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TECHNIQUES FOR MIXING DISPERSANTS WITH SPILLED OIL
Citation:
Smith, G. TECHNIQUES FOR MIXING DISPERSANTS WITH SPILLED OIL. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/2-78/128 (NTIS PB285679), 1978.
Description:
The effective use of some oil spill dispersants requires the addition of mixing energy to the dispersant-treated slick. Various methods of energy application have included the use of fire hose streams directed to the water surface, outboard motors mounted on work boats, and the five-bar gate, a pallet-like device towed on the surface behind vessels of opportunity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sponsored this test program at their Oil & Hazardous Materials Simulated Environmental Test Tank (OHMSETT) to evaluate the above devices as well as a modified version of the five-bar gate. Three test fluid mixtures with different interfacial tensions were distributed onto the water surface, and each mixing device was towed through them at speeds from 1.02 m/s to 2.54 m/s in three wave conditions. Droplet penetration was documented via underwater photography. Analysis of the results showed that the modified five-bar gate produced the greatest overall penetration (2.4 m) at a tow speed of 2/0m/s. In general, performance was unaffected by wave action, and variations in interfacial tension produced no observable trend among all devices.