Formation and Vertical Mixing of Oil Droplets Resulting from Oil Slick Under Breaking Waves—A Modeling Study

ISSN： 1527-5922

Source： Environmental Forensics, Vol.10, Iss.4, 2009-12, pp. : 347-353

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Abstract

Oil spilled at sea can be dispersed by a variety of natural processes, of which the influence of breaking waves is dominant. In this study, formation and the subsequent vertical mixing of oil droplets with respect to low and high wave energy quantities are investigated through a coupled modeling approach. Methods of computing the energy dissipation rate for the field waves were extended to support the modeling of oil droplet kinetics, including related vertical mixing and transport. The developed method was first examined with literature data including an agreement with results reported in Delvigne and Sweeney (1988). Preliminary experimental validation was then conducted using a full-scale automated wave tank facility at the Centre for Offshore Oil and Gas Environmental Research (COOGER, Dartmouth Canada); consistency has been observed between experimental data and model predictions for the mean oil droplet diameter under breaking wave conditions for time intervals of 1, 10, 60, and 300 minutes after the spill. Outputs of this research will be used to improve existing oil spill modeling tools and to formulate effective oil spill countermeasures.