Robotic swarm concept for efficient oil spill confrontation

This paper examines the behaviour of a distributed system/robotic swarm concept for the effective confrontation of oil spills. The system described consists of a number of identical robotic units of high-power autonomy that recover oil mechanically and are able to communicate with each other. A mathematical model that accounts for a multitude of oil weathering processes and for the concerted action of the autonomous units is implemented for this investigation. Computational assessment of the robotic swarm in weathering oil spills indicates the potential effectiveness of the method.     

Differential laser trigonometry for measuring the oil film thickness on water

A differential laser trigonometry method is presented for measurement of the oil film thickness on a water surface. The thickness of an oil film can be obtained with two off-plane displacements to a benchmark plane obtained by the imaging spot displacement and the configuration parameter of the imaging system subtracted. The method has been tested in the laboratory via the examination of diesel oil and petroleum films. An experimental system setup has been developed, by which the maximum measurable thickness is 12?mm and the average measurement error is 6.05?µm. The results show that the method presented is feasible, and applicable to dynamic online measurement of oil film thickness of oil spills on the sea surface.     

标准化在我国海洋溢油应急处置工作中的应用研究

本文主要探讨我国海洋溢油应急处置工作存在的标准化问题以及加强我国海洋溢油应急处置标准化工作的对策。     

液体苯系物等类油物质吸附材料综述

近年来,苯系物等类油物质泄漏事故频发。由于苯系物多数具有极强的毒性和挥发性,因此苯系物比原油等重油泄漏事故引发的危害更大。考虑到苯系物和油类物质理化性质的相似性,对苯系物泄漏事故的应急处置办法可以参考溢油事故的处置办法。通过对溢油事故中常用的无机类吸附材料、有机高分子吸附材料和天然高分子吸附材料的研究现状和应用前景进行了综述,希望能够为相关科研工作者解决苯系物泄漏的应急处置提供思路,促进该领域的快速发展。     

Cost-effectiveness criteria for marine oil spill preventive measures

Oil tanker accidents resulting in large quantities of oil spills and severe pollution have occurred in the past, leading to major public attention and an international focus on finding solutions for minimising the risks related to such events. This paper proposes a novel approach for evaluating measures for prevention and control of marine oil spills, based on considerations of oil spill risk and cost effectiveness. A cost model that incorporates all costs of a shipping accident has been established and oil tanker spill accidents have been further elaborated as a special case of such accidents. Utilising this model, novel implementation criteria, in terms of the Cost of Averting a Tonne of oil Spilt (CATS), for risk control options aiming at mitigating the environmental risk of accidental oil spills, are proposed. The paper presents a review of previous studies on the costs associated with oil spills from shipping, which is a function of many factors such as location of spill, spill amount, type of oil, etc. However, ships are designed for global trade, transporting different oil qualities. Therefore, globally applicable criteria must average over most of these factors, and the spill amount is the remaining factor that will be used to measure cost effectiveness against. A weighted, global average cleanup cost of USD 16,000/tonne of oil spilt has been calculated, considering the distribution of oil tanker traffic densities. Finally, the criteria are compared with some existing regulations for oil spill prevention, response and compensation (OPA 90).     

New Free Margin Oil Evaporator for Capacitor Film Metallizers (CAP/M)

This paper reports an innovative solution for a masking oil evaporator, Free Margin Evaporator (FME), based on flash evaporation. Particular emphasis is based on oil consumption and free margin quality. The device has been validated by data obtained under experimental and production conditions as a function of total nozzle width (m), metal layer thickness (Ohm/sq) and coating drum speed (m/s). The desired oil thickness on the web has been calculated for different coating processes. Specific advantages of the FME such as process security, oil quality, chamber contamination and cost‐savings using the new free margin evaporator are discussed. Regarding these aspects, the flash evaporator offers advantages to the web coater compared to conventional free margin oil evaporators.     

Comparing ignitability for in situ burning of oil spills for an asphaltenic,a waxy and a light crude oil as a function of weathering conditions under arctic conditions

In situ burning of oil spills in the Arctic is a promising countermeasure. In spite of the research already conducted more knowledge is needed especially regarding burning of weathered oils. This paper uses a new laboratory burning cell (100 mL sample) to test three Norwegian crude oils, Grane (asphalthenic), Kobbe (light oil) and Norne (waxy), for ignitability as a function of ice conditions and weathering degree. The crude oils (9 L) were weathered in a laboratory basin (4.8 m³) under simulated arctic conditions (0, 50 and 90% ice cover). The laboratory burning tests show that the ignitability is dependent on oil composition, ice conditions and weathering degree. In open water, oil spills rapidly become “not ignitable” due to the weathering e.g. high water content and low content of residual volatile components. The slower weathering of oil spills in ice (50 and 90% ice cover) results in longer time-windows for the oil to be ignitable. The composition of the oils is important for the window of opportunity. The asphalthenic Grane crude oil had a limited time-window for in situ burning (9 h or less), while the light Kobbe crude oil and the waxy Norne crude oil had the longest time-windows for in situ burning (from 18 h to more than 72 h). Such information regarding time windows for using in situ burning is very important for both contingency planning and operational use of in situ burning.     

Oil spills debris clean up by thermal desorption

Oil spills represent a significant environmental issue in Brazil. This paper presents the latest results of a comprehensive experimental programme aimed at understanding how the presence of spilled oil affects the properties of sands and at studying alternatives to remediate the affected shores. Results indicate that oil causes a slight increase in grain size and uniformity, and oiled debris presents a smaller void ratio but a larger unit weight. It was also observed that effective strength parameters for both the natural and oiled debris were the same although the undrained strength of a natural sand is much higher than that of the contaminated sand. At ambient temperature, oiled debris emits methane and ammonia, and these emissions tend to increase with rising temperatures. On the other hand, the oil and grease content from oiled debris decreases with rising temperature and prolonged exposure. Finally, in situ thermal desorption seems to be a promising method for cleaning debris from oil spills. It is simple, fast and avoids all the difficulties associated with digging up the soil for disposal or cleanup.     

智能型储油罐油品自动脱水控制系统

本文介绍了一种新型霍尔数字传感器与单片计算机相结合测量油水界面的新方法,由此设计出一种智能自动脱水控制仪,并详细阐述了其工作原理及结构。从根本上解决了油罐脱水时跑油的难题,实现了储油罐含水量检测和脱水自动化。     

Modeling the effectiveness of oil combating from an ecological perspective--a Bayesian network for the Gulf of Finland; the Baltic Sea

Maritime traffic poses a major threat to marine ecosystems in the form of oil spills. The Gulf of Finland, the easternmost part of the Baltic Sea, has witnessed a rapid increase in oil transportation during the last 15 years. Should a spill occur, the negative ecological impacts may be reduced by oil combating, the effectiveness of which is, however, strongly dependent on prevailing environmental conditions and available technical resources. This poses increased uncertainty related to ecological consequences of future spills. We developed a probabilistic Bayesian network model that can be used to assess the effectiveness of different oil combating strategies in minimizing the negative effects of oil on six species living in the Gulf of Finland. The model can be used for creating different accident scenarios and assessing the performance of various oil combating actions under uncertainty, which enables its use as a supportive tool in decision-making. While the model is confined to the western Gulf of Finland, the methodology is adaptable to other marine areas facing similar risks and challenges related to oil spills.     

In-depth analysis of accidental oil spills from tankers in the context of global spill trends from all sources

This study gives a global overview of accidental oil spills from all sources (> or =700t) for the period 1970-2004, followed by a detailed examination of trends in accidental tanker spills. The present analysis of the number and volume of tanker spills includes temporal and spatial spill trends, aspects of spill size distribution as well as trends of key factors (i.e., flag state, hull type, tanker age, accident cause and sensitivity of location). Results show that the total number and volume of tanker spills have significantly decreased since the 1970s, which is in contrast to increases in maritime transport of oil and to popular perceptions following recent catastrophic events. However, many spills still occur in ecologically sensitive locations because the major maritime transport routes often cross the boundaries of the Large Marine Ecosystems, but the substantially lower total spill volume is an important contribution to potentially reduce overall ecosystem impacts. In summary, the improvements achieved in the past decades have been the result of a set of initiatives and regulations implemented by governments, international organizations and the shipping industry.     

绝缘油介电强度测试仪校准方法

通过分析绝缘油介电强度测试仪的工作原理,针对常规校准中存在的问题,设计一套中间接地的双电容分压器矢量信号测量装置,可对0~100 kV的准确度为2%以下的绝缘油介电强度测试仪进行校准。解决油杯阻抗匹配问题,满足对于测试仪矢量输出量值的准确溯源。     

Consensus oriented fuzzified decision support for oil spill contingency management

Studies on multi-group multi-criteria decision-making problems for oil spill contingency management are in their infancy. This paper presents a second-order fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) model to resolve decision-making problems in the area of contingency management after environmental disasters such as oil spills. To assess the performance of different oil combat strategies, second-order FCE allows for the utilization of lexical information, the consideration of ecological and socio-economic criteria and the involvement of a variety of stakeholders. On the other hand, the new approach can be validated by using internal and external checks, which refer to sensitivity tests regarding its internal setups and comparisons with other methods, respectively. Through a case study, the Pallas oil spill in the German Bight in 1998, it is demonstrated that this approach can help decision makers who search for an optimal strategy in multi-thread contingency problems and has a wider application potential in the field of integrated coastal zone management.     

Application of CFD (Fluent) to LNG spills into geometrically complex environments

Recent discussions on the fate of LNG spills into impoundments have suggested that the commonly used combination of SOURCE5 and DEGADIS to predict the flammable vapor dispersion distances is not accurate, as it does not account for vapor entrainment by wind. SOURCE5 assumes the vapor layer to grow upward uniformly in the form of a quiescent saturated gas cloud that ultimately spills over impoundment walls. The rate of spillage is then used as the source term for DEGADIS. A more rigorous approach to predict the flammable vapor dispersion distance is to use a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. CFD codes can take into account the physical phenomena that govern the fate of LNG spills into impoundments, such as the mixing between air and the evaporated gas. Before a CFD code can be proposed as an alternate method for the prediction of flammable vapor cloud distances, it has to be validated with proper experimental data. This paper describes the use of Fluent, a widely-used commercial CFD code, to simulate one of the tests in the "Falcon" series of LNG spill tests. The "Falcon" test series was the only series that specifically addressed the effects of impoundment walls and construction obstructions on the behavior and dispersion of the vapor cloud. Most other tests, such as the Coyote and the Burro series, involved spills onto water and relatively flat ground. The paper discusses the critical parameters necessary for a CFD model to accurately predict the behavior of a cryogenic spill in a geometrically complex domain, and presents comparisons between the gas concentrations measured during the Falcon-1 test and those predicted using Fluent. Finally, the paper discusses the effect vapor barriers have in containing part of the spill thereby shortening the ignitable vapor cloud and therefore the required hazard area. This issue was addressed by comparing the Falcon-1 simulation (spill into the impoundment) with the simulation of an identical spill without any impoundment walls, or obstacles within the impoundment area.     

Model of spills and fires from LNG and oil tankers

A comprehensive model for predicting the dynamics of spills from LNG and oil product tankers is constructed from fluid mechanics principles and empirical properties of oil and LNG spills on water. The analysis utilizes the significant tanker hold and discharge flow area dimensions to specify the cargo liquid outflow history and the ensuing pool characteristics, including the establishment of a pool fire. The pool fire area, duration, and heat release rate are determined as functions of the tanker cargo variables. Examples of an LNG and gasoline spill show that for likely discharge flow areas these spills may be regarded as instantaneous, simplifying the evaluation of risk consequences.     

微光成象系统中实时降噪的优化设计

微光电视工作于极低照度或恶劣环境下，输出信噪比明显降低，目标完全淹没在背景噪声中，使探测率大大下降。提出了用帧间处理技术消除加性噪声。论述了字长和滤波系数的选择原则。研究了实时去噪的几项关键技术，算法和符号位的设计，各部分工作时间分配以及大背景噪声下时种同步方法。     

Analysis of viscosity sensitivity for liquid property detection applications based on SAW sensors

An investigation of viscosity sensitivity for liquid property detection applications based on the ZnO/SiO₂/Si layered structure Love mode surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors is presented. One of our interests in this paper is to optimize the SAW viscosity sensor under the condition of temperature stability by considering the relations among electromechanical coupling coefficient, viscosity sensitivity and temperature coefficient of delay (TCD). Some important results have been obtained by solving the system of coupled electromechanical field equations and Navier–Stokes equation. It is found that the electromechanical coupling coefficient and viscosity sensitivity can be further improved by adjusting the thickness of SiO₂ thin film and a zero TCD device also can be obtained by introducing a SiO₂ thin film with proper thickness. We try to obtain a device which possesses the viscosity sensitivity as high as possible and has zero TCD. Another interest of this paper is to improve the traditional viscosity sensitivity expression by considering the coupling effect between the liquid viscosity and density. It is shown that the coupling effect cannot be neglected from the numerical results. This modification could make the obtained viscosity more accurate. This analysis is meaningful for the manufactures and applications of the ZnO/SiO₂/Si structure Love wave sensor for liquid property detection.     

Sampling field sensor with anisotropic fan-out

We describe a new common-path, phase-shift, and shearing interferometric device capable of single-shot detection of optical phase profiles. It samples the input field and uses birefringent plates to fan out phase-shifted copies of the samples in the empty space between them. The phase shifts are given by the thickness of the plates and not by the relative position of the components, as in classical interferometers. This makes the device insensitive to vibrations. We recorded repeatability better than lambda/100, even though strong shocks were applied to the air table in proximity to the system. We recorded better than lambda/1000 repeatability under quiet conditions and estimated the accuracy to be better than lambda/3000 at the shot-noise limit. In addition, the device is compact and easy to integrate in a variety of setups that require the measurement of optical phase profiles.     

Oil spill cleanup from sea water by carbon nanotube sponges

Oil spills in the sea have caused many serious environmental problems worldwide. In this study, carbon nanotube (CNT) sponges were used to cleanup oil slicks on sea waters. This method was compared with two traditional representative sorbents, including polypropylene fiber fabric and woolen felt. The CNT sponges had a larger oil sorption capacity than the other two sorbents. The maximum oil sorption capacity (Q_m) of the CNT sponge was 92.30 g/g, which was 12 to 13.5 times larger than the Q_m of the other two sorbents (the Q_m of the polypropylene fiber fabric and woolen felt were 7.45 and 6.74 g/g, respectively). In addition, unlike the other two sorbents, the CNT sponge was super-hydrophobic and did not adsorb any water during oil spill cleanup. CNT sponges are potentially very useful for cleaning up oil spills from sea water.     

Quantification of flow and retention of oil in compressor discharge pipe

This paper presents a new method to measure the oil retention and oil circulation ratio (OCR) in the compressor discharge pipe based on oil film thickness, oil film average velocity, oil droplet size, oil droplet velocity, and system mass flow rate. Oil flow parameters are quantified based on visualization using high-speed camera and video processing techniques. The estimated oil retention and oil circulation ratio results are compared quantitatively with the results from sampling measurements under different compressor speed and compressor types. The agreement between video results and sampling measurements verify the accuracy of this innovative method, which can also be applied in other annular-mist flow analysis. It also shows that most of the oil exists in film by mass while oil droplets contributes more to the oil mass flow rate because oil droplets travel in a much higher speed.