scholarly journals Sacrificial amphiphiles: Eco-friendly chemical herders as oil spill mitigation chemicals

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. e1400265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deeksha Gupta ◽  
Bivas Sarker ◽  
Keith Thadikaran ◽  
Vijay John ◽  
Charles Maldarelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Polar Group ◽  
Branched Chain

Crude oil spills are a major threat to marine biota and the environment. When light crude oil spills on water, it forms a thin layer that is difficult to clean by any methods of oil spill response. Under these circumstances, a special type of amphiphile termed as “chemical herder” is sprayed onto the water surrounding the spilled oil. The amphiphile forms a monomolecular layer on the water surface, reducing the air–sea surface tension and causing the oil slick to retract into a thick mass that can be burnt in situ. The current best-known chemical herders are chemically stable and nonbiodegradable, and hence remain in the marine ecosystem for years. We architect an eco-friendly, sacrificial, and effective green herder derived from the plant-based small-molecule phytol, which is abundant in the marine environment, as an alternative to the current chemical herders. Phytol consists of a regularly branched chain of isoprene units that form the hydrophobe of the amphiphile; the chain is esterified to cationic groups to form the polar group. The ester linkage is proximal to an allyl bond in phytol, which facilitates the hydrolysis of the amphiphile after adsorption to the sea surface into the phytol hydrophobic tail, which along with the unhydrolyzed herder, remains on the surface to maintain herding action, and the cationic group, which dissolves into the water column. Eventual degradation of the phytol tail and dilution of the cation make these sacrificial amphiphiles eco-friendly. The herding behavior of phytol-based amphiphiles is evaluated as a function of time, temperature, and water salinity to examine their versatility under different conditions, ranging from ice-cold water to hot water. The green chemical herder retracted oil slicks by up to ~500, 700, and 2500% at 5°, 20°, and 35°C, respectively, during the first 10 min of the experiment, which is on a par with the current best chemical herders in practice.

scholarly journals SEA OIL SPILL DETECTION USING SELF-SIMILARITY PARAMETER OF POLARIMETRIC SAR DATA

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-3 ◽  
pp. 1661-1666 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Tong ◽  
Q. Chen ◽  
X. Liu
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Synthetic Aperture ◽  
Scattering Mechanism ◽  
Self Similarity ◽  
Similarity Parameter ◽  
Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽  
Oil Spill Detection

The ocean oil spills cause serious damage to the marine ecosystem. Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an important mean for oil spill detections on sea surface. The major challenge is how to distinguish oil slicks from look-alikes effectively. In this paper, a new parameter called self-similarity parameter, which is sensitive to the scattering mechanism of oil slicks, is introduced to identify oil slicks and reduce false alarm caused by look-alikes. Self-similarity parameter is small in oil slicks region and it is large in sea region or look-alikes region. So, this parameter can be used to detect oil slicks from look-alikes and water. In addition, evaluations and comparisons were conducted with one Radarsat-2 image and two SIR-C images. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the self-similarity parameter for oil spill detection.

scholarly journals Revisit of a Case Study of Spilled Oil Slicks Caused by the Sanchi Accident (2018) in the East China Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 279
Author(s):  
Zhehao Yang ◽  
Weizeng Shao ◽  
Yuyi Hu ◽  
Qiyan Ji ◽  
Huan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East China Sea ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
East China ◽  
The East China Sea ◽  
Sar Images ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Spatial Coverage

Marine oil spills occur suddenly and pose a serious threat to ecosystems in coastal waters. Oil spills continuously affect the ocean environment for years. In this study, the oil spill caused by the accident of the Sanchi ship (2018) in the East China Sea was hindcast simulated using the oil particle-tracing method. Sea-surface winds from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), currents simulated from the Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM), and waves simulated from the Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) were employed as background marine dynamics fields. In particular, the oil spill simulation was compared with the detection from Chinese Gaofen-3 (GF-3) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The validation of the SWAN-simulated significant wave height (SWH) against measurements from the Jason-2 altimeter showed a 0.58 m root mean square error (RMSE) with a 0.93 correlation (COR). Further, the sea-surface current was compared with that from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System Version 2 (CFSv2), yielding a 0.08 m/s RMSE and a 0.71 COR. Under these circumstances, we think the model-simulated sea-surface currents and waves are reliable for this work. A hindcast simulation of the tracks of oil slicks spilled from the Sanchi shipwreck was conducted during the period of 14–17 January 2018. It was found that the general track of the simulated oil slicks was consistent with the observations from the collected GF-3 SAR images. However, the details from the GF-3 SAR images were more obvious. The spatial coverage of oil slicks between the SAR-detected and simulated results was about 1 km2. In summary, we conclude that combining numerical simulation and SAR remote sensing is a promising technique for real-time oil spill monitoring and the prediction of oil spreading.

scholarly journals OILSPILL AND LOOK-ALIKE SPOTS FROM SAR IMAGERY USING OTSU METHOD AND ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
M. Sornam
Keyword(s):  
Image Segmentation ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Dark Spot ◽  
Oil Spill Detection ◽  
Otsu Method ◽  
Artificial Neural ◽  
Propagation Network

Oil spill pollution plays a significant role in damaging marine ecosystem. Discharge of oil due to tanker accidents has the most dangerous effects on marine environment. The main waste source is the ship based operational discharges. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can be effectively used for the detection and classification of oil spills. Oil spills appear as dark spots in SAR images. One major advantage of SAR is that it can generate imagery under all weather conditions. However, similar dark spots may arise from a range of unrelated meteorological and oceanographic phenomena, resulting in misidentification. A major focus of research in this area is the development of algorithms to distinguish ‘oil spills’ from ‘look-alikes’. The features of detected dark spot are then extracted and classified to discriminate oil spills from look-alikes. This paper describes the development of a new approach to SAR oil spill detection using Segmentation method and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). A SAR-based oil-spill detection process consists of three stages: image segmentation, feature extraction and object recognition (classification) of the segmented objects as oil spills or look-alikes. The image segmentation was performed with Otsu method. Classification has been done using Back Propagation Network and this network classifies objects into oil spills or look-alikes according to their feature parameters. Improved results have been achieved for the discrimination of oil spills and look-alikes.

ANALISA PENCEMARAN LAUT OLEH PTT EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION (PTTEP) AUSTRALASIA TERHADAP LAUT TIMOR INDONESIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Paulin Yosephin Marini ◽  
Sherlly Monica Bonsapia ◽  
Johni R.V. Korwa
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
Compensation Mechanisms ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Data Collection Technique ◽  
The Impact

<p><em>This study aims to analyze a blowout from an oil and gas leak owned by PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) Australasia in the Montara oil field in the Indonesian Timor Sea, and how to resolve disputes between Australia and Indonesia. A qualitative approach was used in this study, whilst the data collection technique was through library research. The theory of state responsibility, the concept of human security, and the concept of international maritime law are used to analyze disputes between Indonesia and Australia. The study found that the Montara oil spill had not only damaged the marine ecosystem but also polluted Indonesian waters. It also found that although the Australian government had formed a special commission to resolve cases and even used dispersant, it had not satisfied all parties. Several points are summarized. First, the Montara oil spill in Australia is a transnational study because the impact has crossed national borders. Secondly, UNCLOS has a weakness in the settlement of the Montara case because the Convention only provides a description related to ‘Responsibility of Each Country’ and does not specifically arrange material compensation mechanisms to countries that cause sea pollution. Third, the Montara oil spill has caused huge losses for Indonesian seaweed farmers, especially 13 districts in NTT. The recommendations are that the Indonesian government along with the Montara Victim Peoples’ Advocacy Team should continue to follow up the case of oil spills from the Montara platform and continue to fight for compensation to the Australian government and the PTTEP as the responsible party.</em></p>

scholarly journals MODELING THE WIND INFLUENCE IN AN OIL SPILL ALONG THE SOUTHERN BRAZILIAN SHELF

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
C. E. Stringari ◽  
W. C. Marques ◽  
L. F. Mello ◽  
R. T. Edit
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Temperature Fields ◽  
Local Wind ◽  
Wind Influence ◽  
Oil Density ◽  
Environmental Agencies ◽  
Spilled Oil

Oil spills can generate different effects in different time scales on the marine ecosystem. The numerical modeling of this process is an important tool with low computational cost which provides a powerful appliance to environmental agencies regarding the risk management. In this way, the objective of this work is evaluate the local wind influence in a hypothetical oil spill along the Southern Brazilian shelf. The numerical simulation was carried using the ECOS model (Easy Coupling Oil System), an oil spill model developed at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande – FURG, coupled with the tridimensional hydrodynamical model TELEMAC3D (EDF, France). The hydrodynamic model provides the velocities, salinity and temperature fields used by the oil spill model to evaluate the behavior and fate of the oil. The results suggest that the local wind influence are the main forcing driven the fate of the spilled oil. The direction and intensity of the currents are important controlling the behavior and the tridimensional transportation of the oil, on the other hand, the turbulent diffusion is important for the horizontal drift of the oil. The weathering results indicate 40% of evaporation and 80% of emulsification, and the combination of these processes leads an increasing of the oil density around 53.4 kg/m³ after 5 days of simulation.

scholarly journals Marine Oil Spill Detection Based on the Comprehensive Use of Polarimetric SAR Data

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Li ◽  
Yuanzhi Zhang ◽  
Zifeng Yuan ◽  
Huaqiu Guo ◽  
Hongyuan Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Synthetic Aperture ◽  
Polarimetric Sar ◽  
Classification Result ◽  
Marine Oil ◽  
Oil Spill Detection ◽  
Biogenic Slicks

As a major marine pollution source, oil spills largely threaten the sustainability of the coastal environment. Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar remote sensing has become a promising approach for marine oil spill detection since it could effectively separate crude oil and biogenic look-alikes. However, on the sea surface, the signal to noise ratio of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) backscatter is usually low, especially for cross-polarized channels. In practice, it is necessary to combine the refined detail of slick-sea boundary derived from the co-polarized channel and the highly accurate crude slick/look-alike classification result obtained based on the polarimetric information. In this paper, the architecture for oil spill detection based on polarimetric SAR is proposed and analyzed. The performance of different polarimetric SAR filters for oil spill classification are compared. Polarimetric SAR features are extracted and taken as the input of Staked Auto Encoder (SAE) to achieve high accurate classification between crude oil, biogenic slicks, and clean sea surface. A post-processing method is proposed to combine the classification result derived from SAE and the refined boundary derived from VV channel power image based on special density thresholding (SDT). Experiments were conducted on spaceborne fully polarimetric SAR images where both crude oil and biogenic slicks were presented on the sea surface.

Oil Spill Prevention Measures for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

1973 ◽  
Vol 1973 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. W. Wellbaum
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Pipeline System ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Operating Life ◽  
Oil Storage ◽  
Operation And Maintenance ◽  
Pump Stations ◽  
Design Construction

ABSTRACT Oil spills only occur after the start-up of a facility but oil spill prevention for a pipeline-terminal-tanker complex begins with route selection and continues through design, construction, personnel training, operation and maintenance. The trans-Alaska pipeline project has faced all of the usual, and some unusual, problems which needed solutions to give maximum assurance that oil spills would not occur during the operating life of the facilities. This conference today is considering the prevention of oil spill incidents associated with tanker and pipeline operations, refineries, and transfer and storage terminals. The trans-Alaska pipeline system is concerned with each of these functions of the petroleum industry. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company is responsible for design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the pipeline system which will move crude oil produced on the Alaskan North Slope along a route to Valdez, an ice free port located on an arm of Prince William Sound. At Valdez, the oil will be transferred to ocean going tankers. The project will have at its ultimate design capacity of two million barrels per day:Almost 800 miles of 48-inch pipeline.Twelve pump stations with 650,000 installed HP.Twenty-million barrels of crude oil storage in fifty-two tanks.Five loading berths at a deep water terminal servicing a fleet of tankers ranging in size from 30,000 dwt to 250,000 dwt.Eight crude oil topping plants, manufacturing fuel for pump stations, each with a charge of 10,000 barrels per day.A ballast water treating plant capable of handling up to 800,000 barrels per day of dirty ballast.A 25,000 KW power generation plant.Several dozen mechanical refrigeration plants which will be freezing the ground in Alaska.

Burning of Oil Spills

1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 (1) ◽  
pp. 677-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.D. Evans ◽  
G.W. Mulholland ◽  
J.R. Lawson ◽  
E.J. Tennyson ◽  
M.F. Fingas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Heat Radiation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Environment Canada ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT The Center for Fire Research (CFR) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting research related to safety in offshore drilling and oil spill pollution under joint funding from Minerals Management Service (MMS), U.S. Coast Guard, and the American Petroleum Institute. Technical assistance in measurement has been donated by Environment Canada. This research has focused on examining the phenomena associated with crude oil combustion and the impact of using burning as a spill response method. The process of burning crude oil on water as a means to mitigate oil spills has been investigated with a research effort combining both small-scale experiments and calculations. As a result of these studies, there has been increased understanding of the burning process, including burning rate, heat radiation, smoke emission, smoke composition, and smoke dispersion in the atmosphere. A key to gaining acceptance of burning as a spill response technique is the demonstration that favorable results obtained at laboratory scale can be shown to continue in test burns representing the size of fires expected in actual operations. Field-scale burn tests are being planned and coordinated jointly by MMS, API, USCG, and Environment Canada to document the use of burning technology under conditions simulating actual oil spill cleanup operations. The purpose of this project is to measure the effects of oil spill burning in laboratory and field tests.

IMPLICATIONS OF OBSERVATIONS OF INTENTIONAL OIL SPILLS

1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 (1) ◽  
pp. 617-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Reed ◽  
Chris Turner ◽  
James Price
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Physical Explanation ◽  
Norwegian Sea ◽  
Drift Model ◽  
Surface Drifters ◽  
Unstable Emulsion ◽  
Drifting Buoys

ABSTRACT Intentional releases of crude oil on the open ocean were carried out in the Norwegian Sea in 1989 and 1991. The releases were used to evaluate selected satellite-tracked surface drifting buoys for their ability to simulate the movement of oil on the sea surface, and to improve our understanding of the behavior and fate of oil at sea. The crude oil used in 1989 rapidly formed a stable, highly viscous emulsion with water; the crude oil used in 1991 formed a very unstable emulsion, and spread rapidly to a relatively uniform, thin sheen. Both the surface drifters and a simple drift model simulated slick drift relatively well in 1989, but were significantly in error two out of three times in 1991. A physical explanation and numerical model have been constructed to explain the data. Implications of these and other observations, both for surface drifters and models of oil spills, are discussed.

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