Recovery of Submerged oil from an Alaska Lake

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 713-718
Author(s):  
Don A. Kane
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Surf Zone ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Lake Bottom ◽  
Responsible Party

ABSTRACT On November 26, 1997, the M/V Kuroshima was anchored near Unalaska, Alaska when extreme weather conditions dislodged it from its anchorage. Winds exceeding 90 miles per hour and waves exceeding 25 feet forced the vessel onto rocks, where its hull was punctured. Approximately 39,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil (IFO 380) were discharged into marine waters, onto adjacent shorelines, into a creek, and into Summer Bay Lake. Shoreline cleanup was implemented immediately following the spill, but was suspended until spring due to harsh weather conditions, safety concerns, and inefficient cleanup operations. Because the oil had a very high viscosity, was stranded high on the shoreline and winter had set in, the oil did not present an immediate environmental or human health threat. It was suspected that some of the discharged oil mixed with sand as it moved through the surf zone and sank when it entered the lake. During the winter, state and federal agencies and the responsible party developed a plan to survey the lake and creek for submerged oil. In early spring, divers conducted visual surveys of the lake bottom along 6.5 miles of transect to locate submerged oil. Transect locations were identified using a Differential Global Positioning System and the bottom was videotaped. A survey approach similar to that used to conduct a shoreline cleanup assessment was employed to characterize the lake bottom and the nature and spatial extent of the submerged oil. An oil recovery plan and cleanup criteria were developed and implemented. This case study describes the approach and technology utilized to survey for submerged oil and presents the survey findings and oil recovery and disposal methods employed. The challenges presented by the remote location, difficult working conditions, and natural resource concerns are also discussed.

scholarly journals MASSIVE USE OF BERM RELOCATION AND SURFWASHING DURING THE 2006 JYEH OIL SPILL (LEBANON): THE ACCURATE RESPONSE FOR BEACHES CLEANUP

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 (1) ◽  
pp. 331-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Fichaut ◽  
Bahr Loubnan
Keyword(s):  
Surf Zone ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Shallow Waters ◽  
Power Station ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Sediment Removal ◽  
Calm Weather ◽  
Oily Waste

ABSTRACT Following the bombardment of the Jyeh power station in Lebanon on July 16 2006, about 10 to 15000 tons of heavy fuel oil drifted 150 km northward all the way to the Syrian border. Because of the continuing war, the cleanup operations could not start until early September. The response consisted of conceptually dividing the coast line into several sectors managed by various operators; from Jyeh to Beyrouth, a 34.5 km stretch of shoreline, the treatment of beaches was assigned to the lebanese N.G.O “Bahr Loubnan’. In this area, 5.3 km of sandy and gravel beaches appeared to be heavily oiled on a width that seldomly exceeded 10 m. Oil was found buried down to a depth of 1.8 m at several locations. Additionnally oil was also found sunken in shallow waters in the breaker zones of numerous beaches. In order to minimize sediment removal and production of oily waste to be treated, it was decided to operate massive treatmenN in situ. After manual recovery of stranded oil, about 12,000 m of sediment including 1,000 m of cobbles have been relocated in the surf zone. Despite the lack of tides and of the generally calm weather conditions, surfwashing was very efficient due mainly to the fact that, in non tidal conditions, sediments are continuously reworked by wave açtion which operates at the same level on the beaches. Only 540 m of heavily oiled sand, was removed from beaches and submitted for further treatment. The lack of appropriate sorbents material in Lebanon to capture the floating oil released by surfwahing was also a challenge. This was addressed by using locally Nmanufactured sorbents, which proved to be very efficient and 60 m of sorbent soaked with oil were produced during the cleanup.

scholarly journals OIL SPILL CONTINGENCY PLANS: INCORPORATING WASTE MANAGEMENT AND FURTHERING ITS PROMOTION1

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 281-283
Author(s):  
Cassandra Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Contingency Plans

ABSTRACT A fundamental problem exists with waste disposal in marine-based oil spill clean up, as up to ten times more waste can be generated than the actual oil spilled. Lessons learnt are rarely recognised until the clean up operation has finished and oiled waste has accumulated. In 1999 the oil tanker Erika broke in two and sank off the coast of Brittany, France. Spilling 20,000 tonnes of Heavy Fuel Oil but creating 250,000 tonnes of oiled waste. The Author, during the Prestige spill has observed first hand how the handling and disposal of oily waste can have major implications for oil clean up operations. It can hinder the entire operation by causing bottlenecks and delays in further recovery of oil, unless suitable arrangements can be made. The promotion of a holistic approach to waste management is fundamental to effective oil recovery operations and should be incorporated into oil spill contingency plans. The paper will highlight the importance of developing a proactive waste management strategy, emphasising good practice and the key issues involved. The paper is supported by existing reports, the author's practical experience and a published document, co-authored, on current waste disposal options for IPIECA's technical document series.

scholarly journals Effect of long term natural weathering on oil composition: study of the 41-years-old Amoco Cadiz and 20-years-old Erika oil spills

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronan Jézéquel ◽  
Julien Guyomarch ◽  
Justine Receveur ◽  
Stéphane Le Floch
Keyword(s):  
Methylene Chloride ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Terrestrial Vegetation ◽  
Oil Composition ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Steering Mechanism ◽  
Weathered Oil ◽  
Specific Degradation

On 16 March 1978, the oil tanker the Amoco Cadiz, transporting 223,000 tons of crude oil and 4,000 tons of bunker fuel oil, suffered a failure of her steering mechanism and ran aground on Portsall Rocks, on the Breton coast. The entire cargo spilled out as the breakers split the vessel in two, progressively polluting 360 km of French shoreline from Brest to Saint Brieuc. This was the largest oil spill caused by a tanker grounding ever recorded in the world. The consequences of this accident were significant, and it caused the French Government to revise its oil response plan (the Polmar Plan), to acquire equipment stocks (Polmar stockpiles), to impose traffic lanes in the Channel and to create Cedre. On 12 December 1999, the tanker Erika broke up and sank off the coast of Brittany (France) leading to the spill of 20,000 tons of a heavy fuel oil. 400 km of the French Atlantic coastline were polluted. Because of the characteristics of the oil (a very heavy fuel oil with a high content of light cracking oil) and the severe weather conditions (a centennial storm with spring tides) when the oil came on shore, the Erika spill was one of the most severe accidental releases of oil along the French coastlines. All types of habitat were concerned, and pollution reached the supratidal zone affecting terrestrial vegetation and lichens. In 2019, respectively 41 years and 20 years after these major oil spills affecting the French shoreline, a sampling round was conducted at two sites recorded to present some residual traces of oil. Samples of weathered oil were collected, extracted with methylene chloride and then purified through an alumina-silica microcolumn. SARA fractionation and GC-MS analyses were performed in order to assess respectively the total degradation of the weathered oil (amount of saturates, aromatics and polar fraction) and the specific degradation of nalkanes from n-C9 to n-C40, biomarkers (such as terpanes, hopanes and steranes) and PAHs (parents and alkylated derivatives).

scholarly journals THE USE OF SURFACE DRIFTING FLOATS IN THE MONITORING OF OIL SPILLS. THE PRESTIGE CASE

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 613-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio García-Ladona ◽  
Jordi Font ◽  
Evilio del Río ◽  
Agustí Julià ◽  
Jordi Salat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Wave Forecast ◽  
The Prestige

ABSTRACT On November 13th, 2002 the 26 year old tanker Prestige reported an emergency off the North Western Spanish coast (Galicia). The ship was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil that started to be spilled while the vessel was towed away from the coast, affecting more than 900 km of shoreline. The location and the way the accident occurred implied a great challenge for the organization and coordinaton of actions to fight against the oil pollution. The site, just off the Finis terre cap, is a complex region from the oceanographic point of view and weather conditions, and this facilitated the fuel transport and spread over a great area. In order to take rapid preventive actions, it was crucial to have accurate spill trajectory forecasts covering direction and coastal impact. Under the coordination of public agencies and Spanish academic and research institutions, an operational monitoring system was built including wind and wave forecast, oil spill dispersion models, and visual inspection flights. Although the use of lagrangian floats was made in other incidents in the past (i.e Erika tanker) the characteristics of the Prestige accident indicated the need to deploy a relative great number of buoys as a major novelty respect to similar accidents in the past. The purpose of this contribution is to describe the operational actions performed during this particular accident, and to show the use of Lagrangian floats as an efficient procedure to improve the management and advice for such catastrophic events.

Key Parameters Affecting the Dispersion of Viscous Oil

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 479-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard P. Canevari ◽  
Peter Calcavecchio ◽  
K. W. Becker ◽  
R. R. Lessard ◽  
Robert J. Fiocco
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Nickel Content ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Extensive Study ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Oil Viscosity ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Low Viscosity ◽  
Viscous Oil

ABSTRACT Oil viscosity has been perceived as a major factor affecting the dispersibility of oil. Very high viscosity oils—20,000 centistokes (cs) or more—can readily be observed as resisting the breakup of the oil into dispersed droplets. However, there are instances where a relatively viscous oil will disperse much more readily than another oil of similar viscosity. An extensive study has been conducted at ExxonMobil Research facilities in New Jersey to define the molecular makeup of 14 viscous heavy fuel oil products and determine the property of the viscous oils, besides viscosity, that influences dispersibility. Dispersibility was measured by a standard laboratory dispersant test using a COREXIT dispersant selected from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Contingency Plan (NCP) Product Schedule. Initially, IATROSCAN (TLC) and gas chromatography data failed to show any correlation between chemical properties, such as sulfur, aromatics, paraffins, resins, vanadium, nickel content, etc., and dispersibility. However, the analysis did identify a statistically significant relationship between a parameter based on normal paraffin content and dispersibility, which helps explain anomalies such as low viscosity oils that do not disperse. These results are expected to aid in guiding oil spill response for viscous oils.

scholarly journals Stability, Combustion, and Compatibility of High-Viscosity Heavy Fuel Oil Blends with a Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 8403-8413
Author(s):  
Michael D. Kass ◽  
Beth L. Armstrong ◽  
Brian C. Kaul ◽  
Raynella Maggie Connatser ◽  
Samuel Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fast Pyrolysis ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Oil Blends ◽  
Bio Oil

Experimental Study in a 350 MWe Utility Boiler of Oil Droplet and Coke Size Analysis

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Diego-Marin ◽  
Carlos Melendez-Cervantes ◽  
Armando Giles-Alarcon
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Droplet Size Distribution ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Unburned Carbon ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Oil Droplet ◽  
Carbon Particles ◽  
Micron Size

A study was carried out to find out the cause of premature plugging of air heaters of a 350 MWe oil fired boiler. The unit burnt a heavy fuel oil number 6, with both high levels of sulfur (3.75%) and asphaltenes (16.2%), as well as high viscosity (555 SSF at 50°C) and API gravity of 11.2. Particle concentration at the furnace exit and at the stack were measured, also flue gas analyses were performed at the same sites. In the furnace were employed water cooled probes of six meters in length which allowed traversing 70% of its width. In addition, the oil droplet size distribution from an atomizer was measured with a Malver Particle Sizer. Cold condition using simulating fluids were taken in this analysis. Also, the unburned carbon particles size distribution, both from the furnace exit and from the stack, was performed with a particle Malver Sizer. The atomizer produced large oil drops, 5.7% by volume larger than 300 micron size, which were considered as promoters of unburned carbon. The concentration of carbon particles in the stack was 60% of that of the furnace exit. Furthermore, the particles from the stack were of smaller size (95% <150 μm) than those of the furnace (89% <150 μm). Deposition of carbon particles in the internal component of the boiler, mainly in the air heaters, was the cause of this finding. To solve the premature plugging of the air heaters of this oil fired boiler, the atomizers should be modified to reduce at a minimum level the oil drops larger than 200 micron size.

BLUE MASTER: USE OF COREXIT®9500 TO DISPERSE IFO 180 SPILL1

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (2) ◽  
pp. 815-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Kaser ◽  
Julie Gahn ◽  
Charlie Henry
Keyword(s):  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Tier Ii ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Calm Weather ◽  
Unified Command ◽  
The Right ◽  
Time Limitations

ABSTRACT COREXIT®9500 was used to disperse 100 barrels (bbls) of Intermediate Fuel Oil (IFO) 180 30 nautical miles south of Galveston, Texas. The dispersant was highly effective in dispersing this heavy fuel oil. Efficacy was based on the fact that only 1.5 barrels of oil washed up on the beach in the form of tarballs a week later. No reports of oiled birds or wildlife related to the incident were received. The pre-authorization limits of the Regional Response Team (RRT) Region VI On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) Pre-Approved Dispersant Use Manual were outdated; COREXIT®9500 was placed on the National Contingency Plan (NCP) Product Schedule list of approved dispersants after the manual was written. COREXIT®9500 enables dispersal of heavier products than those originally considered by the RRT. The specific gravity of IFO 180 is 0.988 while the OSC Pre-Approved Dispersant Use Manual considered 0.953 an upper limit. The dispersant was applied outside the 6-hour time limit because an overflight showed little to no emulsification of the oil because of calm weather conditions. Although current conditions were calm, thunderstorms were expected to develop in the area that would provide the mixing action needed to enhance dispersal. The Unified Command considered this dispersant application a “cautious success.” The small amount of oil that reached the beach and the absence of oiled birds support a statement of success but, because of time limitations, Tier II SMART (Specialized Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies) data were not obtained to substantiate this conclusion. Following this case, RRT Region VI convened a committee to review the Pre-Approved Dispersant Use Manual, to evaluate whether the pre-approved protocols were still relevant, and to develop changes to the Pre-Approved Dispersant Use Manual if needed for consideration and approval by the RRT. At its January 2000 meeting, RRT Region VI approved several short-term changes to the manual and authorized continued work on several mid- and long-term revisions. These changes not only give the OSC more flexibility in choosing the right dispersant tools, but also give greater requirements to document dispersant operations.

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