Site Selection and Resource Allocation of Oil Spill Emergency Base for Offshore Oil Facilities

A proposal to undertake exploration in the coastal waters adjacent to Sydney/Newcastle/Wollongong has brought strong protests on environmental grounds. This opposition is committed and the basis for it should be considered in the wider context of offshore exploration around Australia. Of the various activities involved in oil and gas exploration the potential impacts of marine seismic surveys and the likelihood of a blowout- related oil spill are those of greatest concern to the media and public.A review of the available literature shows the environmental effects of seismic surveys to be of little consequence provided non- explosive energy sources are used. The effects of an oil spill are heavily dependent on site conditions and the type of oil spilled.The literature shows that direct exposure to spilled oil is fatal to many marine species. However, the potential lethal effects are largely dependent on direct exposure and this declines with the weathering and degradation of the spill. Moreover, the risks of an oil spill occurring as a result of current transportation and handling of oil in coastal waters and points around Australia are much greater than would be presented by drilling an exploratory well.In considering the role of exploration as an assessment procedure rather than a land use it is possible to draw parallels between the conservation status of Australian coastal waters today and the onshore situation some 20 years ago. The offshore oil and gas exploration industry needs to take several measures if it is to avoid denial of access for exploration. These include clearly identifying the environmental effects of exploration as opposed to production, adopting industry- wide codes for environmental practice, and recording and disseminating the industry's environmental performance.

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CONTINGENCY PLANNING FOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILLS

The APPEA Journal ◽

10.1071/aj72021 ◽

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.

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Oil Spill Clean Up Project

Volume 5: Engineering Education and Professional Development ◽

10.1115/imece2011-62218 ◽

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.

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