2/27/2014
Last week BSEE kicked off an important new test occuring at Ohmsett, BSEE's oil spill response research test facility located in Leonardo N.J. The test looks at the effects of oil dispersants in cold water. Researchers are using several different dispersants for this test, examining their effectiveness on Alaskan crude oil in simulated arctic/cold water conditions.
To simulate a cold water environment, a chiller is being used to cool the test tank water to just above freezing. Ohmsett's wave generator is being used to create waves which provide mixing energy. Several tests have already been conducted including a control run where dispersant was not applied to the surface oil, and most of the oil dispensed remained on the surface. During a second run, oil dispensed onto the surface of the tank was immediately sprayed with one of the dispersants and due to the impact of the dispersant, the oil dispersed into the water column leaving only a small fraction on the surface. The results of each of the test runs will be closely examined when testing concludes on February 28, 2014.
BSEE is the principal federal agency funding offshore oil spill response research, and Ohmsett is a key part of the bureau's Oil Spill Response Research Program. Many of today's commercially available oil spill cleanup products have been tested at Ohmsett and a considerable body of performance data and information on mechanical response equipment has been obtained there. This information is used by response planners in reviewing and approving facility response and contingency plans.
Ohmsett is also the premier training site for oil spill response personnel. Government agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy, as well as private industry and oil spill response organizations from around the world, train their emergency response personnel with real oil and full-scale response equipment. Some of the recent testing activities have included a month long series of tests examining oil recovery in ice conditions, subsea dispersant research, skimmer testing, and other oil spill response and coordination training. More than twenty-four countries have conducted tests or training at the Ohmsett facility.
For a complete list of research conducted at Ohmsett or to review testing and training schedules, please visit: http://www.ohmsett.com/.
