OSRR-1061-Development of a Low-Emission Spray Combustor for Emulsified Crude Oil

The objective of this project is to transition the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of a low-emission, low pressure atomization and combustion process for emulsified crude oil from TRL 3 to TRL 5 by developing and refining the performance of a quarter and half-scale flow blurring atomizer spray burner. This project builds off of the proof-of-concept project complete as OSRR #1012.

Traditional offshore in situ burning of crude oil is performed by gathering the surface oil into large pools where they are ignited to form large fires. This process generally produces large plumes of soot and leaves a slick of residual hydrocarbons remaining on the ocean surface. This project will develop an operable, low-pressure oil flare system that can be incorporated into an effective oil spill remediation strategy. The system will incorporate a flow-blurring atomizer (FBA) and associated flow system capable of burning at a minimum liquid flow rate of 225 barrels per day, a combustor shroud, and a plasma torch.