Environment Effects of Oil Spill Combustion.
Environment Effects of Oil Spill Combustion.
(1955 K)
Evans, D. D.; Mulholland, G. W.; Gross, D.; Baum, H. R.;
Saito, K.
NISTIR 88-3822; 51 p. September 1988.
Sponsor:
Department of the Interior, Reston, VA
Minerals Management Service, Reston, VA
Available from:
National Technical Information Service
Order number: PB89-107726
Keywords:
oil spills; crude oil; pool fires; smoke; polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons; fire plumes; spill fires
Abstract:
Experimentation and analysis have been performed to
quantify the combustion of crude oil on water. The
burning behavior of three crude oils--ALBERTA SWEET, LA
ROSE, and MURBAN, were studied using 1.2 m diameter pool
burns. In smaller 0.6 m diameter pool fires using
ALBERTA SWEET, combustion products were collected for
extensive chemical analysis. This analysis showed that
about 10% of the crude oil was converted to smoke in the
combustion process. The CO concentration was a factor
of 25 lower than the primary gaseous product CO2, and
the emission of NO and NOx were less than one thousandth
the concentration of CO2. The PAH content of the smoke
was enriched in the larger molecular weight species in
comparison with the original fuel. A methdology was
developed with which the down wind dispersal of smoke
generated by one or more oil spill fires in close
proximity may be predicted. Initial results that
demonstrate the capability of the analysis are
presented.
