OIL SPILL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN CANADA

1975 ◽  
Vol 1975 (1) ◽  
pp. 329-335
Author(s):  
S.L. Ross
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
Sensing Systems ◽  
Remote Sensing Systems ◽  
Technology Group ◽  
St Lawrence River

ABSTRACT In mid-1972, the Environmental Emergency Branch was formed within the Canadian Department of the Environment. This organization, which is part of the Environmental Protection Service, is responsible for protective and preventative activities related to pollution emergencies, including oil spills. The technology development work carried out by the branch can be divided into two main programs. One is the testing, evaluation, and development of oil spill countermeasures equipment, materials, and techniques. The program for oil spill equipment including skimmers, booms, pumps, and remote sensing systems is being carried out in Hamilton Harbour and Lake Ontario. Much work is also underway on the testing, evaluation, and development of various oil spill treating agents, including dispersants, absorbents, sinking agents, biodegradation agents, combustion agents, and chemical oil herders. The other main responsibility of the spill technology group is to design and develop various countermeasures systems for specific high risk and sensitive areas in Canada. This program involves putting together the various countermeasures equipment and materials described above into integrated systems that can be used to fight spills in specific locations. Four areas which are being thoroughly investigated at this time are Vancouver Harbour, the Beaufort Sea, the St. Clair River, and the St. Lawrence River. These areas are quite different environmentally, and the “custom-designed” countermeasures systems needed for each area are similarly different. Much of the technology development and research effort in Canada has been directed toward cold environment problems. This includes studies related to drilling blowouts in the Arctic, to pipeline spills under winter conditions, to dyking of storage facilities in the north, and to spills in ice-infested water.

Responding to Oil Spills Under Ice: Alaska Clean Seas' Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) Training Course

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 300320
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Hall ◽  
Leonard Zabilansky
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Oil Exploration ◽  
Cold Regions ◽  
Training Course ◽  
The North ◽  
Oil Spill Response

The Alaska North Slope region is a demanding operating environment for oil exploration, production and transportation operations. The Arctic Ocean remains frozen for an average of nine months of the year, with only a limited open-water season in the summer. There are long periods of darkness, extremely harsh weather conditions, remote installations and limited infrastructure. As Arctic oil exploration, production and transportation activities expand, there is growing concern about the ability of public and private sector response organizations to effectively clean up oil spills under ice. Alaska Clean Seas (ACS) is the Alaska North Slope oil spill response cooperative based in Prudhoe Bay, AK. ACS oversees the training and coordination of the North Slope Spill Response Team (NSSRT), a volunteer-based organization consisting of personnel from the workforce of ACS' Member Companies and their support contractors. Beginning in January 2012, ACS partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, NH, to develop an Advanced Oil Spill Response in Ice Course. Now in its third year, this partnership has combined the unique facilities, capabilities and ice research history of CRREL with the Arctic response expertise and experience of Alaska Clean Seas to deliver realistic, one-of-a-kind training for recovering oil spilled under ice. Participants have included members of the NSSRT, several federal regulatory agencies and representatives from the Global Response Network. ACS provides response equipment from the North Slope and several vendors have demonstrated additional skimming and pumping systems specifically designed for recovery in ice. Central to the course is CRREL's outdoor saline test basin, a 60′ × 25′ × 7′ refrigerated in-ground tank equipped to grow and maintain a two-foot cover of sea ice. Approximately 600 gallons of Alaska North Slope crude oil are injected under the ice to provide a realistic field scenario to practice response tactics. These tactics include assessment and profiling techniques for safely working on the ice; employing underwater lights and ground penetrating radar for detection of oil under ice; use of augers and chainsaw sleds to cut holes and slots in the ice; deployment of recovery and storage systems to remove oil from an ice environment; and in-situ burning operations in slush and broken ice. This poster highlights the development of the CRREL Training Course and provides guidelines for course content, length, and special considerations for similar advanced field training courses.

scholarly journals Quantifying the consequence of applying conservative assumptions in the assessment of oil spill effects on polar cod (Boreogadus saida) populations

Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 575-586
Author(s):  
Pepijn De Vries ◽  
Jacqueline Tamis ◽  
Jasmine Nahrgang ◽  
Marianne Frantzen ◽  
Robbert Jak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Threshold Concentration ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Cod ◽  
Boreogadus Saida ◽  
Precautionary Approach ◽  
Recovery Duration ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn order to assess the potential impact from oil spills and decide the optimal response actions, prediction of population level effects of key resources is crucial. These assessments are usually based on acute toxicity data combined with precautionary assumptions because chronic data are often lacking. To better understand the consequences of applying precautionary approaches, two approaches for assessing population level effects on the Arctic keystone species polar cod (Boreogadus saida) were compared: a precautionary approach, where all exposed individuals die when exposed above a defined threshold concentration, and a refined (full-dose-response) approach. A matrix model was used to assess the population recovery duration of scenarios with various but constant exposure concentrations, durations and temperatures. The difference between the two approaches was largest for exposures with relatively low concentrations and short durations. Here, the recovery duration for the refined approach was less than eight times that found for the precautionary approach. Quantifying these differences helps to understand the consequences of precautionary assumptions applied to environmental risk assessment used in oil spill response decision making and it can feed into the discussion about the need for more chronic toxicity testing. An elasticity analysis of our model identified embryo and larval survival as crucial processes in the life cycle of polar cod and the impact assessment of oil spills on its population.

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.

LOGISTICS FOR THE CONDUCT OF CONTROLLED OIL SPILL EXPERIMENTON BIORESTORATION OF FRESHWATER WETLANDS

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (2) ◽  
pp. 1467-1469
Author(s):  
Stéphane Grenon ◽  
Vincent Jarry ◽  
Darcy Longpré ◽  
Kenneth Lee ◽  
Albert D. Venosa
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Freshwater Wetlands ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Emergency Responders ◽  
And Control ◽  
Oil Spill Cleanup ◽  
St Lawrence River

ABSTRACT The St. Lawrence River, situated between Canada and the United States, provides a major transport route in North America for the transport of millions of tons of crude oil, condensates, and refined products each year. In addition, as one of the largest rivers in the world, it is of major ecological significance. For example, over 55,000 hectares of wetlands are found along the St. Lawrence alone. These areas provide habitat for wildlife, the nurseries for fisheries, and control coastal erosion are highly vulnerable to oil spills. Furthermore, as traditional oil spill cleanup methods may be ineffective or cause more damage, emergency responders are considering less intrusive methods such as biorestoration as operational countermeasures. A biorestoration experiment was designed to measure the effectiveness of this method in the St. Lawrence River. To conduct this experiment, 1,200 liters of crude oil were to be spilled in a controlled manner over an experimental zone of 750 m2 in a marsh area. To obtain regulatory approvals from governmental agencies, environmental groups and, more importantly, to avoid the “not in my backyard” protests from the local communities, site selection, emergency planning, contingency measures, and especially community meetings, were all necessary steps towards the acceptance of the project. This controlled spill was done in June 1998 without any incident. Sampling of the experimental site will be completed in the fall of 2000. This paper aims to provide insights on the steps needed to gain acceptance from concerned citizens for the conduct of a controlled oil spill experiment.

scholarly journals The fate of an oil spill in São Sebastião channel: a case study

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliete Zanardi-Lamardo ◽  
Marcia Caruso Bícego ◽  
Rolf Roland Weber
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Terrestrial Plants ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Flame Ionization ◽  
The North ◽  
Northeasterly Wind ◽  
Wind Driven Currents

An oil pipeline ruptured in May 1994 and 2 700 tons of crude oil leaked into the São Sebastião Channel, affecting several neighboring areas. A program for the monitoring of hydrocarbons in sediments, using the gas chromatography / flame ionization detector methodology, was being undertaken in the area at the time. The data obtained were compared to those of samples collected after the accident to determine the fate of the oil spilled and ascertain its contribution to the environment. The earlier results showed that hydrocarbons were introduced from two different sources: biogenic, mainly from terrestrial plants, and anthropogenic, as oil, in sewage and from shipping. The later data indicated that the site closest to the pipeline rupture had been the most affected. Following that, two stations located at the north entrance of the channel presented the highest n-alkane concentrations, suggesting that the northeasterly wind-driven currents had carried the oil northward. Seven months later, one of these stations, a high-energy site, showed some signs of recovery, but this process was not observed at the other, which seemed to be a low-energy site. In conclusion, the data showed that the aliphatic hydrocarbon analyses were powerful tools for the assessment of the fate of the oil spill and that the northern part of the São Sebastião Channel is more subject to the effects of oil spills.

scholarly journals Planning Oil Spill Response Tactics for Offshore Production Islands

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 1163-1166
Author(s):  
Michael Bronson ◽  
Thomas Chappie ◽  
Larry Dietrick ◽  
Ronald Hocking ◽  
James McHale
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Regulatory Approval ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
North Slope ◽  
The North ◽  
Offshore Production ◽  
Offshore Oil Production

ABSTRACT In anticipation of the Beaufort Sea's first two offshore production islands, Alaska's North Slope oil producers recently expanded their oil spill recovery tactical plans and equipment. To seek regulatory approval for offshore oil production, industry responders joined agency regulators and made plans to clean up as much as 225,000 barrels of oil from potential blowouts over 15 days. Response technicians are configuring new and existing skimmers, vessels, and barges on the North Slope to implement those planning standards. This paper outlines the oil spill tactical plans and equipment that Alaska's North Slope oil industry recently assembled in seeking regulatory approval for the first offshore production islands in the Arctic. The operators of North America's largest oil fields are beginning the first production from oil wells separated from roads and most spill response vessels. For example, the new Badami production pad lies on the Arctic coast more than 25 miles from the Prudhoe Bay facilities, across river courses and roadless tundra. Eight miles of ice-infested sea will separate the proposed Northstar and Liberty production islands from response vessel berths. The new fields regularly experience waves, cold, and ice invasions that constrain oil recovery efforts. Yet regulatory approval to begin oil production requires that the industry have plans and equipment to clean up all the oil that may enter open water, even from the largest spills, within 72 hours.

scholarly journals Examination of Current BSEE Oil Spill Response Research Efforts

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen N. Stone ◽  
Jay J. Cho ◽  
Kristi J. McKinney
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Naval Research ◽  
Development Effort ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
The U.S

Abstract No.:1141265 In the decade following the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, considerable research and development has been accomplished to address known research gaps to respond to offshore oil spills; however, opportunities to enhance spill response capabilities remain. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is the lead agency in the U.S. regulating energy production on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. BSEE's Oil Spill Response Research (OSRR) program is the principal federal source of oil spill response research to improve the detection, containment, treatment/cleanup of oil spills and strives to provide the best available information, science, research, and technology development to key decision makers, industry, and the oil spill response community. The paper will highlight several key collaborative projects with federal and industry stakeholders including System and Algorithm Development to Estimate Oil Thickness and Emulsification through an UAS Platform and Methods to Enhance Mechanical Recovery in Arctic Environments. Additionally, the paper will provide an update on the Development of a Low-emission Spray Combustion Burner to Cleanly Burn Emulsions where we partnered the Naval Research Laboratory and met with industry representatives to incorporate their needs in the final phases of the development effort.

OHMSETT TESTS OF A ROPE-MOP SKIMMER IN ICE-INFESTED WATERS1

1985 ◽  
Vol 1985 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Shum ◽  
M. Borst Mason & Hanger-Silas
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Cold Weather ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Test Tank ◽  
Broken Ice ◽  
Petroleum Development ◽  
Oil Spill Cleanup

ABSTRACT The increase in petroleum development activities in the arctic region has raised concerns over potential oil spills during the broken ice season. Currently, exploratory drilling for oil and gas is restricted during this season due to the lack of proven oil spill cleanup methods for broken ice fields. Test programs have been conducted at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Oil and Hazardous Materials Simulated Environmental Test Tank (OHMSETT) to determine the feasibility of cold weather testing and to evaluate various oil spill cleanup methods considered for use in the arctic. This paper describes a test program to determine the practicality of using a catamaran-mounted rope-mop skimmer for spill cleanup in broken ice fields. An Oil Map Pollution Control, Ltd., prototype arctic skimmer was tested in the test tank under controlled conditions during January 30 to February 7, 1984. Freshwater ice cubes of 250 to 280 millimeters (mm) were used in the tests to approximate a broken ice field. During tests, a predetermined ice condition was established across the encounter width of the rope mops and oil was distributed over the ice. The oil and ice were channeled into the skimmer by two booms, which were joined to the skimmer at the bow. Nine tests were conducted at a tow speed of 1 knot using Circo 4X light oil. During the tests, ice concentrations were varied from 0 to 75 percent of the surface area, and oil slick thickness varied from 3 to 8 mm. The test results demonstrated the spill cleanup capability of the skimmer in ice-infested waters having up to 50 percent ice coverage. At higher ice concentrations, the skimmer was ineffective due to ice jamming at the skimmer inlet.

THE BIOS PROJECT—FRONTIER OIL SPILL COUNTERMEASURES RESEARCH

1981 ◽  
Vol 1981 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Blackall ◽  
Gary A. Sergy
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Environmental Chemistry ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Shoreline Protection ◽  
Biological Studies ◽  
Physical Program ◽  
Micro Organisms

ABSTRACT After 18 months of planning, the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) Project was formally initiated in March 1980. This project marks a major new initiative in oil spill countermeasures development for Canada's northern frontiers. The primary objectives of this internationally funded project are (1) to determine if the use of chemical dispersants in the Arctic nearshore will reduce or increase the environmental effects of spilled oil, (2) to assess the fate of oil, and (3) to compare the relative effectiveness of other shoreline protection and cleanup techniques. This paper outlines the background and scope of the 4-year project and provides an overview of the first field season's results. Highlighted are the preliminary oil discharges, which took place in August 1980, and which marked the start of studies on the long-term fate of oil on Arctic beaches. In addition, the results of the baseline physical, chemical, and biological studies are presented. The physical program included detailed oceanographic, meteorological, and geomorphological studies. The chemical program determined the background hydrocarbon concentrations in the sediments, the water column, and the tissue of selected macrobenthic species; and also the environmental chemistry of the study area. The biological program characterized the macrobenthic flora and fauna and the micro-organisms that are potentially capable of biodegrading the oil. The physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of the oil were measured in laboratories and in the field. The ramifications of these results on the design of the oil spills scheduled for 1981 are discussed.

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