Reliable and Effective Tools to Fight Oil Spills in Arctic Conditions
temperate climates and may actually increase the window of opportunity for the effective application of dispersants. Tests have shown that dispersants can be effective at dispersing oil in very cold waters. The application of oil dispersants to spill oil generally requires permission from the appropriate authority or agency. Other challenges may include remote logistics, limitations to the application platforms (vessels, helicopters, fixed-wing aircrafts, etc.), weather, decreased daylight and varying ice conditions.
Burning
The burning of oil from the sea’s surface is quite possible, has been effectively used in spills and can result in very high removal efficiencies (>90%). This could be possibly the only spill response option available during heavy ice conditions. As with all combustion, three elements must be present: fuel (in this case, the spilled oil itself), oxygen and an ignition source. It is actually the oil vapours above the spilled oil that burn, and the oil must be above the flash and fire points to sustain combustion. The oil thickness needs to be a minimum of 3–4mm to sustain combustion in Arctic conditions, and the thicker the oil, the more efficient the burning operations. For ‘open water’ conditions (~1/10 ), spilled oil can be boom with special fire-resistant booms, either static booms with fire-retardant materials or newer booms that use active pumping of water for cooling to the required thickness. As the ice conditions increase, the ice itself will act as the containment boom. The actual ignition of the oil can be accomplished by the use of a ‘heli torch’, an ignition device slung under a helicopter, or by the use of handheld igniters that can be deployed from the air, vessels or even the ice.
Looking Ahead
The is no doubt that there will be much more activity in the Arctic region in the future and additional knowledge is needed to address and respond to the potential oil-spill risks. The Joint Industry Program On Oil in Ice is a four-year effort that began in 2006 with the overall objective of developing a better knowledge base, tools, technology, strategies and decision-making for a state-of-the-art response to Arctic oil spills. The main research and development partners were led by SINTEF (Norway) and included SL Ross (Canada) and Dickens Associates (US). Funding was provided by the oil industry companies Shell, Chevron, Statoil, Total, Conoco Phillips and AGIP KCO. Additionally, there have been many co-operating support agencies providing equipment, vessels and experience. Identified needs were developed in the areas of fate and behaviour, oil-spill response options, mechanical recovery, in situ burning, dispersants and monitoring/remote sensing, and 25 separate tasks were identified.
Conclusion
In evaluating the reliable and effective tools for oil-spill response operations in the Arctic, it becomes clear that except for the equipment developed by a few companies, most notably the Lamor Corporation Ab, the majority of the response equipment currently in use in the Arctic regions is adapted from equipment used in more temperate climates. Additional research, testing and field and full- scale trials have been initiated with knowledge gained and advances made. These types of effort will need to be funded and pursued to provide the absolute best in prevention, preparedness and response to potential oil spills in Arctic regions. n
MIROS OIL SPILL DETECTION SYSTEM
OIL SPILL DETECTION BY MARINE X-BAND RADARS PROCESSING OF DIGITIZED RADAR IMAGES
MAIN FEATURES:
Early and automated detection of oil spills. Day and night operation in fog and poor visibility. Oil drift prediction with direction and speed. Flexible user interface. Wave, wind and surface current data.
AREAS OF USE:
Stand-by and oil recovery vessels participating in oil spill clean up operations. Coast guard vessels for oil spill monitoring. Oils rigs, FPSOs and tankers for oil spill monitoring. Oil terminals and refineries for oil spill monitoring in the terminal area.
Developed in co-operation with NOFO – Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies
- measuring the ocean surface
Solbråveien 32, P.O. Box 364, NO-1372 Asker, Norway Tel: (+47) 66 98 75 00, Fax: (+47) 66 90 41 70 E-mail:
office@miros.no, Web site: www.miros.no
MIROS OSD SYSTEM WELL VERIFIED AND INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED
PROVEN PRODUCT:
Tested in yearly oil-on-water excercises. Used in real clean-up operations. Adopted by international operators.
EASY INSTALLATION:
Miros System Computer with flat screen monitor. Miros Integrated Video Digitizer. Connects to the vessel's marine X-band radar. Interfaces to the vessel's Gyro, GPS and Wind sensors.
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