In Situ Burning of Oil Spills.
In Situ Burning of Oil Spills.
(27077 K)
Evans, D. D.; Mulholland, G. W.; Baum, H. R.; Walton, W.
D.; McGrattan, K. B.
Journal of Research of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, Vol. 106, No. 1, 231-278,
January/February 2001.
Available from:
For more information contact:
Website:
http://www.nist.gov/jres
Keywords:
in situ burning; oil spills; ALOFT; combustion;
simulation; offshore drilling; pool fires; smoke plumes;
smoke sampling; smoke yield
Abstract:
For more than a decade NIST conducted research to
understand, measure and predict the important features
of burning oil on water. Results of that research have
been included in nationally recognized guidelines for
approval of intentional burning. NIST measurements and
predictions have played a major role in establishing in
situ burning as a primary oil spill response method.
Data are given for pool fire burning rates, smoke yield,
smoke particulate size distribution, smoke aging, and
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of the smoke for
crude and fuel oil fires with effective diameters up to
17.2 m. New user-friendly software, ALOFT, was developed
to quantify the large-scale features and trajectory of
wind blown smoke plumes in the atmosphere and estimate
the ground level smoke particulate concentrations.
Predictions using the model were tested successfully
against data from large-scale tests. ALOFT software is
being used by oil spill response teams to help assess
the potential impact of intentional burning.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899