Latest Update of Tests and Improvements to Coast Guard Viscous Oil Pumping System (VOPS)1

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 447-452
Author(s):  
Commander Michael Drieu ◽  
Ron MacKay ◽  
Flemming Hvidbak ◽  
Lieutenant Commander Peter Nourse ◽  
David Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Maritime Industry ◽  
Pumping System ◽  
Viscous Oil ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Over the past nine years, the U.S. Coast Guard has incorporated the Prevention Through People (PTP) philosophy as a “human factors” approach to learn how maritime operations can be regulated safer and be more efficient by evaluating training, management policies, operational procedures, and establishing partnerships with the maritime industry. One of the key elements of applying a PTP approach is identifying and incorporating lessons learned from major marine casualties and pollution incidents. Since 1997, the U.S. Coast Guard National Strike Force (NSF) has responded to three major oil spills involving foreign freight vessels grounding, which included the removal of highly viscous oil using various lightering equipment and systems. An informal workgroup consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage (NAVSUPSALV), and various representatives from oil pollution clean-up companies met at the following facilities: the Chevron Asphalt Facility in Edmonds, WA (September 1999), the Oil and Hazardous Materials Simulated Environmental Test Tank (OHMSETT) testing facility in Leonardo, New Jersey (November 1999 and March 2000), the Alaska Clean Seas (ACS) warehouse annex in Prudhoe Bay, AK (October 2000), and Cenac Towing Company facility in Houma, LA (May 2002). The group shared ideas and techniques, and tested different pumps and hose lengths with viscous oil. It was during the early tests that the first quantitative results showed just how efficient lubricated transport of heavy oil product could be, and broadened the knowledge of such methods to the entire industry. Although this technology had existed for many years in the oil production and handling industry, its use had never been investigated in a laboratory setting with regard to salvage response lightering systems. The lubrication of heavy oil product was first applied in the tests in the form of Annular Water Injection (AWI) by means of an, Annular Water Injection Flange (AWIF). This idea had been developed many years ago by the oil industry to improve oil output production, but was first applied to salvage response using the flange concept by the Frank Mohn Company of Norway. In concept, the flange applies water to the viscous product discharge of a pump by means of its unique geometry. The initial tests resulted in developing the use of AWI on the discharge side of the pump. This technique was further refined and applied to existing U.S. Coast Guard lightering systems in the form of the Viscous Oil Pumping System (VOPS) package, which has been issued to each of the three USCG Strike Teams of the National Strike Force (NSF). Latest improvements include using AWI on the suction side of the pump with hot water or steam. For this suction application, a different device used to deliver water lubrication was also tested concurrently with the discharge AWIF. Other significant improvements, which achieved one of the goals set in 2000, was to seek global partnership with other companies or agencies from other countries. In 2002, the Canadian Coast Guard formally joined the U.S. VOPS workgroup to form the Joint Viscous Oil Pumping System (JVOPS) Workgroup.

Implications of OPA 90 in General and Its Effect on the T-AO 187 Class Oilers in Particular

1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (03) ◽  
pp. 175-182
Author(s):  
Hans Hofmann ◽  
George Kapsilis ◽  
Eric Smith ◽  
Robert Wasalaski
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
International Maritime Organization ◽  
The Status ◽  
Oil Tankers ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Hull Construction

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 has mandated that by the year 2015 all oil tankers operating in waters subject to jurisdiction of the United States must have double hulls. This paper examines the Act and the status of regulatory initiatives it has generated. Guidance for new hull construction and retrofit of existing vessels is outlined, and both IMO (International Maritime Organization) and U.S. Coast Guard requirements are discussed. Finally, the structural changes necessary to convert the U.S. Navy's T-AO Class oil tankers to meet the requirements of the Act are specified and illustrated.

Using Learning Objects for Rapid Deployment to Mobile Learning Devices for the U.S. Coast Guard

2011 ◽  
pp. 527-540
Author(s):  
Pamela T. Northrup ◽  
William T. Harrison Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Learning ◽  
Learning Objects ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Development Tool ◽  
Content Development ◽  
Rapid Deployment ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Beta Test

This chapter introduces the use of a learning objects content development tool, the eLearning Objects Navigator, (eLONTM) as a strategy for creating, classifying, and retrieving reusable learning objects and reusable information objects. The use of eLONTM provides a context for rapid deployment of these SCORM-conformant packages to mobile learning devices as well as to learning management systems for a beta test with the U.S. Coast Guard Institute. Presented in this chapter is the underlying theoretical framework for the development of eLONTM as well as the specific design decisions made regarding the deployment of PDA mobile learning devices to military personnel. Furthermore, initial results from the beta test yield positive results as well as a series of lessons learned.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/U.S. Coast Guard Peer Exchange Program1

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 1137-1139
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Babb ◽  
Glenn Cekus
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Environmental Response ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Response Team ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Nationwide, the U.S. Coast Guard (CG) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are both tasked with the implementation of several environmental and safety statutes (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liabilities Act [CERCLA], Oil Pollution Act of 1990 [OPA 90], Clean Water Act [CWA], international Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships [MARPOL], etc.). They share important leadership roles on the National Response Team (NRT), Regional Response Team (RRT) and several other response planning bodies. Often EPA On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) and CG OSC representatives work together in oil and chemical response operations and on various planning and exercise committees. However, the joint efforts of both organizations are often impacted by a mutual lack of understanding of each other's authorities, policies, procedures, internal structures, and leadership roles. Even the response zones for CG and EPA are often based on factors other than geography and often may not be well understood. USCG Marine Safety Office (MSO) Chicago and EPA Region V are bridging this gap in understanding by sponsoring a Peer Exchange Program. Representatives from each agency are spending up to a week with the other agency for hands-on training and education. The program was initiated in April 1996 and has produced excellent results. As a result, joint CGIEPA responses run more smoothly, mutual understanding and accessibility are enhanced, and overall public health and welfare and the environment are better protected.

Integrated Vessel Response Plan Format

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 635-638
Author(s):  
William C. Rogers ◽  
Jean R. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Task Force ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Vessel Response ◽  
Response Plan ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Oil shipping companies operating on the West Coast of the United States are subject to international, federal, and state oil spill prevention and response planning regulations. Many companies wrote separate plans for each jurisdiction with the result that tank vessels carried several different plans on board and parent companies faced an administrative burden in keeping plans current. In June 1996, oil shipping company representatives proposed that the States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force work with them to develop a format incorporating West Coast states' and U.S. Coast Guard contingency planning requirements. A workgroup comprised of representatives of the Task Force, industry, and the U.S. Coast Guard, working cooperatively, eventually proposed a voluntary integrated plan format based on the key elements of the U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Response Plan. This format allowed correlation with state planning requirements as well as with the Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) required by international regulations. The U.S. Coast Guard, the Canadian Ministry of Transport, and all West Coast states have subsequently documented their agreement to accept vessel plans in this format, to coordinate review as needed, and to allow references to public documents such as Area Plans.

Low Salinity Hot Water Injection With Addition of Nanoparticles for Enhancing Heavy Oil Recovery

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanan Ding ◽  
Sixu Zheng ◽  
Xiaoyan Meng ◽  
Daoyong Yang
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Wettability Alteration ◽  
Heavy Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Saturation ◽  
Low Salinity

In this study, a novel technique of low salinity hot water (LSHW) injection with addition of nanoparticles has been developed to examine the synergistic effects of thermal energy, low salinity water (LSW) flooding, and nanoparticles for enhancing heavy oil recovery, while optimizing the operating parameters for such a hybrid enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method. Experimentally, one-dimensional displacement experiments under different temperatures (17 °C, 45 °C, and 70 °C) and pressures (about 2000–4700 kPa) have been performed, while two types of nanoparticles (i.e., SiO2 and Al2O3) are, respectively, examined as the additive in the LSW. The performance of LSW injection with and without nanoparticles at various temperatures is evaluated, allowing optimization of the timing to initiate LSW injection. The corresponding initial oil saturation, production rate, water cut, ultimate oil recovery, and residual oil saturation profile after each flooding process are continuously monitored and measured under various operating conditions. Compared to conventional water injection, the LSW injection is found to effectively improve heavy oil recovery by 2.4–7.2% as an EOR technique in the presence of nanoparticles. Also, the addition of nanoparticles into the LSHW can promote synergistic effect of thermal energy, wettability alteration, and reduction of interfacial tension (IFT), which improves displacement efficiency and thus enhances oil recovery. It has been experimentally demonstrated that such LSHW injection with the addition of nanoparticles can be optimized to greatly improve oil recovery up to 40.2% in heavy oil reservoirs with low energy consumption. Theoretically, numerical simulation for the different flooding scenarios has been performed to capture the underlying recovery mechanisms by history matching the experimental measurements. It is observed from the tuned relative permeability curves that both LSW and the addition of nanoparticles in LSW are capable of altering the sand surface to more water wet, which confirms wettability alteration as an important EOR mechanism for the application of LSW and nanoparticles in heavy oil recovery in addition to IFT reduction.

Latest update of tests and improvements to US Coast Guard viscous oil pumping system

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (9-12) ◽  
pp. 470-476
Author(s):  
Michael D. Drieu ◽  
Peter C. Nourse ◽  
Ronald MacKay ◽  
David A. Cooper ◽  
Flemming Hvidbak
Keyword(s):  
Coast Guard ◽  
Pumping System ◽  
Viscous Oil ◽  
Us Coast Guard

Star Evviva Spill: Oiled Waterfowl But no Oil

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-195
Author(s):  
Francis J. Sturm ◽  
Charles Jennings
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Response Effort ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
South Carolina Department ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT In January 1999, over 200 oiled waterfowl were recovered from the coastal beaches of South Carolina and North Carolina. A large, multiagency response effort was mounted to collect and rehabilitate these birds, and to identify the source of the damaging oil spill. This was the first time on record that the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) was used on the East Coast of the Unite States to clean wildlife in the absence of any known spill. A temporary rehabilitation center was established for the bird rescue and recovery operation under the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), while the U.S. Coast Guard spearheaded efforts to determine the cause and source of the damaging spill. Representatives from a number of government agencies located up and down the eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast worked together to respond to this wildlife damage and identify the source of the spill: the Star Evviva, which discharged 24,700 gallons of heavy fuel oil approximately 30 miles off the coast of South Carolina. Responding agencies used a unified response and innovative techniques to deal with the unusual challenges presented by this event. This paper summarizes the “lessons learned” in that response effort and attempts to provide useful advice concerning wildlife contingency planning and oil spill investigation and identification.

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