship between sensor response and granule porosity could provide valuable information for sensing applications because porosity is known to be one of the most important factors determining explosives properties such as detonation velocity.7 Furthermore, it was shown that our sensors do not respond to diesel alone, and that there is no significant difference between the sensor responses to the fertiliser and ANFO made with the same fertiliser. This eliminates false positives due to the presence of diesel vapours in the environment.At the end of each series of exposures the sensor was exposed to the first fertiliser from the series for a second time. This control experiment demonstrates that the sensor has good stability and reproducibility, and doesn’t degrade over time or after repeated exposures.Our sensor responses were validated by comparison to gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GCMS) measurements conducted for the same fertilisers and ANFOs. Although our sensors detected much smaller NH3 concentrations, the pattern of different NH3 concentrations detected for the different fertilisers was similar for the two methods. Furthermore, in both methods the fuel oil component did not affect the detection of the fertiliser or ANFO.Figure 1: Top: Schematic of custom made sensor testing chamber. The testing chamber has 2 gas inlets, allowing for gases directly from a cylinder as well as vapours emitted by solid or liquid samples carried into the chamber by an N2 flow. Bottom: Vapour concentrations measured by our conducting polymer percolation network sensors for 7 different fertilisers and ANFOs made with those fertilisers. Ammonia vapour concentrations emitted by the fertiliser and ANFO samples of 13-180 ppb were detected.

X-band absorber carbon microbeads

Chain of carbon micro beads (CMBs) molded by interconnection of micro carbon beads were synthesized using pyrolysis of brassica nigra oil vapour at 850 °C in hydrogen atmosphere. Return loss and conductivity of arbitrarily oriented CMBs film reveals ability as a potential microwave absorber in 8 to 12 GHz range with return loss between −21 dB to −30 dB. Study of electrical resistance and EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) shows that CMBs films also has competency to obstruct the passage of microwave frequency with shielding effectiveness of −29 dB to −45 dB.

FEATURES OF THE INFLUENCE OF ABIES SIBIRICA ESSENTIAL OILON THE PSYCHOEMOTIONAL STATE AND MENTAL PERFORMANCE OF THE ELDERLY

It ,,vas found that the inhalation of vapors of abies sibirica essential oil (Abies siЬirica Ledeb.) at а 3 has а pronounced positive effect on the psychoemotional state of the elderly. А decrease in the level of anxiety and depression and an improvement in self-esteem of the general state, well­ being, mood, stress, ,vorking efficiency, vigor, and attentiveness are observed for all the studied exposure durations (10, 20, 30 minutes). The effect of abies sibirica essential oil on mental performance is ambiguous. Abies sibirica essential oil in а dosage of 1 mg/m concentration of 1 mg/m3 in elderly people (60-90 years) in all durations of exposure, it has а pronounced euphoric effect, helps to overcome psychological difficulties and optimize the emotional state.

Use of modified atmosphere packaging combined with essential oils for prolonging post-harvest shelf life of mango (cv. Banganapalli and cv. Totapuri)

This study aimed to evaluate the combined application of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with essential oil (EO) vapours (Thyme, Clove, and Cinnamon) on the shelf life extension of cv. Banganapalli and cv. Totapuri mango fruit. The fruit quality was evaluated in terms of postharvest disease incidence and severity, physicochemical and sensory parameters. Also, the antioxidant enzyme activities, total phenolic, and flavonoid contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity, weight loss, and CO2 evolution were studied. Our results demonstrated that MAP + thyme oil vapour (TO) treatment significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the incidence and severity of anthracnose, and loss of fruit firmness. The MAP + TO treatment enhanced the shelf life of cv. Banganapalli up to 26 ± 2 days and cv. Totapuri up to 23 ± 2 days. MAP + Cinnamon EO treated fruits exhibited a shelf life of 22 ± 2 and 19 ± 1 days for cv. Banganapalli and cv. Totapuri, respectively whereas MAP + Clove EO prolonged the shelf life of mango up to 21 ± 2 days for cv. Banganapalli and 20 ± 1 days for cv. Totapuri fruits. The results of this study showed that a MAP + EO treatment could effectively control postharvest decay and preserve the physicochemical quality of mango fruits, extending their shelf life.

Gas-solid-liquid reactive CFD simulation of an industrial RFCC riser with investigation of feed injection

The feed injection zone involving gas–solid-liquid mixing, vaporization and reaction plays an important role in fluid catalytic cracking reactors. Our previous cold-model simulation indicated that a modification from the conventionally upward feed injection scheme to a downward one improves the oil-catalyst matching. This work aims to investigate the effects of such downward feed injection on the reaction behaviors through three-phase reactive simulation of an industrial riser. A twelve-lump kinetics and vaporization of liquid oil were considered in a multiphase Eulerian model with the energy-minimization multi-scale model. The predicted solids flux, temperature, and solids concentration were compared with experimental data. The simulation showed that the downward injection with an angle of around 30° and suitable mounting position helps improving the yield of gasoline and LPG and mitigating adhesion of the coking layer to the wall. We expect such an approach sheds light on the optimization of the three-phase chemical reactors.

Evaluation and Comparison of Current Emulsification Algorithms and Their Uncertainty in Oil Spill Modeling Software

Oil spill risk assessments (OSRAs) do not currently distinguish between potentially more toxic, fresh crude oil and less toxic, highly-weathered residues which limits the understanding of the highest risk areas to prioritize mitigation measures and allocate response resources. Fate and trajectory models, used commonly for OSRA, have advanced significantly over the last five years now with enhanced ability to model chemical and physical parameters at greater resolution. Using this enhanced resolution, modelers may be able to provide some indication of the weathered state of the oil as input to the OSRA. In order to evaluate the degree of certainty in such a prediction, it is necessary to better understand the uncertainty in the modeled weathering processes that influence the toxicity of the oil. Emulsification plays a significant role in modeling of oil thickness (and therefore photo-modification), evaporation, and dissolution which are important modulators of oil toxicity. In this project, the emulsification algorithms of three currently available fate and trajectory models, ADIOS, OILMAP/SIMAP, and OSCAR, were evaluated to gain a better understanding of the degree of certainty in the modeled weathered state of oil. In this work, the basis of emulsification algorithms implemented in the models referenced above were identified, and it was found that each of these models incorporates emulsification differently. ADIOS2 relies on emulsification data gathered from mixing oil and water in a food processor. An updated version of ADIOS2 (ADIOS3) is based on a new formulation that is dependent on measured SARA components of the oil, but is still under construction and is not yet implemented. OILMAP/SIMAP use the algorithm presented in Mackay and Zagorski (1982). OSCAR uses a water uptake algorithm that was calibrated to in-house laboratory experiments. Further investigation into the development of each of these emulsification algorithms provided insight into the degree of uncertainty in these models and their input parameters, and what oil types may not be appropriately characterized by the implemented emulsification model. Additionally, the impact of that uncertainty on oil fate was investigated by evaluating the changes in the amount of emulsification when modifying user input parameters within realistic assumption ranges. The findings and comparison of the implementation of these emulsification algorithms and the sensitivity of the results to different inputs is presented here.

Review of the Science behind Oil Spill Fate Models: Are Updates Needed?

AbstractOil spill models play an important role in the oil spill response decision making and contingency planning processes. The current generation of spill models mostly use Lagrangian based particle tracking random walk methods for oil transport processes combined with individual algorithms for oil fate processes (Spaulding, 2017). The fate of near surface oil movement is modeled using algorithms describing oil spreading, evaporation, emulsification, entrainment, dissolution, and biodegradation. These fate processes are applied to oil in the Lagrangian particle tracking elements to alter the physical and chemical properties of the oil, and subsequently the oil behavior.In this paper, we review the major algorithms used in oil spill models and identify the science and physics underpinning them. For each, we evaluated how far the science has advanced since the algorithms were developed to identify those that could be upgraded based on current understanding. We also identified algorithms where future research is needed because the physical and chemical behaviors are not fully understood. These areas include the spreading behavior of surface slicks, surface-slick emulsification, and the physical transport of small oil droplets near the air-water interface.

A Simulation-based Contingency Planning Tool for Offshore Oil Spill Response

Session: (PS-03) Response The improvement of offshore oil spill responses efficiency to minimize economic and environmental impacts has become a major need worldwide. This paper presents an Oil Spill Simulation and Response Selection tool (OSSRS) for international applications that is designed to support spill response contingency planning by industry and government. This proposed tool combines the advantages of currently efficient oil spill tools (i.e., Response Options Calculator (ROC) and Incident Command System (ICS)) and upgrades the capabilities of spill simulation and response selection by integrating a new Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) software platform, scenarios of icy marine environment and a new optimization module developed by Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control Laboratory (NRPOP Lab). The agent-based offshore oil spill simulation module has been developed to simulate the over-time changes of oil spill behaviors and characteristics as well as the actions of and interactions among individual devices and/or response centre. The simulation tool can consider an offshore spill with multiple slicks and multiple means of response techniques (e.g., booming, skimmers, dispersant, in-situ burning). The effects of oil weathering and characteristics include slick thickness, viscosity, remaining oil volume, affected area, temperature, ice cover, evaporation, dispersion, and emulsification, etc. The optimization module can provide contingency plans of response selections and resource allocation with a minimal demand of response sources. Response time, response cost, and environmental sensitivity and impacts are considered as three criteria for planning and decision making. A hypothetic case in the North Atlantic is applied to examine the efficiency of the proposed tool under an icy marine environment. Based on the result, OSSRS has a comparable capacity. The system has considerable scalability. The response capabilities and simulation modules can be adjusted according to needs. Requirements for levels of response competency may change over time or from different stakeholders. The proposed tool is a powerful and useful tool to help decision makers for oil spill responses by providing the optimal contingency plans under different requirements of criteria.