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Example research essay topic: Spilled Oil Water Surface - 1,830 words

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... m there are many types of end connectors... In addition, boom may have some or all of the following features: The most important characteristic of a boom is its oil containment or deflection capability, determined by its behavior in relation to water movement. It should be flexible to conform to wave motion yet sufficiently rigid to retain as much oil as possible. No boom is capable of containing oil against water velocities much in excess of 1 knot acting at right angles to it.

The escape velocity for most booms is around. 7 knots, irrespective of skirt depth. The illustration below compares the performance of booms with a rigid skirt with booms with a flexible skirt in waves. Flexible boom has better wave following characteristics. Boom might be classified by its area of use, or by purpose, or by its type of construction. &# 61623; Open Water Boom: is of more sturdy construction and has greater freeboard and draft. &# 61623; Protected Water Boom: is used in calmer protected waters and has less freeboard and draft. &# 61623; Intertidal Boom: is boom used in areas in which the water bottom is periodically flooded and then uncovered by tidal action. &# 61623; Intertidal Boom: Intertidal boom is designed to make a seal at the water / shoreline interface. Usually one end of this boom is anchored on the dry shore. The boom stretches from the shore out across the surface of the water and floats on the water.

As the tide goes out and the water level drops this boom sits on the exposed bottom. When the tide comes in the boom once again floats. Thus oil on the water cannot get around the shoreline end of this boom as the water surges in and out. Water is the common type of ballast used in this boom. &# 61623; Collection, Containment, Diversion Boom: Examples are curtain boom and fence boom. In general, curtain boom is used in rougher offshore areas and fence boom is used in areas closer to the shore or inland. These oil booms serve the standard purposes of containing, collecting, or deflecting spilled oil. &# 61623; Fire Boom: Used, as the name implies to contain oil while it is set on fire and burned.

Thus fire boom must have features that permit it to endure under extreme temperatures for a period long enough to serve it's purpose. This boom is constructed of fire resistant materials such as ceramic textiles and stainless steel mesh. This boom is used during "In-Situ Burning." &# 61623; Oil Trawl: A curtain boom with air inflatable flotation bladders which contains netting and is designed to reduce turbulence in the pocket formed by the boom so that oil can be more easily skimmed. The netting also serves the purpose of collecting tarballs and other larger globules of oil. &# 61623; Skimming Boom: This is oil boom which incorporates a method of skimming oil. An example is the Vikoma 3 -Weir Boom shown below. The boom is deployed off a reel and weirs in the catenary of the boom take in the oil which is then pumped to a recovery vessel.

Thus the collection of the oil and the skimming of the oil take place simultaneously with the same piece of oil recovery equipment. &# 61623; Sorbent Boom and Barriers: These are specialized containment devices that absorb oil in porous materials such as straw or synthetic materials. They are used when the oil slick is relatively thin because their efficiency rapidly decreases once the porous surface is saturated with oil. The drawbacks to sorbent boom are: it requires considerable additional support to avoid breakage under the force of wind / current ; it often requires some method of additional flotation to prevent sinking when saturated with oil and water; a great deal of caution must be used to prevent the contaminated side of the boom from turning over and recontaminating the water. There are two basic types of booms in service today: Fence and Curtain booms. &# 61623; Fence Boom: These booms have a rigid or semi-solid material as a vertical screen agains oil floating on the water.

Fence booms are usually easy to deploy, resistant to damage, and bulky for storage. They can be further classified according to the type of flotation used: &# 61623; Outboard flotation on one side &# 61623; Outboard flotation on two sides &# 61623; Curtain Boom: These booms have flexible skirts which are free to move independently of the floats. They have centerline flotation provided by air, inert gas, solid foam bars, flexible foam roll, or granulated foam contained in a plastic cylinder. The most important difference between fence and curtain booms is how they respond to wind, waves, and currents. Fence boom has the skirt and freeboard mechanically coupled together causing them to move as a single unit. If current and wind roll a fence boom away from the vertical, they also lose freeboard and draft.

And if fence boom is too rigid to conform to the surface of a passing wave, there is also a loss of freeboard and draft. Flexible curtain boom has a skirt that is free to move independently of the flotation and freeboard. There are five basic booming techniques: &# 61623; Containment/Collection booming Exclusion Booming: Boom is deployed across or around a sensitive area to prevent a pollutant from contaminating the area. Diversion Booming: Boom is deployed at an angle to the approaching pollutant. Thus the pollutant is either diverted away from a sensitive area or diverted to a central collection point for recovery. This technique is used primarily in inshore, river, or harbor areas.

Diversion booming must take into account the velocity of the flow of water and boom must be angled appropriately so that the force of the water flow against the boom does not cause oil to flow under the boom or damage the boom. The boom is typically laid out in a Chevron pattern or a Cascading pattern. In the Chevron pattern the boom is angled so that all floating oil and debris is deflected to either side of the stream. In the Cascading pattern varying lengths of boom are progressively staggered along the waterway so that the oil is directed to one side. Numerous anchors and firm shoreline anchoring must be employed with boom used for diversion in watercourses with strong current because tremendous forces are exerted on the boom.

Containment/Collection Booming: Boom is deployed in a U or a J shape in front of the approaching pollutant. The ends of the booms are anchored or secured to vessels. Often skimmers are deployed in the pocket created by these formations and oil recovery takes place simultaneously. This technique is primarily used in the open water with offshore boom. Sorbent Booming: Boom composed of sorbent material is typically deployed along a shoreline to protect sensitive areas or to keep heavier, emulsified oils from spreading. Used primarily on quiet waters that are not heavily contaminated.

Sorbent Barriers: Usually constructed of wire or mesh, stakes and loose sorbent materials a sorbent barrier is often deployed across a waterway or outfall. It allows water to flow through it but retains and absorbs oil on the water surface. Useful in small, low-velocity streams, tidal inlets or channels. After the oil is contained, it must be recovered from the water. Depending on the circumstances, three different approaches might be used: Use of mechanical skimmers; Use of sorbent's; or Use of manual labor. A skimmer is a mechanical recovery device designed to remove the oil from the water's surface without causing major alterations in its physical or chemical properties.

All skimmers work best in calm waters with little or no wave action. The two major categories of skimmers are: Suction Skimmers and Adhesion Skimmers. Viscosity of the spilled oil determines the most appropriate skimmer and pump types for a particular incident. Viscosity is the measure of a fluid's internal friction or its resistance to flow; a fluid's surface tension.

Lower viscosity substances are lighter and when spilled spread out over a greater area. Higher viscosity oils do not spread out as much and remain thicker. A weir skimmer is an example of a suction skimmer. A rope mop skimmer is an example of an adhesion skimmer.

Viscosity of the oil being recovered is a major determinant of skimmer effectiveness. Most skimmers have a range of viscounties in which they work best: &# 61623; Light Oil (Viscosity 3 - 10 Cst, . 83 -. 88 Sp. Gravity) &# 61623; Medium Oil (Viscosity 100 - 300 Cst, . 90 -. 94 Sp. Gravity) &# 61623; Heavy Oil (Viscosity 500 - 2000 Cst, . 94 -. 97 Sp. Gravity) There are basically five different types of skimmers: This type of skimmer utilizes an adjustable dam (weir) to take a cut of the oil on the water's surface.

The oil flows over the top of the weir and into the skimmer where it collects. The recovered oil / water mixture is then either pumped or sucked from the skimmer. The GT- 185 Skimmer shown below and the Des Ocean Skimmer shown deployed from a vessel are examples of weir skimmers. A special type of weir skimmer is the weir-boom skimmer in which weirs are built into the floating boom. Oil enters the weirs and is pumped from the weirs via an oil tube to recovery tanks. An example is the Suction skimmers are similar to weir skimmers.

Like weir skimmers they float on the water but use an external vaccum pump system and are adjusted to float at the oil / water interface. Sometimes the skimmer simply consists of a simple suction head attached to the end of a vacuum hose. Suction Skimmer This type of skimmer is also called a weir-vortex skimmer. It operates by the creation of a water vortex or whirlpool, which draws the oil into a collection area where it is then pumped out. The Walosep W- 4 Skimmer is an example of this type. Submersion skimmers are usually mounted on or incorporated in a powered vessel.

Oil in the path of the skimmer is forced beneath the water surface by a moving inclined belt. The belt forces the oil down toward the mouth of a collection well where it rises to the surface. Water collected with the oil passes under the collection well. The JBF (DIP) Dynamic Inclined Plane skimmer is a submersion belt skimmer.

The skimmer's belt is not oleophilic and does not rely on oil sticking to the belt for recovery. The system is based totally on the hydrodynamic of oil and water. This type of skimmer has a surface to which oil adheres. The sorbent (or oleophilic) surface can be in the form of a drum, disc, belt, or rope which is continuously moved through the oil film. The collected oil is removed from the sorbent surface by a wiper or roller and is then held in a storage tank. Bibliography:


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Research essay sample on Spilled Oil Water Surface

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