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STANDARDIZING BOOM TEST PROCEDURES
Citation:
Borst, M. AND H. Lichte. STANDARDIZING BOOM TEST PROCEDURES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-84/243.
Description:
The OHMSETT Interagency Technical Committee (OTIC) sponsored a combined series of in-tank and open-water tests of five booms that cover a wide range of sizes and design parameters. The tests were conducted at the United States Environmental Protection Agency's OHMSETT facility and in Sandy Hook Bay between November 1983 and May 1984. The in-tank tests measured the oil-holding performance of the boom; the open-water tests demonstrated the wave conformance and survivability. The objective was a correlation between the two sets of data. There were five in-tank tests for each boom using a standardized test matrix for oil-holding ability. Wave conformance and endurance were observed under controlled conditions. The results of this testing compared favorably with past tests performed in the tank. The five booms were deployed in the bay from 14 to 27 days, depending on the weather, and were videotaped to document their approximate sea-state limits. The wave conformance of the 500-ft booms deployed in the bay was similar to the conformance of the 100-ft lengths used in the tank, but lack of conformance was more obvious in the bay tests. The in-tank endurance tests did not correlate as well as expected with the open-water testing. Additional testing to obtain both waveform and boom motion data is scheduled for the fall of 1984. These tests are designed to determine the minimum instrumentation and analysis needed to obtain acceptable measurements of boom response in irregular seas.