In-Situ Burning of Oil Spills: Mesoscale Experiments.
In-Situ Burning of Oil Spills: Mesoscale Experiments.
(5748 K)
Evans, D. D.; Walton, W. D.; Baum, H. R.; Notarianni, K.
A.; Lawson, J. R.; Tang, H. C.; Keydel, K. R.; Rehm, R.
G.; Madrzykowski, D.; Zile, R. H.; Koseki, H.; Tennyson,
E. J.
NIST SP 995; Volume 2; March 2003.
Environment Canada. Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program
Technical Seminar, 15th. June 10-12, 1992, Edmonton,
Canada, Environment Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 593-657 pp,
1992.
Keywords:
oil spills; in situ combustion; experiments; crude oil;
salt water; burning rate; smoke emisions; regression
rate; heat of combustion; configurations; instruments;
smoke yield; particle size distribution; mathematical
models; in situ burning
Abstract:
In 1991 a series of 14 mesoscale fire experiments were
performed to measure the burning characteristics of
crude oil on salt water. These oil burns in a pan
ranged in size from 6 m square to 15 m square. Results
of the measurements for burning rate and smoke emissions
are compared to those from previous smaller scale burns
conducted both in the U. S. and in Japan. The burning
rate as indicated by the regression rate of the oil
surface was found to be 0.055 + 0.01 mm/s for pan fires
with effective diameters greater than 7 m. Smoke
particulate yields from fires greater than 2 m in
diameter were found to be approximately 0.13 of the oil
burned on a mass basis. Predictions of smoke plume
trajectory and particulate deposition at ground level
from the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model developed as
part of this research effort were found to be different
from those predicted by the EPA approved SCREEN model.
LES is a steady-state three-dimensional calculation of
smoke plume trajectory and smoke particulate deposition
based on a mixed finite difference and Lagrangian
particle tracking method.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899