When it comes to mixing oil and water, oceans suffer from far more than an occasional devastating spill. Disasters make headlines, but hundreds of millions of gallons of oil quietly end up in the seas every year, mostly from non-accidental sources Large spills–even though a relatively minor source of ocean oil pollution–can be devastating. The same amount of oil can do more damage in some areas than others. Coral reefs and mangroves are more sensitive to oil than sandy beaches or sea-grass beds; intertidal zones are the most sensitive. Crude oil is most likely to cause problems ?. Because human error causes 46% of oil spills and 34 % of equipment failure, the first strategy must be that of prevention. However, assuming that in the particular case prevention has not been effective the remaining strategic options are: Containment and Recovery removes the pollutant from the environment by mechanical means. This strategy has the following characteristics: Need for Logistics Support Effectiveness Sharply Impacted by Weather Encounter Rate Very Important The usual method of containment and recovery involves deploying booms to prevent the oil from spreading and to concentrate it.
Skimmers are then used to recover the concentrated oil. It is then transferred to temporary storage and eventually to a permanent storage/treatment facility. When employing this strategy it is necessary to consider the following questions: Can the operation be mounted close to the source of the spill so that the spread of oil can be contained? Can sufficient vessels be mobilized to operate the appropriate numbers and types of booms and skimmers? Are vessels with adequate onboard oil storage capacity available? Will weather conditions permit the equipment to be used effectively, if at all? Is the type and condition of the oil amenable to mechanical recovery? Are the required number of trained equipment operators and maintenance personnel available? When a great deal of mixing energy is applied at the oil-water interface, i.e. such as a rough sea surface, the oil may disperse naturally. Using dispersant as a strategy involves the use of chemicals to speed up the process of natural dispersion. FEDERAL AUTHORIZATION MUST BE OBTAINED IN EACH CASE BEFORE THE USE OF DISPERSANTS. Dispersants act in the same way as household detergents; when they are added to a film of oil on the surface of the water the oil breaks up into very small droplets forming thin emulsions which disperse in the water column.
The Essay on Exxon Valdez Oil Water Ship
The Exxon Valdez oil tanker left the Trans Alaska Pipeline terminal at 9: 12 PM March 23, 1989. The Exxon Valdez was the companies second newest tanker, it was 987 feet long and was carrying 53, 094, 510 gallons of crude oil. It's destination, Long Beach California. William Murphy, an expert ship's pilot had been hired to steer the ship through the Valdez Narrows. Joe Hazelwood, the captain, and ...
In effect, they speed up the natural processes of dispersion. In dispersed form the oil is subject to degradation by micro-organisms which occur naturally in the sea. A characteristic plume can be seen spreading slowly down the water surface shortly after treatment if an oil has been satisfactorily dispersed. Dispersants do not destroy the oil. However, this must be weighed against the fact that dispersing the oil in the water column makes its toxic components more readily available to marine organisms, particularly in shallow water. Dispersants do not work on all types of oil or in cold weather conditions under which oil tends to become very viscous. Evaporation and emulsification which render oil resistant to dispersant occur over time and in most cases, dispersant will likely be ineffective after a day or two. If the oil is very viscous (thick) dispersants are ineffective, since they tend to run off the oil into the water before they can penetrate. As a general rule, dispersants can be effective in dispersing most liquid oils and liquid water-in-oil emulsions with viscosities less than about 2000 centistokes. Oils that may be more susceptible to treatment on first entry to the water become progressively less so as mousse forms or weathering takes place.
The Essay on Steam Distillation Oil Water 100
Steam Distillation Purpose: To use steam distillation to purify heat sensitive, natural products, like essential oils. Procedure Please refer to: Williamson, Macro scale &Microscale Organic Experiments 4 th Ed. , pigs. 98-109 Results Table 1. 1: Steam distillation Drop # (every third drop) Temperature (oC) Addition of 0. 5 mL water 1 100. 3 Water added 2 100. 5 3 100. 5 Water added 4 100. 6 ...
There are several Dispersant application methods: Hand application (sprayer) By aircraft spray system (for example ADDS Pack) By spray systems installed on ships and boats The method of application depends primarily on the type of dispersant, the size and location of the spill, and the availability of vessels or aircraft for spraying the dispersant. For application to be effective, several factors in addition to the type of dispersant being used, need to be considered. This is important because they control the dispersant to oil application ratio, the vessel or aircraft speed, the swath width (path covered by the spray pattern), the size and number of the spray nozzles, and the thickness of the oil. In-situ Burning, igniting the oil on the surface of the water works well in removing large quantities of spilled oil from the water. To be successful, this is a strategy best initiated early prior to evaporation of the lighter ends which support combustion and prior to weathering of the oil. In-situ burning can only be done in open waters where no danger is posed to drilling rigs, ships, or shoreline. Fire boom is used to corral the oil and contain it during the burn.
Obviously some air pollution does occur when oil is burned. To Do Nothing is a strategy seldom used and is difficult to justify. However, this strategy may sometimes be appropriate. No action is taken except for monitoring the movement of the spilled oil. Natural and bilological processes will disperse most spills given time. Crude oils, particularly of the lighter kinds, that have been spilled a considerable distance offshore in the rough conditions characteristic of those waters are unlikely to pose an environmental threat unless in close proximity to vulnerable concentrations of sea birds. There is a likelihood that these oils will be dispersed by natural processes before reaching shore. Beach Clean-up. In some cases, despite all the efforts to deal with spilled oil offshore, some oil still reaches the shore. Or it may be an acceptable strategy depending upon the circumstances to allow the oil to come ashore for subsequent collection. In these instances the principal means of cleaning up the oil becomes physical. Beach clean up is labor intensive. The tools used include buckets, shovels, skimmers, booms, earth moving equipment, pumps, vacuum equipment, absorbents, and temporary storage.
The Essay on Newtonian Fluid Oil Ooze Water
newspaper measuring cups 1 cup of dry cornstarch large bowl or pan food coloring (if you want) 1/2 cup of water Put newspaper down on your counter or tabletop. Put the cornstarch into the bowl. Add a drop or two of food coloring. (Use whatever colors you like. ) Add water slowly, mixing the cornstarch and water with your fingers until all the ...
If the beach has not been cleaned prior to oil impact, oiled debris must be disposed of along with oil and oiled sand. Chemicals used to treat oil spills include the following: Dispersants. Dispersants contain chemicals which reduce the surface tension between oil and water. They therefore result in breakup and dispersal of an oil slick throughout the water column. Emulsion Breakers. Used to break down the water/oil mixture which develops as oil weathers. This mixture, called mousse, is around 80% water and is very difficult to skim, pump, or separate. Gelling Agents. These are chemicals which increase the viscosity of the oil slick. They therefore reduce its rate of spread on the surface of the water. Herders. Also called collecting agents. Herders work by affecting the surface tension of the oil and cause the oil to herd to a collection point. Viscoelastic Additives. Include Solidifying Agents and Gelling Agents. They convert liquid oil into a solid form, thereby facilitating recovery by manual means or nets. Gelling agents increase the viscosity of the oil slick and thereby reduce its rate of spread. These agents are rarely used because the quantity required to gel an oil are extremely high in relation to the volume of oil and it may take as long as 8 hours before the gel is strong enough to allow recovery.
Bioremediation Chemicals. These are biological agents. They are a combination of enzymes, natural organisms and nutrients which increase the rate of natural degradation of oil. This is a long term technique because it may take months and years to be effective. Burning Agents. Burning agents are substances that make it possible to ignite oil on the water or upon the shoreline. Getting oil on water to burn is often very difficult. Typical examples of burning agents are gasoline and light crude oils. Neutralizing Agents. These are used to treat spilled oil and they work by reacting chemically with the oil to form less harmful substances. Sinking Agents. These are special materials applied to the oil which adsorb the oil to their surface. This combination of oil and the sinking agent is heavier than water and sinks. Oil boom is a floating barrier which is used in cleaning up oil on the surface of the water. Boom is used: to contain oil (containment booming); to collect oil; as a barricade to exclude oil (exclusion booming) from a certain area; to absorb oil; and to deflect oil (diversion booming).
The Essay on Oil and natural gas drilling
It is understood that oil and gas drilling comes along with various harmful environmental challenges. This is more so in the environmentally sensitive areas like the offshore in the ocean regions. Due to this, many countries have developed various laws restricting the drilling of oil in these areas that have been identified to be sensitive to protect them from the anticipated damages. United ...
Containment booming is the process of preventing the spread of an oil spill by confining the oil to the area in which it has been discharged. The purpose of containment is not only to localize the spill and thus minimize pollution but to assist in the removal of the oil by trying to concentrate it in thick layers on the surface of the water. Boom can also be used to divert pollutant to areas where cleanup can be conducted and to protect specific areas such as entrances to harbors and rivers or environmentally or economically sensitive areas. B. BOOM CHARACTERISTICS AND NOMENCLATURE Although boom can be classified several different ways, most types of boom share many of the characteristics shown in the drawing above. The drawing shows an “end on” look at a section of boom. The boom consists of a fabric “fence” made of a flexible material. A tension member (such as a piece of cable) of greater strength than the fabric prevents the fabric from tearing under stress. Some sort of ballast such as chain or weights is attached to the bottom of the fabric to keep the boom vertical in the water. Flotation material keeps the boom afloat. There are several different designs and methods of flotation.
Floats may be rigid or flexible. Inflatable air chambers may be used to provide flotation. Freeboard is the vertical height of a boom above the water line. The freeboard prevents oil from washing over the top of the boom. If there is too much freeboard, however the boom may be pushed over in high winds. The part of the fabric below the floats is called the skirt. The skirt prevents oil from being swept underneath the boom. End connectors are used to connect sections of boom together. Since there are many different types of boom there are many types of end connectors.. In addition, boom may have some or all of the following features: The most important characteristic of a boom is its oil containment or deflection capability, determined by its behavior in relation to water movement. It should be flexible to conform to wave motion yet sufficiently rigid to retain as much oil as possible. No boom is capable of containing oil against water velocities much in excess of 1 knot acting at right angles to it. The escape velocity for most booms is around .7 knots, irrespective of skirt depth. The illustration below compares the performance of booms with a rigid skirt with booms with a flexible skirt in waves.
The Essay on Conductivity Of Streams Water Area Temperature
The measure of the capacity of water to allow an electrical current is called conductivity. Conductivity in streams is affected by many factors such as the elements or compounds found in the water, the temperature of the water, the geology of the area, and the pollution in the water. Each of these factors affect the conductiity in some way. Many inorganic dissolved solids increase the conductivity ...
Flexible boom has better wave following characteristics. Boom might be classified by its area of use, or by purpose, or by its type of construction. Open Water Boom: is of more sturdy construction and has greater freeboard and draft. Protected Water Boom: is used in calmer protected waters and has less freeboard and draft. Intertidal Boom: is boom used in areas in which the waterbottom is periodically flooded and then uncovered by tidal action. Intertidal Boom: Intertidal boom is designed to make a seal at the water/shoreline interface. Usually one end of this boom is anchored on the dry shore. The boom stretches from the shore out across the surface of the water and floats on the water. As the tide goes out and the water level drops this boom sits on the exposed bottom. When the tide comes in the boom once again floats. Thus oil on the water cannot get around the shoreline end of this boom as the water surges in and out. Water is the common type of ballast used in this boom. Collection, Containment, Diversion Boom: Examples are curtain boom and fence boom. In general, curtain boom is used in rougher offshore areas and fence boom is used in areas closer to the shore or inland.
These oil booms serve the standard purposes of containing, collecting, or deflecting spilled oil. Fire Boom: Used, as the name implies to contain oil while it is set on fire and burned. Thus fire boom must have features that permit it to endure under extreme temperatures for a period long enough to serve it’s purpose. This boom is constructed of fire resistant materials such as ceramic textiles and stainless steel mesh. This boom is used during “In-Situ Burning”. Oil Trawl: A curtain boom with air inflatable flotation bladders which contains netting and is designed to reduce turbulence in the pocket formed by the boom so that oil can be more easily skimmed. The netting also serves the purpose of collecting tarballs and other larger globules of oil. Skimming Boom: This is oil boom which incorporates a method of skimming oil. An example is the Vikoma 3-Weir Boom shown below. The boom is deployed off a reel and weirs in the catenary of the boom take in the oil which is then pumped to a recovery vessel. Thus the collection of the oil and the skimming of the oil take place simultaneously with the same piece of oil recovery equipment. Sorbent Boom and Barriers: These are specialized containment devices that absorb oil in porous materials such as straw or synthetic materials.
The Essay on Water Left Surface Reached
The sunlight cast its warm glow across the calm water of the Pacific Ocean, close to the Hawaiian islands. I sighed with content as the water washed over me and I trailed my fingers over the surface of the water. My task for the day was to try out some of the best scuba diving equipment in the world, and ultimately to discover the ancient shipwreck: The Oceanic a. I turned around in the water ...
They are used when the oil slick is relatively thin because their efficiency rapidly decreases once the porous surface is saturated with oil. The drawbacks to sorbent boom are: it requires considerable additional support to avoid breakage under the force of wind/current; it often requires some method of additional flotation to prevent sinking when saturated with oil and water; a great deal of caution must be used to prevent the contaminated side of the boom from turning over and recontaminating the water. There are two basic types of booms in service today: Fence and Curtain booms. Fence Boom: These booms have a rigid or semi-solid material as a vertical screen agains oil floating on the water. Fence booms are usually easy to deploy, resistant to damage, and bulky for storage. They can be further classified according to the type of flotation used: Outboard flotation on one side Outboard flotation on two sides Curtain Boom: These booms have flexible skirts which are free to move independently of the floats. They have centerline flotation provided by air, inert gas, solid foam bars, flexible foam roll, or granulated foam contained in a plastic cylinder.
The most important difference between fence and curtain booms is how they respond to wind, waves, and currents. Fence boom has the skirt and freeboard mechanically coupled together causing them to move as a single unit. If current and wind roll a fence boom away from the vertical, they also lose freeboard and draft. And if fence boom is too rigid to conform to the surface of a passing wave, there is also a loss of freeboard and draft. Flexible curtain boom has a skirt that is free to move independently of the flotation and freeboard. There are five basic booming techniques: Containment/Collection booming Exclusion Booming: Boom is deployed across or around a sensitive area to prevent a pollutant from contaminating the area. Diversion Booming: Boom is deployed at an angle to the approaching pollutant. Thus the pollutant is either diverted away from a sensitive area or diverted to a central collection point for recovery. This technique is used primarily in inshore, river, or harbor areas. Diversion booming must take into account the velocity of the flow of water and boom must be angled appropriately so that the force of the water flow against the boom does not cause oil to flow under the boom or damage the boom.
The boom is typically laid out in a Chevron pattern or a Cascading pattern. In the Chevron pattern the boom is angled so that all floating oil and debris is deflected to either side of the stream. In the Cascading pattern varying lengths of boom are progressively staggered along the waterway so that the oil is directed to one side. Numerous anchors and firm shoreline anchoring must be employed with boom used for diversion in watercourses with strong current because tremendous forces are exerted on the boom. Containment/Collection Booming: Boom is deployed in a U or a J shape in front of the approaching pollutant. The ends of the booms are anchored or secured to vessels. Often skimmers are deployed in the pocket created by these formations and oil recovery takes place simultaneously. This technique is primarily used in the open water with offshore boom. Sorbent Booming: Boom composed of sorbent material is typically deployed along a shoreline to protect sensitive areas or to keep heavier, emulsified oils from spreading. Used primarily on quiet waters that are not heavily contaminated. Sorbent Barriers: Usually constructed of wire or mesh, stakes and loose sorbent materials a sorbent barrier is often deployed across a waterway or outfall.
It allows water to flow through it but retains and absorbs oil on the water surface. Useful in small, low-velocity streams, tidal inlets or channels. After the oil is contained, it must be recovered from the water. Depending on the circumstances, three different approaches might be used: Use of mechanical skimmers; Use of sorbents; or Use of manual labor. A skimmer is a mechanical recovery device designed to remove the oil from the water’s surface without causing major alterations in its physical or chemical properties. All skimmers work best in calm waters with little or no wave action. The two major categories of skimmers are: Suction Skimmers and Adhesion Skimmers. Viscosity of the spilled oil determines the most appropriate skimmer and pump types for a particular incident. Viscosity is the measure of a fluid’s internal friction or its resistance to flow; a fluid’s surface tension. Lower viscosity substances are lighter and when spilled spread out over a greater area. Higher viscosity oils do not spread out as much and remain thicker. A weir skimmer is an example of a suction skimmer. A rope mop skimmer is an example of an adhesion skimmer. Viscosity of the oil being recovered is a major determinant of skimmer effectiveness.
Most skimmers have a range of viscosities in which they work best: Light Oil (Viscosity 3 – 10 Cst, .83-.88 Sp. Gravity) Medium Oil (Viscosity 100 – 300 Cst, .90-.94 Sp. Gravity) Heavy Oil (Viscosity 500 – 2000 Cst, .94-.97 Sp. Gravity) There are basically five different types of skimmers: This type of skimmer utilizes an adjustable dam (weir) to take a cut of the oil on the water’s surface. The oil flows over the top of the weir and into the skimmer where it collects. The recovered oil/water mixture is then either pumped or sucked from the skimmer. The GT-185 Skimmer shown below and the Desmi Ocean Skimmer shown deployed from a vessel are examples of weir skimmers .A special type of weir skimmer is the weir-boom skimmer in which weirs are built into the floating boom. Oil enters the weirs and is pumped from the weirs via an oil tube to recovery tanks. An example is the Suction skimmers are similar to weir skimmers. Like weir skimmers they float on the water but use an external vaccum pump system and are adjusted to float at the oil/water interface. Sometimes the skimmer simply consists of a simple suction head attached to the end of a vacuum hose.
Suction Skimmer This type of skimmer is also called a weir-vortex skimmer. It operates by the creation of a water vortex or whirlpool, which draws the oil into a collection area where it is then pumped out. The Walosep W-4 Skimmer is an example of this type. Submersion skimmers are usually mounted on or incorporated in a powered vessel. Oil in the path of the skimmer is forced beneath the water surface by a moving inclined belt. The belt forces the oil down toward the mouth of a collection well where it rises to the surface. Water collected with the oil passes under the collection well. The JBF (DIP) Dynamic Inclined Plane skimmer is a submersion belt skimmer. The skimmer’s belt is not oleophilic and does not rely on oil sticking to the belt for recovery. The system is based totally on the hydrodynamic of oil and water. This type of skimmer has a surface to which oil adheres. The sorbent (or oleophilic) surface can be in the form of a drum, disc, belt, or rope which is continuously moved through the oil film. The collected oil is removed from the sorbent surface by a wiper or roller and is then held in a storage tank.
