OIL SPILL CONTROL

[Music] the oil industry is well aware of its responsibility for protecting the environment and conducting all of its operations in exploration for and production of gas and crude oil and in the refining transportation marketing and use of finished petroleum products the industry devotes a great deal of time effort and money in meeting this responsibility in our industry as in other industries accidents can and do happen several large and dramatic oil spills have attracted widespread public attention but such spills are infrequent smaller spills though less dramatic occur more often and may temporarily damage the environment unless they are handled properly and effectively this film illustrates current techniques of containing and recovering spilled oil real progress has been made but more needs to be done to perfect technology to respond under severe weather and sea conditions various industries many individuals united states environmental protection agency the coast guard and the navy are engaged in research and development to improve cleanup techniques related areas of concern the prevention of spills the fate and effect of oil on the marine environment and other matters are also being vigorously pursued all of the equipment shown in this film may not be readily available in all areas where oil spills may occur moreover the use of sinking agents or dispersant chemicals may be restricted under certain conditions or in certain waters because of possible environmental side effects we can't tell the whole story in 30 minutes but we hope that this film produced as a training aid may prove helpful to those who must be prepared to deal effectively with oil spills this is part of the commitment we all must make to safeguard the environment in which we work and live [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] nobody likes oil spills but they do occur and they're everybody's business the user is concerned about the damage they may cause and the producer the transporter the refiner and the marketer are concerned about preventing spills and cleaning them up a large percentage of the total crude oil and oil products are produced refined and sold on or near waterways at each stage there is some risk that oil might be spilled oil spills do occur on land and on water crude oil from wells tankers and other sources product spills near docks or storage areas when spills do occur first contain it and then clean it up that's the subject of this film how to contain oil spills on water and how to remove it oil can be picked up if you have the right equipment and trained people who know how to use it properly before looking at the many different types of equipment which are available let's look at some of the problems currents will always transport the oil and will also tax the strength and performance of your equipment wind will move the oil on the water surface generally at about three percent of the wind velocity and of course wind can cause equipment to drift off location or sometimes to break waves can cause oil to splash over or be swept under barriers and can also damage the mechanically low temperatures can make working conditions difficult and low temperatures will also increase the viscosity and density of the oil the degree and combination of these four conditions wind waves current and temperature will largely determine what you can and cannot do to contain and remove an oil spill in addition to environmental conditions oil spill containment and removal depends on oil properties many types of oil have been studied from the heaviest crude oils to the lightest oil products that may possibly be spilled on water [Music] the physical properties of oil such as viscosity specific gravity and surface tension determine how they will behave when spread on water these properties change with time going to evaporation or weathering the viscosity and specific gravity of an oil always increase as a result of weathering and crude oils always show greater changes than do the refined oils frequently owing to wave action the oil and water will tend to become emulsified which further affects the properties of the oil and greatly affects cleanup operations so far we have talked about some of the factors involved in oil spills including the properties of oil and how these properties change we've also discussed some of the stumbling blocks which nature can throw in the way of oil spill containment and removal now let's take a look at some of the equipment used to control oil spills oil spill control equipment takes many shapes from booms to skimmers and sorbents none of this equipment can do the whole job of oil spill containment and removal by itself often it is necessary to use several different types in conjunction one with another [Music] now let's take a closer look at some of the equipment used to contain oil spills a boom is a mechanical barrier to stop or direct the flow of oil booms have four basic parts some means of floatation is necessary to keep the entire boom at the correct position on the water and to ensure that the boom has enough free board to resist waves splashing over the top next there must be a skirt to keep oil from flowing underneath the boom weights are usually added to the skirt to keep it perpendicular to the water surface and finally there is a longitudinal strength member which must be strong enough to withstand winds waves and current on a typical boom these parts are easily recognizable the floatation member [Music] the skirt weights [Music] and the strength member there are many makes of booms they all have the same basic design they all serve the same purpose to control oil on water we can divide booms into three basic categories the flexible boom is very compliant so it can follow wave action easily problems may come with overall strength durability and stability semi-flexible booms are composed of non-rigid sections joined by hinges [Music] they are relatively compliant to follow waves yet are simple to manufacture store and deploy [Music] rigid booms are among the largest booms in use today rigid sections are joined by hinges to provide flexibility they are the most cumbersome to handle of the three types if currents are low oil can be contained by a boom however if the current is in excess of only seven tenths of a knot oil will go under the skirt of the boom no matter how deep the skirt this phenomenon can be demonstrated in a current tank where water velocity and oil quantity can be controlled through a window in the side of the tank boom failure can be observed oil begins to build up in front of the boom as the current is increased a head wave builds up upstream from the boom further increase in water velocity will cause droplets of oil to break off the underside of the head wave and go under the boom if the water velocity is over seven tenths of a knot the boom can be used as a diversionary device by placing it at an angle to the current and leading the oil off to an area of lesser currents the higher the current the more the boom must be angled downstream wind and waves will make the handling of booms more difficult and will cause additional stresses on the boom in the presence of waves both water and oil can splash over the top of a boom providing the wave height is at least as great as the free board of the boom and the waves are steep as they normally are in a wind driven sea for this reason a boom should have at least as much free board as the expected wave height [Music] preparedness training and fast action are the keys to minimizing damage from an oil spill in this drill an oil spill alert was called each man has a specific job the equipment is properly stored and in a matter of minutes the boom can be deployed my communication by radio between the supervisor and the boat crew is important from water level it is often difficult to determine the limits of an oil spill particularly light products however from the vantage point of a dock or an elevation above water level the limits of the spill can be determined and the boom properly [Music] anchored in narrow inlets or slips a line throwing gun can be used to pass the tow line to the other side [Music] once the toe line is across the slip it is simple to pull the boom in place [Music] after a spill all equipment should be made ready for its next use it could happen at any time booms should be cleaned according to the instructions of the manufacturer and carefully inspected before returning to storage the air barrier is still another oil spill control device it can be used to contain oil if the current is very low or it can be used to divert oil on a moving stream it requires minimum manpower to operate and can be activated instantly it consists of a manifold with holes along the top laid across the bottom of a channel or stream when compressed air is forced through the holes in the manifold a curtain of bubbles rises and produces horizontal currents on the water surface the horizontal current moving upstream produces a stagnation zone in which oil can be trapped [Music] air barriers are very effective when the current is very low but the complicated water circulation pattern which is shown in these large scale tests can entrain oil downward if there is any current in the mainstream [Music] air barriers have an important role in the containment of oil spills one advantage is that they don't interfere with boats [Music] here's another way to keep oil from spreading it's a surface tension modifier when placed on the water surface next to an oil slick the oil will run from it and the area covered will be reduced many times its original with the oil spill reduced in size and controlled recovery is greatly simplified rapid deployment of the material is one of its advantages [Music] a spray helicopter can deliver the material to a spill and apply it in a matter of minutes only a small quantity need be used apply it as a core spray on the water at the edge of the spill [Music] almost any power boat is also suitable for applying the material [Music] when applied to the edge of a spill the oil moves away from it and is concentrated making it much easier to pick up with skimmers or sorbet materials as with booms and other containment methods a surface tension modifier should only be used if plans have been made to clean up the spilled oil by itself this material can only keep the oil from spreading and this will only last for a matter of hours at most other equipment will be needed to remove the oil from the water surface one more thing you need to obtain approval from governmental regulatory agencies before using any chemicals well so far you've learned how oil properties and environmental conditions can affect what is done to contain oil on water you've had a look at a half dozen or so booms a look at the air barrier and a look at surface tension modifiers we're now at the point in our story where you have the oil spill under control but what are you going to do with it there are some pretty sophisticated pieces of equipment as well as some pretty simple gadgets to help you let's take a look one of the oldest means of removing oil from water was by means of sponges to absorb the oil nowadays there are many absorbents available to pick up oil spills including straw foamed plastics and many others many materials have been tested and their ability to pick up oil has been carefully measured the results of this research can be seen in this graph polyurethane foam as by far the greatest absorption capabilities of the materials tested in general the lower the density of the absorbent the more oil it can pick up per unit weight [Music] when an absorbent is first placed on water it will usually float owing to its low bulk density however many absorbents tend to become waterlogged in time as shown in this time-lapse sequence the air pockets which originally provided buoyancy may become filled with water and then the water-soaked mass will sink [Music] this will even happen with some material such as straw if the mass becomes oil soaked only a few solid materials such as polypropylene or polyethylene which in solid forms are less dense than water will float indefinitely polyurethane foam will float indefinitely because some of the cells in the foam are completely closed making it permanently buoyant for ease of handling and placement on small spills absorbents are sometimes packaged in shapes and sizes which can be deployed by one man distributing straw and polyurethane foam on water can be done readily with a mulcher such as is often used by state highway departments for seeding highway right-of-way wind under some conditions can be a deterrent to the operation [Music] recovery of oil soaked absorbance often requires a great deal of manual labor and is quite slow pitchforks are often the only practical tool [Music] for larger operations ingenious modifications to conventional power equipment have often been fabricated a screen can be used to pick up absorbent materials [Music] moving mesh belts can be used to increase the rate of recovery [Music] consideration might also be given to modifying the vessels used to cut aquatic weeds in lakes or to harvest kelp along our coasts [Music] oil can also be removed from the water surface by means of mechanical skimming devices there are several different types of skimmers available each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages the effectiveness of any skimmer will depend on several factors including the thickness of the oil layer if the oil layer becomes very thin the rate of arrival of oil at the entrance to the skimmer will be limited and the overall rate of oil recovery will go down one way to get around this problem is to tow or propel the skimmer into the oil mass using booms to form a v to divert the oil to the skimmer the skimmer must be properly adjusted so that it may operate as efficiently as possible a major problem in the operation of any skimmer especially in inland or sheltered waters is debris including trash sticks leaves paper and so forth sometimes the best solution is to use a trash screen built around the skimmer skimmers have to be handled by people they must be rugged and must be simple to operate even by relatively unskilled workmen lightweight or ease of handling is very desirable [Music] pumps for use with skimmers should be self-priming and should have open passageways to avoid becoming clogged with debris there are three basic types of skimmers the weir skimmer floating suction and solvent surface the weir type skimmer depends on gravity to drain the oil off the surface of the water the oil is then contained in a sump below the surface from which it may be pumped to a storage area a number of different types of rear skimmers are available ranging in size from the very small to large barge types simplicity and mobility are among the advantages of the weir type skimmer however the efficiency of any wear type skimmer decreases very rapidly when in waves and the smaller units may actually be swapped the floating suction skimmer is similar in many ways to the weir skimmer it can easily be put into action you just put it on the water and adjust so that it will float at the oil water interface because it has very little draft and is generally quite compact it can be used in very shallow water and in confined areas under docks again self-priming pumps should be used frequently both this type skimmer and the suction type skimmer like the weir works best in calm water as the water surface gets choppy it rapidly loses its effectiveness as air channels into the suction hose and it can also become clogged by debris [Music] a third type of skimmer uses a surface to which oil can stick such as a disc or a drum or an endless belt to pick up the oil off the water surface this type of skimmer is called a sorbent surface skimmer this type is less vulnerable to wave action than either the wear type skimmer or the floating suction skimmer however the sorbent surface skimmers are usually more expensive and may be less available than either of the other types of skimmers we have discussed also the operators may need more training in order to operate them efficiently [Music] oil and water won't mix well usually not for very long but if we add a chemical dispersant in a sense oil and water do mix the successful use of a dispersant will cause the oil to remain in suspension and water so that in time nature will take care of it by bacterial action also dispersants can be very important in minimizing fire hazards again a word of caution as with any chemical you must obtain approval for its use from the regulatory agencies a major problem with the use of dispersants is to provide enough mixing energy it is simple to do in a laboratory but how about in real life how would you achieve results in large spills how would you agitate it [Music] one way is to use a mixing board towed by a boat wave action may also do the job another way of disposing of oil on water is to burn it it can be burned providing that it is supplied with oxygen and providing that it can be kept hot enough the problem in an oil spill is that the thin layer of oil is cooled by the water making it nearly impossible to ignite this kerosene lamp can illustrate a way of igniting oil on water the wick is the trick [Music] a wicking agent which will insulate the oil from the cool water below there are several wicking agents commercially available the one shown here is polyurethane foam there are disadvantages to burning such as the resulting air pollution and fire hazards both of which must be kept in mind owing to the fire hazards burning of oil is not usually practical on sheltered waters although it may be desirable to burn oil on the open seas [Music] it is also possible to dispose of floating oil by sinking it sand or other solid materials can be used special treatment of the sand can make it more effective [Music] multiply this billions of times and you have the sand sink method of disposing of oil on water it can be used to treat very large spills quite rapidly although use is usually limited to spills far offshore disadvantages of the sand sink method of treating oil spills include low efficiency only about 85 percent of the oil can be sunk and contamination of the ocean bottom with oil because of the problem of contamination use of the sand sink method is restricted in certain areas this has been a brief summary of oil spill control techniques you have been shown how environmental conditions can affect the behavior of oil spilled on water you've also seen that the properties of oil may vary and how they change as the oil weathers and how these properties can affect the recovery of spilled oil we have discussed containment the construction of booms and which types may work best under certain conditions air barriers and their limitations and surface tension modifiers you've seen several ways in which spilled oil may be removed from the surface by absorption by skimming by dispersing by burning and by sinking don't forget that quick response and proper action are the important factors in oil spill handling planning and training having the proper equipment on hand and regular training and practice with it are is necessary in minimizing the effects of oil spills as they are in containing fires know your oil spill emergency duties and equipment as well as you know your firefighting assignment a wide variety of equipment is available for handling oil spills when handled properly and when used in the proper combination with other equipment it can do a good job of efficiently cleaning up spills [Music] remember your friends and neighbors are depending on you by doing your job you can make this possible [Music] you can make this possible [Music] make this possible and this possible [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you