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Experimental and Numerical Study on the Effects of Oil Spill Weathering and Natural Techniques for Dispersed Oil Removal

Experimental and Numerical Study on the Effects of Oil Spill Weathering and Natural Techniques for Dispersed Oil Removal

Date31st Jul 2023

Time05:00 PM

Venue Seminar Hall, Department of Ocean Engineering

PAST EVENT

Details

Oil spills in marine environments have severe ecological consequences and lead to extensive environmental contamination. When an oil spill occurs, a portion of the oil slicks on the water surface infiltrates the water column due to wave actions, turbulence, and the application of dispersants. These oil fractions remain in the water column for a long time, making mechanical recovery impractical. They are toxic to marine organisms and disrupt the food chain. The objective of this study is to develop environmentally friendly and natural methods for removing dispersed oil by integrating them into a comprehensive model that simulates the weathering of oil spills. A short-term model is used to estimate the amount of oil entering the water column from the floating slick. This model considers various processes such as spreading, advection-turbulent diffusion, entrainment, evaporation, dissolution, emulsification, and changes in density and viscosity. It determines the fractions of dispersed and dissolved oil introduced into the water column. These fractions undergo long-term weathering processes, including biodegradation, aggregation, sedimentation, and photo-oxidation. In this context, the study focuses on aggregation and sedimentation as natural techniques for removing oil droplets. Aggregation occurs when oil droplets combine with marine debris to form marine oil snow (MOS) in areas with high biological activity. Similarly, aggregation with suspended sediment particles leads to the formation of oil mineral aggregates (OMA). Both MOS and OMA involve the incorporation of free oil droplets, effectively reducing the concentration of dispersed oil. The formation of MOS is modeled by considering processes such as algal bloom, coagulation, and sedimentation. Experimental investigations are conducted to determine the coagulation coefficient in MOS and marine snow formation. Additionally, the study examines the conditions required for effective oil removal using OMA. The oil removal efficiencies using bentonite and kaolinite OMA were found to be 46.24% and 45.68%, respectively, in coastal areas with low turbulence, and approximately 35.77% and 30.05% in areas with high turbulence. In conclusion, this research addresses the essential factors for removing weathered dispersed oil from the water column by using long-term computational models of oil spill weathering. These models incorporate kinetic coefficients obtained through experimental analysis. The insights gained from this study contribute to the development of efficient strategies for removing non-recoverable persistent oil, thus reducing the environmental impacts of oil spills in marine ecosystems.

Speakers

Ms. AKSHAYA T R, Roll No.OE18D702

Ocean Enginnering Department