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Project Number 554
Date of Summary March 19, 2007
Subject

Mid-Scale Test Tank Research On Using Oil Herding Surfactants To Thicken Oil Slicks In Broken Ice
Performing Activity S.L. Ross Environmental Research Ltd.
Principal Investigator

Ian Buist
Contracting Agency Minerals Management Service
Estimated Completion Completed
Description

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) and ExxonMobil are jointly funding research on the use of chemical herding agents to thicken oil spills in broken ice to allow them to be effectively ignited and burned in situ. Laboratory and small scale wave tank research is complete (results very promising). The next three phases are:

bullet To plan and conduct a series of research experiments on the efficacy of herders to thicken oil slicks among broken ice at sub-zero temperatures at the scale of 100 m2 in the Ice Engineering Research Facility Test Basin at the US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), located in Hanover New Hampshire (November 14-December 2, 2005).
 
bullet January-February 2006 - Conduct a series of research experiments on the efficacy of herders to thicken oil slicks among broken ice at sub-zero temperatures. Tests will be conducted at the scale of 1000 m2 at Ohmsett – The National Oil Spill Response Test Facility. The Ohmsett experiments will be conducted in conjunction with the MMS Alaska Environmental Studies Program oil spreading and emulsification experiments in broken ice already scheduled for the winter 2006.
 
bullet October 2006 – Conduct a series of in situ burn experiments on the scale of 50 m2 with chemical herders and crude oil at the Fire Training Grounds, Prudhoe Bay, AK. The burns would be conducted in a specially prepared pit containing broken sea ice.
Progress

Five full scale research experiments on the efficacy of herders to thicken oil slicks among broken ice at sub-zero temperatures were successfully conducted at the scale of 1000 m2 at Ohmsett – The National Oil Spill Response Test Facility from February 13-17, 2006.

From November 2-7, 2006 a series of in situ burn experiments were successfully conducted on the scale of 50 m2 with chemical herders and crude oil at the Fire Training Grounds, Prudhoe Bay, AK.  The burns were conducted in a specially prepared pit containing broken sea ice. This is a permitted activity and all necessary permits have been secured.  All planned experiments in the test matrix were completed.

MMS has reviewed and accepted the final report.  This project is complete.

Reports
AA (237 pages, 6,014 KB) File in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) . Mid-Scale Test Tank Research on Using Oil Herding Surfactants to Thicken Oil Slicks in Broken Ice, S.L. Ross Environmental Research Ltd., Ottawa, ON, Canada, 66pp., March 7, 2007.
 

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