Response
/ In-Situ Burning
In-Situ Burning Page
In-situ burning, or ISB, is a technique
sometimes used by people responding to an oil spill. In-situ burning involves
the controlled burning of oil that has spilled from a vessel or a facility,
at the location of the spill. When conducted properly, in-situ burning significantly
reduces the amount of oil on the water and minimizes the adverse effect of the
oil on the environment.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are answers to questions that
are often asked about ISB:
ISB Guidelines and Handouts
- Guidance
on Burning Spilled Oil In Situ (PDF file; 18K) A position paper from the
National Response Team (NRT) on the recommended limits for short-term human
exposure to particulates measuring less than 10 microns (PM-10) while spilled
oil is burned in situ.
- Open-Water
Response Strategies: In-Situ Burning (PDF file; 41K) Why conduct in-situ
burning? How is it done? What about the emissions that it produces? Where
has in-situ burning been conducted? What factors might prevent its use?
- Regional Response Team VI Guidelines for Inshore/Nearshore In-Situ Burn (PDF file; 23K)
Advantages and disadvantages of in-situ burning of oiled wetlands, safety
and operational guidelines, and a checklist for in-situ coastal wetland burns.
- In-Situ
Burn Unified Command Decision Verification Checklist (PDF file; 23K) This
checklist, created with input from the Region II Regional Response Team, summarizes
important information the Unified Command should consider when planning oil
spill in-situ burning in marine waters of Region II.
Health and Safety
Fate and Effects
- Residues
from In-Situ Burning of Oil on Water Surveys current knowledge of the
behavior and effects of ISB residues. (webposted 6/29/99)
- ISB Comparisons
The particulates released into the atmosphere by in-situ burning are a concern
to many people. This page shows in-situ burning emission rates and rates of
emission from other kinds of sources.
Monitoring
ISB: the SMART Protocol
SMART (Special Monitoring of Applied
Response Technologies) is a monitoring protocol for both in-situ burning operations
and dispersant application. The ISB module of SMART provides guidelines for
monitoring the smoke plume from ISB operations.
- SMART Page
Basic information about the SMART monitoring program for in-situ burning and
dispersants.
- SMART
Guided Tour Take a tour of SMART's use in monitoring dispersant application
and in-situ burning.
- SMART Guidance
Document (PDF file; 355K) January 2000 report describing the SMART program
in detail. (webposted 3/29/00)
More ISB Information
The Spill
Tools section of our web site offers an In-Situ Burn Calculator to help
oil spill planners and responders estimate:
- how much fire boom is needed to
burn a specified amount of spilled oil.
- how many burns one would need
to conduct.
- concentrations within the smoke
plume that would be generated by the burn.
Revised: December 29, 2000
Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration