Physical Properties and Processes that Influence the Clean Up of Oil Spills in the Marine Environment

Oebius, H.U.

doi:10.1016/s1353-2561(99)00048-1

Cited by 22 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…The entrainment failure of the oil boom can occur at relatively low speeds when compared to other modes of oil loss. It is one of the most sensitive phenomena that can limit the containment capability of the boom [20,[35][36][37]. Wicks [38] conducted a study on the three different oil loss regions (head wave, intermediate, and near-boom), and observed that oil droplets are separated from the head wave by high water velocities.…”

Section: First Loss Speedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To calculate the recovery potential, the equipment of the recovery system, including the skimmer and oil boom, was chosen from the World Catalog of the Oil Spill Response Products [48]. The operating conditions were based on the specifications of the equipment and the general tow speed [37]. Since this study mainly considers the loss of oil from the boom, the offloading time and decanting of storage were not considered.…”

Section: Spill Scenario Of the Case Study Calculationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimation of a Mechanical Recovery System’s Oil Recovery Capacity by Considering Boom Loss

Kim

Choe

Huh

2019

JMSE

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Ability to estimate the recovery potential of countermeasures is vital in establishing a rational response solution for oil spills at sea. This requires estimation of how much oil can be recovered and the determination of the rational quantities and operating conditions of the response equipment. In this study, a constant loss rate model and a variable loss rate model were developed to estimate the recovery potential of a mechanical oil recovery system, while considering the escape of oil containment booms. The latter model could calculate the speed at which oil loss began to occur and the volume of oil lost. A case study was performed to analyze the significance of oil loss and to calculate changes in recovery potential with respect to adjustable vital variables. The developed model was able to estimate the best operating situation, which optimizes the recovery potential for different response times and environmental conditions. After the oil is spilled offshore, it quickly undergoes spreading and weathering processes, including evaporation, dispersion, and emulsification [11][12][13]. The properties of the oil are strongly influenced by the weathering process, which is governed by environmental conditions. For example, as the weathering process progresses, the evaporation changes the composition of the spilled oil, and the emulsification alters the water fraction of the emulsion. As a consequence, the viscosity increment due to evaporation and emulsification causes degradation of mechanical recovery efficiency. Therefore, the spreading and weathering process should be considered in evaluating recovery performance. Spaulding [12,13] reviewed and analyzed oil transport and fate models, including spreading, evaporation, dissolution, entrainment, emulsification, biodegradation, and sedimentation. Among them, several spreading and weathering models were used in this study to simulate the oil behavior on the sea surface.The purpose of recovery potential estimation is not to predict the exact recovery volume in the given environmental conditions, but to ascertain that the oil recovery volume depends on various factors and to reflect these factors when establishing response strategies [14]. To make a reasonable decision based on the response strategy, it is required to evaluate mechanical recovery capacity. Several previous studies have focused on the recovery potential estimation of skimmers [15][16][17][18].The effective daily recovery capacity (EDRC) is a planning method that estimates the required daily oil recovery capacity for the skimmer to respond to a given spill. The EDRC is calculated by considering the total nameplate capacity of the skimmer, its operating time, and its mobilization efficiency. The performance change due to variations in oil properties and characteristics of the recovery equipment is solely described with the mechanical efficiency, which is considered to be a constant value (0.2) in EDRC. The advantage of EDRC is that it can quickly estimate the capacity of the skimmer required for mobiliza...

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Section: First Loss Speedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Spill Scenario Of the Case Study Calculationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of a Mechanical Recovery System’s Oil Recovery Capacity by Considering Boom Loss

Kim

Choe

Huh

2019

JMSE

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“…Current technology defers to the use of oil booms or chemical booms for containment, where it remains relatively stationary and is categorically a passive mechanism. [29] The employment of motors that move by leaching chemicals provides a new protocol for environmental clean-up.…”

Section: Pollutant Removalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical Energy Powered Nano/Micro/Macromotors and the Environment

Moo

Pumera

2014

Chemistry A European J

164

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The rise of miniaturized artificial self-powered devices, demonstrating autonomous motion, has brought in new considerations from the environmental perspective. This review addresses the interplay between these nano/micro/macromotors and the environment, recent advances, and their applications in pollution management. Such self-propelled devices are able to actuate chemical energy into mechanical motion in situ, adding another powerful dimension towards solving environmental problems. Use of synthetic nano/micro/macromotors has demonstrated potential in environmental remediation, both in pollutant removal and contaminant degradation, owing to motion-induced mixing. At the same time, the chemical environment exerts influence on the locomotion of the motors. These sensitized self-powered devices demonstrate capabilities for being deployed as sensors and their chemotactic behaviors show efficacy to act as first responders towards a chemical leakage. Thus, the notion of a self-propelling entity also entails further investigation into its inherent toxicity and possible implications as a pollutant. Future challenges and outlook of the use of these miniaturized devices are discussed, with specific regard to the fields of environmental remediation and monitoring, as we move towards their wider acceptance. We believe that these tiny machines will stand up to the task as solutions for environmental sustainability in the 21st century.

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“…They are key to the most usual oil spill response method, mechanical containment and recovery (Ventikos et al, 2004;Oebius, 1999). With this method, oil spills are contained by floating booms and subsequently removed from the water surface by means of skimmers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%