Chemical Treating Agents

BSEE Response Research Branch is undertaking the DSD Instrument Evaluation project to better understand how surface water dispersant monitoring, as specified by the NCP SubPart J Monitoring Rule, can be practically implemented with existing technology, with specific emphasis on detection of oil and dispersed oil droplets in depths of 1 to 5 meters. The three main objectives of this project are:

BSEE will participate in a Joint Industry Project with the Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) and ExxonMobil to design, develop, and test a spill response system for a single manned helicopter and/or several robotic helicopters. This spill response system can jointly apply chemical herders to a spill and ignite the oil once it has been corralled. This project will

A workshop is being developed to discuss impacts of oil spills on shorelines. The workshop will bring together Subject Matter Experts (SME) from the spill response community, academia, and industry for the exchange of ideas and the exploration of the current state of the science of oil spill research. Traditional oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) as well as renewable energy (RE) will be explored. The results of this workshop will help guide BSEE Oil Spill Response Research (OSRR) to develop relevant Research and Technologies (R&T) in fulfillment of BSEE's mission.

The goal of this project is to use a microfluidic platform (known as eChip) to assess key degradation hypotheses related to dissolution and microbial degradation of untreated and dispersed oil droplets. The objectives are two-fold:
(1) Determine if the degradation rate of rising oil microdroplets (through dissolution and microbial degradation) can be quantified using the eChip by measuring degradation on both untreated and dispersed oil during 14-day biodegradation studies using multiple oils; and 

The purpose of the Optimized Fluorometry project is to evaluate and collect scientific evidence of the capabilities of existing commercially-off-the-shelf (COTS) fluorometers to detect dispersed oil in relevant field conditions. A recent preliminary study at the New Jersey Institute of Technology suggests that as oils weather, the known shift in aromatic compounds which fluoresce is resulting in the oil to be “excited” by COTS fluorometers in a range that is outside the detection ability of current instruments.

This project assessed the feasibility of a cold water and Arctic marine oil spill countermeasure strategy based on the stimulation of Oil Mineral Aggregates formation in the presence of a chemical dispersant.

This project updated the Dispersant Effectiveness (DE) test protocol used at Ohmsett, the National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility. Ohmsett is the largest facility of its kind and offers significant advantages for testing response technologies such as dispersants in simulated field conditions. The original DE test protocol was developed between 2000-2003.

This project is a follow-on to Project 1070 Developing an Innovative Dispersant Spray Model, where AMOG Consulting developed the Dispersant Spray Drift (DSD) tool.  The DSD is intended to help spill response planners identify operational windows and setback distances based on weather conditions, aircraft types, dispersant spray systems and release rates. Project 1115 will aim to validate any previous assumptions, expand the DSD to include new oil spill response aircraft,  and add concentration contours to the output display to improve the user interface.

This study measured the influence of oil characteristics and temperature on herder efficacy at the lab scale. ARA systematically tested the function of chemical herders across several crude oils. Both commercially available herders were tested. The herders were tested on crude oils with varying properties. This project developed a repeatable method for testing herder effectiveness. Parameters for herder effectiveness were also identified. A total of 14 oils were tested with the two herders at two temperatures.

This project developed a technology selection approach to aid in the decision making process for determining the relative effectiveness of dispersant delivery techniques/systems based on various spill characteristics and delivery system capabilities. Parameters considered include spill characteristics and properties; evaporation processes; spray platforms, weather patters and effects; environmental restrictions; and dispersant characteristics.