Performance tests on three catenary oil containment configurations using sorbent booms sections alone and in conjunction with a conventional containment boom, were conducted at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Oil and Hazardous Materials Simulated Environmental Test Tank (U.S. EPA OHMSETT). Other test variables included wave condition, tow speed, and oil quantity encountered. Maximum no-oil-loss containment tow speed was determined for each wave and oil quantity tested. The use of an all-sorbent boom with a multilayer sorbent raft at the apex exhibited average increases in no-oil-loss tow speed of 0.13 m/s over previous results using a single layer boom in calm water. Use of a sorbent raft inside the apex of a conventional containment boom increased turbulence and caused oil loss at lower speeds than use of the conventional boom alone. No-oil-loss tow speeds using the sorbent boom raft at the boom apex also decreased from previous results using a single layer sorbent boom in the 0.3-m harbor chop wave. Loss was due to increased turbulence from raft sections striking each other from the wave action. Recovery of sorbed fluid and regeneration of the boom sections was unsuccessfully attempted using a commercially available sorbent and wringer.

Project officer: John S. Farlow. Contract no. 68-03-2642. Photocopy.