Sunken Oil Detection and Recovery API Technical Report Sunken Oil Detection and Recovery - Operational Guide Published February, 2016 Authors API Technical Report Jacqueline Michel, Research Planning, Inc. Mark Ploen, QualiTech Environmental Jim Elliott, T&T Marine Salvage, Inc. William Key, WK Technical Group LLC Available at: http // il pillpr ti r / il pill Available at: http://www.oilspillprevention.org/oil-spillresearch-and-development-cente 1
Regulatory Requirement The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) requires facilities or vessels which hstore or transport tgroup V oils (heavy oils, sinking oils) in U.S. waters to identify response organizations and strategies for responding to spills of these products, including identifying methods for assessing, containing and recovering oil from subsurface environments. Definitions Floating oil - Spilled oil that is on the surface of the water. Submerged oil - Spilled oil that is in the water column, below the water surface, including oil that is in temporary suspension due to turbulence and will refloat or sink in the absence of that turbulence. Sunken oil - Spilled oil that is on the bottom of the water body. Technical Report specifically focuses on Sunken Oil 2
Types of Sunken Oil Oils that are heavier than water and mostly sink when spilled Oils that are lighter than water and sink after mixing with sediment Oils that become heavier than water due to formation of oil-particle aggregates under turbulent conditions, which eventually settle on the bottom of the waterbody in quiescent areas API Study Objectives 1. ID current best practices and alternative technologies to more effectively identify and recover sunken oil*; ; 2. Recommend R&D for the best potential alternative technologies * = accumulation of bulk oil on the bottom of a water body 3
Technical Report 126 pages 38 case studies Section on Oil Detection, Delineation, and Characterization: sonar systems, underwater visualization systems, diver observations, sorbents, laser fluorosensors, visual observations by trained observers, bottom sampling, water-column sampling. Section on Sunken Oil Containment: Very brief, little exists for proven containment Section on Recovery, seven different techniques discussed: suction dredge, d diver directed pumping and vacuuming, mechanical removal, sorbent/v-sors, trawl and nets, manual removal, agitation, refloat. Technical Report (continued) Section on Diving in Contaminated Water Regulatory requirements: commercial diving personnel, commercial diving operations, surface supplied air diving, commercial diving equipment Contaminated Water Diving Checklist Section on Waste Stream Management solids separation, liquid separation, Polishing Section on Government Agency Regulations to be Considered State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) Tribal Governments 4
Operational Guide 36 pages Designed as a companion document to the technical report. Meant to be used on site when access or time hinders use of Technical Report. Guides responders through response process. Tables with advantages/disadvantages of different techniques and technologies. Matrix s to aid in the evaluation of different techniques under varying scenarios. Checklists to aid responders in addressing all areas or at least provoke thought. M/T Athos 1 API = 13.6 5
T/B Morris J. Berman API = 9.5 6
Response Needs for Sunken Oil Spills Detection on the bottom Containment Recovery of oil on the bottom Detection/tracking of mobile oil moving along the bottom 7
Detection of Oil on the Bottom Use multiple methods Refugio Incident Example MBES for bathymetry ROV video of potential targets Diver observations of potential targets Recovery of Oil on Bottom: Suction Dredge Diver-Directed Pumping and Vacuuming Mechanical Removal Sorbent/V-SORs Trawls and Nets Manual Removal Agitation/Refloat 8
Recovery of Oil on Bottom: 2008 Ohio River Spill 9
Contaminated Water Diving Hazard Evaluation Medical Monitoring Medical Monitoring Site Safety Plan Diving Equipment Training Back-up Team Decontamination Record Keeping 10
Recovered Liquid Decanting Systems Usually ad hoc, under designed, lots of trial and error Decanting Systems: Need guidelines and calculation tools Consider droplet size, flow rates, and oil behavior Advances in off-the-shelf systems Problems when used offshore unstable platforms 11
Elaborate Dewatering Set-up Sunken Oil R&D Priorities Proven Techniques for Sunken Oil Containment Oil Spill Simulants for Field Tests of Sunken Oil Detection Methods Real-world Testing of Bulk Sunken Oil Detection Methods using Sonar Systems Effectiveness of Laser Fluorsensors to Detect Oil in Bottom Sediments 12
Sunken Oil R&D Priorities Optimization of Nozzle and Stinger Designs to Minimize Wt Water and dsdi Sediment tremoval lduring Vacuuming and Pumping Operations Design and Best Operating Conditions for the Performance of Towed Sorbents for Oil Uptake Evaluate the Performance of Wastewater Treatment Systems for Effluents Typical in Content and Variability from Sunken Oil Recovery Operations including offshore conditions Recent Incident T/B Apex 3508 Spill Details 2,870 bbl Clarified Slurry Oil API = -7.4 (SG = 1.14) Viscosity = 160,000 cst Sank straight to the bottom Detection Techniques Side scan sonar, MBES V-SORs, stationary sorbents Coring Diver observations Recovery Technique Environmental Clamshell 2,200 yd 3 over 10 days 13
High-resolution side scan sonar Processed near real- time Solids Removed: 2,260 yd 3 14
Tracking the Progress of the Removal by Environmental Clamshell 15