Ohmsett

The objective of this research program was to extend the research on chemical herders into pack ice conditions (mechanical containment recovery), in salt marshes (mechanical recovery and in situ burning), and in open water (dispersants). This project was a direct continuation of TAR Project 554 Mid-Scale Test Tank Research on Using Oil Herding Surfactants to Thicken Oil Slicks in Broken Ice.

Task 1. Using Herders to Enhance Mechanical Recovery of Oil in Pack Ice

The objective of this research program is to continue research and development on the use of chemical dispersants. The program contains three separate tasks.

Task 1. Calm Seas Application and Dispersant Wash-Out

This research project will develop a portable, easy-to-operate, aerial sensor to detect and accurately map the thickness and distribution of an oil slick in coastal and offshore waters in real-time. Building on previous research the technical plan, consisting of five phases will lead to the deployment of an operational system estimated to be completed with 18 months. The five phases are: Addition and testing of infra-red camera to the detection system.
Refinement and implementation of the neural network and fuzzy ratio-based oil discrimination software.

The objective of this research project is to continue to investigate the conditions that might lead to the loss of surfactants from dispersant-treated oil, so that subsequent application of breaking waves will not result in dispersion. A one-week test series will be conducted at Ohmsett - The National Oil Spill Response Test Facility. Long-term exposures of topped Oseberg crude oil will be pre-mixed with Corexit 9500 dispersant on the Ohmsett tank surface will be completed.

The objective of this research project is to determine whether the application of dispersants to an oil slick reduces the ability to subsequently recover oil with conventional skimming systems. The objectives will be met through a series of bench scale tests and full scale tank experiments at Ohmsett - The National Oil Spill Response Test Facility.

The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) funded and conducted two series of large-scale dispersant experiments in very cold water at Ohmsett The National Oil Spill Response Test Facility, located in Leonardo, New Jersey in February-March 2006 and January-March 2007. Alaska North Slope, Endicott, Northstar and Pt. McIntyre crude oils and Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527 dispersants were used in the two test series.

October 2006 Conduct a series of in situ burn experiments on the scale of 50 m2 with chemical herders and crude oil at the Fire Training Grounds, Prudhoe Bay, AK. The burns would be conducted in a specially prepared pit containing broken sea ice.

Project will determine whether chemically treated low-viscosity OCS crude oils disperse in a non-breaking wave environmental and if so, to determine whether there is a limiting oil viscosity for chemical dispersion for OCS crude oils in non-breaking waves.

Project is to determine the period of time that oil spill dispersants applied to spilled oil in a calm sea will remain effective before the sea state increases and dispersion occurs. Related work is planned in an ExxonMobil sponsored project coordinated under the Petroleum Environmental Research Forum (PERF). Every effort will be made to coordinate the present study with PERF work. To this end, one of the model oils used in the ExxonMobil PERF study will be included in all phases of testing in the present study.

Project objectives are as follows: Develop an oil slick thickness measurement algorithm, Testing of the developed methodology using Santa Barbara Channel oil seeps as targets and simultaneous in-situ boat measurements for validation, Refine the slick thickness algorithm, Conduct verification testing at Ohmsett and customization of the algorithm for different oil types, Develop a real-time analysis generating/information dissemination methodologies, and Conduct a real-time operational support demonstration flight.