ADVANCEMENTS IN UNDERWATER OIL DETECTION AND RECOVERY TECHNIQUES

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 2037-2052 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Elliott ◽  
David DeVilbiss
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Recovery Techniques ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Spilled Oil ◽  
Detection Technologies

ABSTRACT The marine salvage and commercial diving industries have increasingly been sought out to prevent oil spills from submerged shipwrecks, and to detect and recover spilled oil below the surface once a subsea spill occurs. In recent years, underwater oil recovery techniques have advanced from predominantly surface-supplied diver installed vacuum or pumping systems in relatively shallow waters to the use of saturation diving systems and remotely operated vehicles at greater depths. Underwater oil detection technologies have advanced permitting the detection of spilled oil in the water column, on the bottom and in the subsurface. For oil trapped within a sunken shipwreck, neutron backscatter technology has been successfully applied to locate oil inside the ship. Additionally, the International Maritime Organization, U.S. Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have published regulations, guidance and studies in the past five years in an effort to improve submerged oil detection and recovery operations. This technical paper will provide an overview of the regulatory framework, basics of underwater oil spill response operations and an analysis of recent technological advances available to detect and recover oil at depth. Multi-beam sonar, real-time mass spectrometry, saturation diving systems, diver-operated recovery systems, and remotely operated vehicle systems will be discussed. Recent case studies will frame the presentation of advances in subsea oil detection and recovery equipment. Finally, conclusions and recommendations will be presented to further advance submerged oil detection and recovery efficiency and effectiveness.

MANAGING RISKS OF EXPLOSION DURING OIL RECOVERY, STORAGE, AND TRANSFER OPERATIONS

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 427-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry A. Romberg ◽  
Dennis M. Maguire ◽  
Richard L. Ranger ◽  
Rod Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Additional Risk ◽  
Operational Risks ◽  
Regulatory Standards ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Spilled Oil

ABSTRACT This paper examines explosion hazards while recovering spilled oil utilizing oil spill recovery barges. The risk of static accumulation and discharge is well understood after thorough investigations of several incidents in the 1970s and 1980s involving explosions on tank barges and vessels during petroleum cargo loading and unloading operations. However, those lessons learned only partially apply to oil spill recovery operations due to the differences in liquid properties, crew training, and additional tasks required during an oil spill response. While regulatory standards have been enacted for petroleum tankers and barges involved in commercial transportation of oil and other hazardous materials, the utility of these standards for oil spill response vessels has not been fully considered. Inverviews were conducted with marine transporters and response organizations to understand the wide range of operational risks and mitigation proceedures currently in use. This paper outlines the four basic conditions that must be present to create a static discharge-induced explosion during liquid cargo operations. A review of explosion casualty history was completed for cargo operations and compared to operations that create similar hazards during oil spill recovery operations. Specific processes that create additional risk of static-induced explosions during response operations were studied to review mitigation actions. Finally, recommendations for continued training are provided to help guide the spill response community when preparing for and responding to oil spills.

scholarly journals Responder Needs Addressed by Arctic Maritime Oil Spill Modeling

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
Jessica Manning ◽  
Megan Verfaillie ◽  
Christopher Barker ◽  
Catherine Berg ◽  
Amy MacFadyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Maritime Shipping ◽  
Oil Spill Modeling ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Natural Resource Development ◽  
Spilled Oil

There is a greater probability of more frequent and/or larger oil spills in the Arctic region due to increased maritime shipping and natural resource development. Accordingly, there is an increasing need for effective spilled-oil computer modeling to help emergency oil spill response decision makers, especially in waters where sea ice is present. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R) provides scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) during oil spill response. OR&R’s modeling products must provide adequate spill trajectory predictions so that response efforts minimize economic, cultural, and ecologic impacts, including those to species, habitats, and food supplies. The Coastal Response Research Center is conducting a project entitled Oil Spill Modeling for Improved Response to Arctic Maritime Spills: The Path Forward, in conjunction with modelers, responders, and researchers. A goal of the project is to prioritize new investments in model and tool development to improve response effectiveness in the Arctic. The project delineated FOSC needs during Arctic maritime spill response and provided a solution communicating sources of uncertainty in model outputs using a Confidence Estimates of Oil Model Inputs and Outputs (CEOMIO) table. The table shows the level of confidence (high, medium, low) in a model’s trajectory prediction over scenario-specific time intervals and the contribution of different component inputs (e.g., temperature, wind, ice) to that result.

Investigation of organic materials nature on petrol removal from water surfacee

2021 ◽  
pp. 75-83
Author(s):  
I.V. Bacherikova ◽  
◽  
S.B. Grinenko ◽  
L.S. Kuznetsova ◽  
V.O. Zazhigalov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Organic Materials ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Simultaneous Increase ◽  
Oil Removal ◽  
Optimal Parameters ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Oil Adsorption ◽  
Positive Results

The properties of some organic materials in the removal of oil from water area were studied. It was shown that available materials as technical wool and sintepon can be used as effective sorbents for petroleum removal from water area. The sample mechanical wringing of these sorbents permits to return the part of adsorbed oil for its next use. The dependence of sorption properties (the adsorbed petroleum mass, specific oil adsorption, return of the oil and selectivity of petroleum removal) and petroleum removal from the number of absorption-release cycles was established. It was established that quantity of adsorbed oil decreases in other next step of removal but mass of oil returned increases in the process of mechanical wringing. The regeneration of these adsorbents by flushing in gasoline permits to obtained the initial properties in oil removal from water area. The sorption elements in the form of bags from linen with these materials were prepared. The dependence of the amount of oil removed by these sorption elements from the time of oil clearing of the water area process was determined and the optimal parameters of petroleum removal were established. It was shown that sorption elements on the base of these materials have adsorption capacity equal to 14-16 g of petroleum/g sorbent at selectivity of petroleum removal more than 70 % and oil recovery degree more than 80 % and the possibility their reusable use on oil spill response. The obtained positive results of oil removal from water area permit to propose in extreme cases of oil spills the available industrial products as jerseys, blankest, jackets etc. use successfully for petroleum spill response. The hydrophobization of these elements permits to improve their properties in oil removal from water area. As results of sorption elements modification the increase of adsorbed oil mass and specific petroleum removal at simultaneous increase of returned oil quantity for its next use and oil removal selectivity were established. It was established that synthesized sorption elements not inferior in properties known industrial sorbents for oil removal from water area.

scholarly journals Mapping of Ecological Vulnerability of Sea-Coastal Zones to Oil Spills: A Preliminary Method Applied to Kola Bay, the Barents Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anatoly Shavykin ◽  
Andrey Karnatov
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
Vulnerability Factors ◽  
Ecological Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability Maps ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Spilled Oil

Preparedness for oil spill response is a challenge for many coastal countries. Responders are unable to take effective action unless maps that indicate areas with different vulnerability to oil pollution are available. Such maps, developed in many countries, are usually based on calculations with rank (ordinal) values. However, arithmetic operations with them cannot be allowed. The article describes a method of constructing maps using metric values. The calculations take into account the biomass and the quantity of important biota components, especially significant socio-economic objects and protected areas. The biota distribution densities are represented in the identical units. The vulnerability factors are assessed based on the potential impact of spilled oil on biota, as well as its sensitivity and recoverability after disturbance. The proposed method takes into account the different sensitivity of biota inhabiting in the water column and on the sea surface. Oil vulnerability maps for Kola Bay using the proposed algorithm are presented.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF AIR CUSHIONED VEHICLES IN OIL SPILL RESPONSE1

1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-133
Author(s):  
Mac W. McCarthy ◽  
John McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Washington State ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Fish Processing ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
International Boundary ◽  
Dense Fog

ABSTRACT On July 22, 1991, the Tuo Hai, a 46,500 ton Chinese grain carrier, collided with the Tenyo Maru, a 4,800 ton Japanese fish processing ship, off the coast of Washington State. The Tenyo Maru sank, creating an oil spill that cost upwards of $4 million (U.S.) to clean up. The incident initiated a joint response from the U.S. and Canadian governments. As part of this response, the Canadian Coast Guard mobilized an SRN-6 hovercraft. This air cushioned vehicle (ACV) provided logistical support to responders on both sides of the international boundary. The response operation along the Pacific Coast was extensive. Dense fog and the remote location of the impacted area provided formidable challenges to the cleanup effort. It was the mission scenario of the Canadian SRN-6 hovercraft to provide logistical support—as an experiment in ACV utility—to the organizations responding to this incident. Based on this experience, it can be argued that the hovercraft offers great potential value in responding to marine oil spills. Appropriate application of ACV technology can enhance oil spill response work, spill waste management, and incident surveillance. This paper discusses the contribution of the SRN-6 hovercraft to the Tenyo Maru response, briefly examines the use of another, very different hovercraft, during a response in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and reviews a new hovercraft design and discusses its potential contributions.

Recent Results from Oil Spill Response Research

1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 (1) ◽  
pp. 673-676
Author(s):  
Edward Tennyson
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Yield Information ◽  
Environmental Test ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Spilled Oil

ABSTRACT Recent large oil spills from tankers have reaffirmed the need for continuing technology assessment and research to improve oil-spill response capabilities. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) remains a lead agency in conducting these studies. This paper discusses MMS concerns, as reinforced by the acceleration of its research program in 1990. It briefly assesses the current state-of-the-art technology for major aspects of spill response, including remote sensing, open-ocean containment, recovery, in-situ burning, chemical treating agents, beach-line cleanup, and oil behavior. The paper reports on specific research projects that have begun to yield information that will improve detection and at-sea equipment performance. The first detection project, for which MMS has patent pending, involves the use of shipboard navigational radar to track slicks at relatively long range. The second project involves the use of conventional containment and cleanup in a downwind mode, which is contrary to the traditional procedures. The paper also discusses current research projects, including the development of an airborne, laser-assisted fluorosensor that can determine whether apparent slicks contain oil. Additional projects involve the development of improved strategies for responding to oil in broken-ice conditions, for gaining an improved understanding of the fate and behavior of spilled oil as it affects response strategies, and for reopening and operating the oil and hazardous materials simulated environmental test tank (OHMSETT) facility in Leonardo, New Jersey. Recent progress on the development of safe and environmentally acceptable strategies to burn spilled oil in-situ is also discussed. The OHMSETT facility is necessary for testing prospective improvements in chemical treating agents and to develop standard procedures for testing and evaluating response equipment.

OCEANOGRAPHIC SURVEYS OF TIDAL INLETS FOR OIL SPILL RESPONSE

1981 ◽  
Vol 1981 (1) ◽  
pp. 319-324
Author(s):  
James T. Paskewich ◽  
Edmond P. Thompson ◽  
Timothy W. Kana
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spills ◽  
Natural Circulation ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Tidal Inlets ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
San Luis ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
Natural Oil ◽  
Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT The need for rapid, detailed oceanographic surveys of tidal inlets for contingency planning became apparent during the Ixtoc I and Burmah Agate oil spills in 1979. Tidal inlets, which exist along virtually all coastal plain shorelines, provide the major conduits for open-ocean spills to enter environmentally sensitive coastal habitats. During Ixtoc I and Burmah Agate, a significant effort was made to combine scientific expertise with the practical expertise of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Strike Teams to design more efficient and appropriate boom configurations for Texas passes. Information on tidal inlets, needed by the Strike Teams, included distribution of surface currents, duration and time of flood currents, updated bathymetry, and location of low-velocity zones or natural oil traps. Based on the Texas experience, techniques were developed to survey major tidal inlets rapidly, prepare detailed boom and skimmer deployment, and coordinate implementation of each plan with private cleanup contractors. The surveys were designed to improve the performance and efficiency of containment equipment. Site-specific plans for inlet protection were prepared for Brazos-Santiago Pass, Mansfield Pass, Aransas Pass, and Pass Cavallo during Ixtoc I. During the Burmah Agate incident, designs for protecting San Luis Pass and Galveston Entrance, two of the largest inlets in Texas, were prepared within 10 days after the spill, using aerial reconnaissance and hydrography studies. The schemes took advantage of natural circulation patterns and identified most likely oil trajectories and impact zones within each pass. Contingency plans for Texas inlets were site-specific and attempted to balance the need to protect sensitive lagoon environments with the need to maintain commercial navigation within the practical limitations of equipment and manpower available.

METACOGNITIVE DECISION MAKING IN OIL SPILL RESPONSE-BEHAVIORAL BIAS IN RELATION TO PERCEIVED RISK

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 1453-1470
Author(s):  
LT Christopher M. Kimrey
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Homeland Security ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Behavioral Bias ◽  
Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT 2017-205 Catastrophic events like Deepwater Horizon, Exxon Valdez, major hurricanes, and other such anomalies have a tendency to overwhelm the initial crisis management leadership due to the chaotic nature of the event. The inability to quickly and accurately make critical assessments about the magnitude and complexity of the emerging catastrophe can spell disaster for crisis managers long before the response ever truly takes shape. This paper argues for the application of metacognitive models for sense and decision-making. Rather than providing tools and checklists as a recipe for success, this paper endeavors to provide awareness of the cognitive processes and heuristics that tend to emerge in crises including major oil spills, making emergency managers aware of their existence and potential impacts. Awareness, we argue, leads to recognition and self-awareness of key behavioral patterns and biases. The skill of metacognition—thinking about thinking—is what we endeavor to build through this work. Using a literature review and cogent application to oil spill response, this paper reviews contemporary theories on metacognition and sense-making, as well as concepts of behavioral bias and risk perception in catastrophic environments. When catastrophe occurs—and history has proven they will—the incident itself and the external pressures of its perceived management arguably emerge simultaneously, but not necessarily in tandem with one another. Previous spills have demonstrated how a mismanaged incident can result in an unwieldy and caustic confluence of external forces. This paper provides an awareness of biases that lead to mismanagement and apply for the first time a summary of concepts of sense-making and metacognition to major oil spill response. The views and ideas expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Coast Guard or Department of Homeland Security.

ESTABLISHMENT OF DISPERSANT USE ZONES IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA: A CONSENSUS APPROACH FOR MARINE WATERS 3–200 NAUTICAL MILES FROM SHORE

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Najah Addassi ◽  
Michael Sowby ◽  
Heather Parker-Hall ◽  
Bill Robberson
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spills ◽  
Local Area ◽  
The State ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Subsequent Work ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Water Response ◽  
Response Decisions

ABSTRACT It has long been the policy of the National Response Team (NRT) that the appropriate use of dispersants as a first strike method of response to marine oil spills could greatly minimize the impacts of such spills. Beginning in early 2000, the Region IX Regional Response Team (RRT) evaluated the appropriateness of dispersant use for the State of California. In January 2001, the RRT signed into effect a dispersant use policy for the federal waters off the coast of California from 3200 nm offshore. These revisions to the Regional Contingency Plan provided a streamlined decision making process for dispersant use and designation of zone. Specifically, the plan called for each of the six local area committees to develop and forward recommendations for dispersant-use zone designations into one of three categories: pre-approval, pre-approval with consultation, or incident-specific RRT approval required. Each of the six local area committees utilized a modified Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) known as a Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) process to identify concerns and prioritize risk. Such an approach ensured consistency along the coast as well provided a mechanism by which all points of view were considered. Utilizing a “what if” oil scenario, each on-water response option (no-response, dispersants, in-situ burning, mechanical recovery) was evaluated for its ability to remove oil from the water surface and potential environmental impacts. A risk matrix allowed comparison between species and habitats. Participants were encouraged to share their concerns along with the key drivers for their response decisions, often allowing then to think outside their typical agency-centered framework. Based on seasonality and species of special concern, zones for dispersant use were designated as a means of providing protection to sensitive shorelines and on-water species. As of November 2002, the RRT has adopted DispersantUse Zones for all designated off-shore waters. Current efforts are underway to incorporate the necessary dispersant planning information into the State and Federal Planning efforts. The response to the workshops was overwhelmingly positive. The NEBA/workshop approach facilitated the subsequent work undertaken by the U.S. Coast Guard and the RRT as an integral part of the implementation of the US-Mexico Agreement, further ensuring a coordinated bi-national oil spill response.

scholarly journals MEREDOSIA OIL TERMINAL—THE ILLINOIS RIVER FLOODS A TANK FARM

1981 ◽  
Vol 1981 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Tanos
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Diesel Fuel ◽  
Heating System ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Illinois River ◽  
Tank Farm ◽  
Fuel Tanks ◽  
Recovery Effort ◽  
Spilled Oil ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Rising waters on the Illinois River during April 1979 caused breaks in the levee near Meredosia, Illinois. The swollen river flooded 10,000 acres of farmland, as well as the asphalt storage tank farm of the Meredosia Oil Terminal. The 35 tanks within the terminal included several multimillion gallon tanks of hot asphalt, as well as those containing the diesel fuel for the heating system. The floodwater reached a depth of 12 feet and the hydrostatic pressure of the rising waters lifted the diesel fuel tanks and toppled them. Thousands of gallons of oil spilled from the vents at the top of the tanks, or from the broken pipelines at their bases. A westerly wind moved the oil out over the flooded farmland. The terminal operator's resources were depleted after long efforts to prevent the levee breaks. The spill-ctonainment dike around the tank farm was underwater, so several thousand feet of floating containment boom was brought in to surround the tank farm. A Marco Class self-propelled skimmer was flown in by the U.S. Coast Guard Strike Force. However, inspections on the second day revealed that much of the oil had diffused out over the floodwater and did not appear to be recoverable. Response forces concentrated on the spilled oil within the tank farm and the potential of teh toppled and floating tanks. After 3 days of cleanup, a brief, violent storm blew oily debris back to the terminal from across the lake. Now a massive debris recovery effort was begun in addition to the oil recovery. Cleanup efforts continued for 51 days, until by June 4, 1979, the floodwaters had dropped below the tank farm's spill-containment dike.

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