Ohmsett

The focus of this project will be on the design and implementation of two components, the UAS system, and the algorithms for the image processing used on the system. The project will be carried out in two phases:  Phase 1: Development/Implementation of the UAS platform/sensors and its algorithms for oil classification and image processing based on Ohmsett testing.  Phase 1 will involve the following sub-tasks: 1) UAS multisensory array implementation, 2) Controlled experiment (Ohmsett tank testing), and 3) Development of the oil classification and image processing algorithm.

The project team will use radar technology instead of optical or infrared methods in order to enable 24-hour, weather independent operation that can be deployed in inclement or difficult to access environments, and reduce dependence upon on-site personnel. The team will evaluate the capability of low noise L-band (1.26 GHz) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery acquired by the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) sensor.
 

The purpose of this study was to assess and evaluate the capabilities and limitations of two above-water laser systems owned and operated by NRL, to detect and characterize oil layers of varying thickness on the surface of the water, in conjunction with an acoustic sensor for in-water detection (oil in the water column).

The accurate monitoring of subsea oil release droplet sizes and the effects of applying subsea dispersants is a technology gap with consequences for decision-making, impact assessment, and scientific understanding of blowout behavior. Measurements and knowledge of the actual droplet sizes that exist under differing blowout or subsea release scenarios are fundamental to response decision-making and understanding potential ecosystem impacts.
 

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is conducting comparative dispersant testing in warm water at the Ohmsett Facility test basin.  This work builds off of the cold water test conducted in 2014 (Project OSRR 1016). Five dispersants were selected from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Contingency Plan (NCP) Product Schedule and were tested on a Gulf of Mexico crude at Ohmsett. They include Corexit® EC9500A, Finasol® OSR 52, Accell® Clean DWD, Marine D-Blue Clean, and ZI 400. 

Project will determine the limiting viscosity for the effectiveness of chemical dispersants applied to viscous U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) crude oils from the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific OCS. Conduct physical and chemical analysis of the acquired crude oils to categorize them based on properties.Conduct small scale wave tank dispersant effectiveness on crude oil samples. These experiments will be conducted using Corexit 9500 applied at the standard 1:15 dispersant to oil ratio (DOR). Identify six oils from small-scale testing and test them at Ohmsett in moderate breaking waves.

A small number of dispersant effectiveness tests will be conducted at Ohmsett - The National Oil Spill Response Test Facility that will complete two important sections of the dispersant effectiveness test matrix not completed during the October 2003 experimental test series. Testing will be conducted on IFO-180 fuel oil treated with Corexit 9500 dispersant at a DOR of 1:25. In replicated tests at sea this combination yielded consistently high levels of dispersant performance.

The goal of this project was to coordinate the publications of results of the 2003 MMS-sponsored 'Correlating Results of Ohmsett Dispersant Tests with Identical At-Sea Trials' study by SL Ross and A. Lewis 2004. The results of the other spin-off projects were aimed at correlating results of other dispersant effectiveness testing procedures with results of the June 2003 UK at-sea trials, and identify, plan and coordinate follow-up dispersant effectiveness experiments at Ohmsett.

The objectives of this research project are twofold. The first is to determine if the results of dispersant effectiveness tests conducted at Ohmsett are consistent with those gathered in the laboratory and under actual at-sea conditions. The project will conduct a series of dispersant effectiveness tests at Ohmsett under identical conditions to those conducted in the at-sea trials done in the UK in 2003. The research will compare the threshold limiting conditions for dispersibility as measured at Ohmsett with those measured in the laboratory and at-sea, under identical conditions.

The purpose of the study was assess the effectiveness of chemical emulsion breakers combined with rapid decanting and treatment of recovered oil when responding to an offshore oil spill. This effort builds upon previous project entitled 'Testing at Ohmsett to Determine Optimum Times to Decant to Temporary Storage Devices' Project 298, where S. L. Ross tested at Ohmsett, decanting at several different periods to determine the best time to separate excess water collected during oil spill clean-up operations.