Oil spill tracking buoy—revolutionising offshore response and recovery

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 495
Author(s):  
Harry Houridis ◽  
Mellor Peter
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Scientific Instrument ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
Offshore Oil

April 2014 marked the four-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster; a rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and led to the worst offshore oil spill in US history. Oil gushed from the sea floor for 87 days before the well was capped an estimated 5 million BBL spilled into the Gulf, inflicting untold environmental damage. The event highlighted how little the industry knows about containing deep-water oil spills or about how oil spreads. Oil washed up hundreds of miles away on coastlines in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, but scientists struggled to determine where all of the oil had gone. Had some of it evaporated or was it hiding below the surface? Had it been carried by currents to the Gulf’s deep waters or perhaps even further? No one can say for sure. The resulting science highlighted that oil drifts along the surface of ocean water at 97% of current speed, but at only a fraction of the wind speed. During the Deepwater Horizon Disaster, the tracking buoys sat too proud and were driven the wrong way by the wind. It is essential to track the currents, since they account for at least 95%–98% of the ultimate oil spill trajectory. WorleyParsons designed, developed and deployed an oil spill tracking buoy (OSTB) to provide a scientific instrument for capturing only the surface currents. The specific gravity of each buoy is such that it tracks surface currents. Material selection and manufacture, ocean validation and telecommunication engineers came together to produce such a device, which is largely underwater but can continue to communicate with satellites.

Environmental Damage Liability Regimes Concerning Oil Spills - A Global Review and Comparison

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 2172-2192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara J. Goldsmith ◽  
Tara K. Waikem ◽  
Tara Franey
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Environmental Liability ◽  
Environmental Damages ◽  
The World ◽  
Offshore Oil

ABSTRACT Recently, there have been a number of key developments related to oil spill-related liability worldwide. These developments include: the recent expansion of damages under the European Union Environmental Liability Directive to all marine water; proposed changes to the Canadian offshore oil legislation that would allow for the specific recovery of environmental damages; implementation of US legislation which directs recovered funds from an oil spill to be used in the affected area; and more. This paper will identify and describe the various environmental liability regimes in different regions of the world which contain requirements for the restoration of natural resources affected by these incidents. The paper also will highlight similarities and differences among these regimes, as well as some of the synergies in actual practice. In addition, and to the extent possible, the paper will provide some of the lessons learned and best practices relative to the determining environmental damage liability under the different regimes.

scholarly journals Novel Pathways for Injury from Offshore Oil Spills: Direct, Sublethal and Indirect Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Pelagic Sargassum Communities

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. e74802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean P. Powers ◽  
Frank J. Hernandez ◽  
Robert H. Condon ◽  
J. Marcus Drymon ◽  
Christopher M. Free
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ◽  
Offshore Oil

scholarly journals Corporate Liability and Compensation Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Is There a Need for an International Regime?

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Stephanie Theodotou
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
International Regime ◽  
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ◽  
Offshore Installations ◽  
Offshore Oil ◽  
Corporate Liability

The purpose of this article is to assess the effectiveness of the current fragmented legal framework regarding corporate liability and compensation following oil spills from offshore installations, in light of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It evaluates whether Deepwater Horizon has signalled the need to adopt a uniform international regime, which will regulate compensation and liability concerning oil spills from offshore oil installations. The first part of this article provides the factual background of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, with an emphasis on the corporate liability and compensation issues that arose in this incident and the response by the U.S. Government. The second part evaluates the effectiveness of the current three-tiered system of compensation in the oil tanker industry, as well as the supplementary voluntary agreements thereto, and assesses whether this legal framework could be adopted to the regime governing oil spills from offshore oil installations. It notes the stark contrast between oil spills from oil tankers and oil spills from offshore oil installations, in that an oil tanker’s maximum storage capacity is known which makes the risk of potential spillage calculable. In contrast, it is impossible to make such a calculation for oil spills resulting from offshore oil installations since, although the storage capacity of the installation is defined when it is constructed, the amount of oil that can be spilled directly from the well drilled into the marine environment is unpredictable. The third part discusses the prospects for adopting an international civil liability and compensation regime governing oil spills from offshore installations, with reference to several international and regional attempts that have been made to establish an efficient regime and provides proposals for an efficient and effective international regime.

Real-Time Quantification of Offshore Oil Spills and Environmental Damage During Blow-Out Accident

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Chandra ◽  
Farasdaq Sajjad
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Current Speed ◽  
Ocean Current ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Reservoir Characteristics ◽  
Well Completion ◽  
Heavy Hitters ◽  
Offshore Oil

Abstract In the event of offshore oilfield blow-out, real-time quantification of both spilled volume, recovered oil and environmental damage is essential. It is due to costly recovery and restoration process. In order to develop a robust and accurate quantification, we need to consider numerous parameters, which are sometimes tricky to be identified and captured. In this work, we present a new modeling technique under uncertainty, which accommodates numerous parameters and interaction among them. We begin the model by identifying possible parameters that contributes to the process: grouped into (1) subsurface, (2) surface and (3) operations. Subsurface e.g. well and reservoir characteristics. Surface e.g. ocean, wind, soil. (3) Operations e.g. oil spill treatment blow-out rate, oil characteristics, reservoir characteristics, ocean current speed, meteorological aspects, soil properties, and oil-spill treatment (oil booms and skimmers). We assign prior distribution for each parameter based on available data to capture the uncertainties. Before progressing to uncertainty propagation, we construct objective response (amount of recovered oil) through mass conservation equation in data-driven and non-intrusive way, using design of experiment and regression-based method. We propagate uncertainties using Monte Carlo simulation approach, where the result is presented in a distribution form, summarized by P10, P50, and P90 values. This work shows how to robustly calculate the amount of recovered oil under uncertainty in the event of offshore blow out. There are several notable challenges within the approach: 1) determining the uncertainty range in blow-out rate in case of rupture occurs in the well, 2) obtaining data for wind and ocean current speed since there is an interplay between local and global climate, and 3) accuracy of capturing the shoreline geometry. Despite the challenges, the results are in-line with the physics and several recorded blow-out cases. Define what is blow out rate (important as has highest sensitivity). Through sensitivity analysis with Sobol decomposition (define this …), we can define the heavy hitters. These heavy hitters give us knowledge on which parameters should be aware of. In real-time quantification, this analysis can provide an insight on what treatment method should be performed to efficiently recover the spill. We also highlight about the sufficiency of the model to obtain several parameters’ range, for example blow-out rate. The model should at least capture the physics in high details and incorporate multiple scenarios. In the case of blow-out rate, we extensively model the well completion and consider leaking due to unprecedented fractures or crater formation around the wellbore. We introduce a new framework of modeling to perform real-time quantification of offshore oil spills. This framework allows inferring the causality of the process and illustrating the risk level.

An assessment of toxic metals content in the marine sediments of the Shuaiba Industrial Area, Kuwait, after the oil spill during the Gulf War

1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 203-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Al-Muzaini ◽  
P. G. Jacob
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Sediment ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Oil Wells ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Very High

A field study was carried out involving seven fixed sampling stations. The sampling locations were selected to cover the distribution of pollutants in the Shuaiba Industrial Area (SIA), which was contaminated with oil released from oil wells and broken pipelines and with a vast amount of burnt and unburnt crude oil from the burning and gushing oil wells. The samples were collected biweekly between July 1993 and July 1994. The concentrations of V, Ni, Cr, Cd and Pb were determined and compared with the previously collected baseline data to assess the degree of environmental damage caused due to the oil spills during the Gulf war. The average concentrations (mg/kg) of various elements in the marine sediment were 17.3 for V, 30.8 for Ni, 55.5 for Cr, 0.02 for Cd and 1.95 for Pb. Our results show that even after the heavy spillage of oil, associated metal concentrations were not very high compared with previously reported base line values.

scholarly journals THE FATE OF TWO LARGE OIL SPILLS IN THE ARABIAN GULF

1983 ◽  
Vol 1983 (1) ◽  
pp. 377-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Lehr ◽  
Murat S. Belen
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Computer Model ◽  
Trajectory Analysis ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Unidentified Source ◽  
Offshore Oil ◽  
Large Sections

ABSTRACT In August and October 1980, two large oil spills occurred in the Arabian Gulf. The first, from an unidentified source, involved about 20,000 barrels of crude oil and impacted the entire north and west coasts of the island nation of Bahrain. The second occurred when the Ron Tapmeyer platform in the Hasbah offshore oil field blew out, releasing an estimated 50,000 barrels of thick crude into the Gulf. The spill subsequently covered large sections of the coastline of Qatar. The fate of the oil from these spills is examined with respect to the unique conditions found in the region. A computer model is used for trajectory analysis of the spills and hypothesizing the possible origin of the first spill. Methods of cleanup and problems with the weathered oil are mentioned. The environmental damage caused by the Bahrain spill is assessed.

CONTINGENCY PLANNING FOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILLS

1973 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 140
Author(s):  
G. N. Keith
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Contingency Planning ◽  
Santa Barbara ◽  
Contingency Plan ◽  
Oil Spillage ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Offshore Oil

The incidence of oil spillage from offshore exploration and production activities is comparatively low but the Santa Barbara and Chevron blowouts remind us of what can happen.There are two things each operator can do to help ensure he is prepared in the event of an emergency. First, a comprehensive inhouse contingency plan should be prepared before commencing operations in an area. The plan will ensure that adequate first-aid measures are on hand at all times and will go on to list the location and availability of additional assistance both in equipment and manpower.Second, the operator should be prepared to participate in the oil industry's National Oil Spills Action Plan. This plan is designed to ensure that the entire resources of the industry can be made available and effectively co-ordinated to combat an oil spill anywhere on the coast of Australia.

Oil Spill Clean Up Project

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Post
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Environmental Disasters ◽  
Cooking Oil ◽  
Class Project ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Offshore Oil ◽  
Oil Spill Cleanup ◽  
States History

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oilrig sank in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in an oil spill of 4.9 million barrels, one of the largest environmental disasters in United States history. In response to this disaster, the X Prize Foundation sponsored the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X Challenge, with a one million dollar top prize for engineers to develop better ways to clean up oil after an offshore oil spill. Inspired by the oil spill cleanup challenge, a class project was developed for students in a junior-level fluid mechanics course to develop and implement an oil-spill cleanup solution. Students had one semester to design and build an oil spill cleanup device. At the end of the semester final testing took place in a 20-foot long water table, which was filled with water 6 inches deep. Then for each team of 3–4 students 100 mL of cooking oil was dispersed into the water table, and they had 20 minutes to recover as much of the oil as they could. The grading for the project was based in part on the percentage of the oil the students could recover in the allotted time. The students employed a wide range of techniques, including skimmers, scoopers, and absorbers. The students also had to write a report explaining how their model solution in the water table could be scaled up to full-scale use in an actual offshore oil spill.

A Comprehensive System for Simulating Oil Spill Trajectory and Behaviour in Subsurface and Surface Water Environments

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 1251-1266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pu Li ◽  
Haibo Niu ◽  
Shihan Li ◽  
Rodrigo Fernandes ◽  
Ramiro Neves
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Comprehensive System ◽  
Coupled Models ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Integrated Or ◽  
Offshore Oil ◽  
Significant Support ◽  
Oil Droplet Size

Abstract 2017-184: Accidental release of pollutants such as offshore oil spills can cause significant negative impacts on the environment and socio-economy, and constitutes a direct hazard to marine life and human health. Particularly, deepwater blowout released spills are more challenging to study because the trajectory and behaviour of oil are difficult to be comprehensively simulated. Although there are many integrated or coupled models available, there still lacks open source deepwater oil spill models to predict not only the trajectory but also the mass balance of oil. It is the objective of this study to fill this gap by coupling the Texas A&M Oilspill Calculator (TAMOC) for nearfield simulation and the advanced oil spill module in the Modelo Hidrodinâmico (MOHID) 3D Water modeling system. In addition, the Weber number scaling approach is also integrated in both the near- and far-field simulation for oil droplet size prediction. The applicability of the proposed comprehensive system is tested by a case study of simulation of oil spills released from a depth of 3,500 m in the Scotian Shelf, Canada. The results demonstrate a high feasibility of the proposed system. By providing comprehensive simulation for oil spills, the developed system should provide significant support to the response to offshore oil spill, especially from deepwater blowout.

Offshore Oil Spill Incidents: Creating a Database in Brazil

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-30
Author(s):  
Patricia Maggi ◽  
Cláudia do Rosário Vaz Morgado ◽  
João Carlos Nóbrega de Almeida
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Guanabara Bay ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Oil And Gas Exploration ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Offshore Oil

ABSTRACT Brazil has performed an important role in the oil and gas industry mainly because its offshore E&P activities. The volume of oil produced in offshore fields had increased 88% in the last decade and correspond to more than 90% of national production. The maritime Exploration and Production (E&P) operations in Brazil started in the middle of the 1970's. In 1981 a law was promulgated to establish a compulsory environmental permit to many activities, including oil and gas exploration and production activities. Although this regulation has existed for over 25 years, only in 1999 was it effectively brought into force to the E&P sector, with the creation of the oil and gas specialized office integrated to the Intituto Brasileiro de Meio Ambiente e Recursos Naturais Renováveis – IBAMA (Brazilian Federal Environmental Agency). On January 2000 Brazil faced one its worst oil spills, in Guanabara Bay. A broken pipeline owned and operated by Petrobras spilt 1300 tone of bunker fuel into Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. At that time, Brazil had no clear environmental scenario regarding the oil industry in Brazil: uncoordinated environmental regulations, debilitated environmental agencies and a relapse industry took part in the scenario. As a result of the repercussion of the disaster, in the same year was enacted the Federal Law 9966/2000, the so called “Oil Law”, on the prevention, control and inspection of pollution caused by the releasing of oil and other harmful substances in waters under national jurisdiction. The provisions of the Law 9966 included, among other things, the requirement for the notification to the competent environmental authority, the maritime authority and the oil regulating agency, of any incident which might cause water pollution. Although IBAMA receives the oil spill communications since 2001, only in 2010 the Agency began to include this information in a database. This paper discusses the offshore oil spill data received between 2010 and 2012.

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