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Oil Spill It was a dark and foggy night and a tanker carrying 1 million gallons of crude oil collided with a merchant ship. The result is that the hull of the tanker was ruptured and 70 % of the oil carried spills into the sea... The use of oil is very important to todays society. We use it to do many things. There are benefits of oil such as the use of fuel, jobs for people, and plastics. There are also impacts of the oil industry on people and the environment such as oil spills, and pollution.
The oil industry provides benefits by providing jobs to people. They also manufacture oil for use as fuel in homes and businesses. Oil is also used to make plastics. This is a highly used commodity in todays society. Electricity is also a benefit of oil. We use oil to heat our homes and businesses.
We use oil to produce electricity to light our homes and businesses also. Oil is also used in cooking. Transportation is another benefit of oil. Of course we all know that we use oil to run our vehicles, but that is not the only benefit. Oil is also used in combustion engines. The oil industry has a big impact on the environment.
These impacts are not always good. Oil spills and contamination of the environment are important also. There are two different types of oil spills: crude oil spills (the one we have in our case) and refined oil spills. Crude oil spills are very sticky and break down faster than refined oil does.
Refined oil is very thin and harder to clean up. Oil spills caused by accidents in shipment are also a large impact on the environment. Oil spills during offshore drilling is also a potential problem. Clean up of oil spill is very important. It must be done correctly to be the most effective to the damaged environment. What are the effects?
What are some response techniques? Is location a factor? What is used to clean up the spills? These are some common questions asked when a spill occurs. There are also positive and negative effects to consider. Considering the natural factors such as time of year, wind current, and water currents as well as the position of the moon and the sun we may conclude that the oil spill that we are going to deal with will occur at the sea area.
Oil that is spilled at sea immediately begins to move and weather, breaking down and changing its physical and chemical properties. (Martin) When this happens the oil threatens the surrounding affected area. Animals and plant life may be seriously injured. (Martin) There are many response techniques used in controlling the spread of oil spills. One of the most effective ways to fight spills is the careful selection and the proper use of the equipment and materials best suited to the type of oil and the conditions of the spill site. (Pringle) Most spill response equipment and materials are greatly affected by such factors as conditions at sea, water currents, and the wind. Quick actions and proper use of equipment can reduce damage to shorelines and other areas. There are four types of responses. (Pringle) The first response technique is mechanical containment or recovery.
It is the primary line of defense against oil spills in the U. S. The containment and recovery equipment includes a variety of booms, barriers, and skimmers. There are also natural and synthetic sorbent materials. Mechanical containment is used to capture and store the spilled oil until is can properly be disposed of. The second response technique is chemical and biological methods.
They can be used in conjunction with mechanical means for containing and cleaning up oil spills. Dispersant's and gelling agents are most useful in helping to keep oil from reaching shorelines and other sensitive habitats. The third response technique is physical methods. They are used to clean up shorelines.
Natural processes such as evaporation's, oxidation, and biodegradation can begin the clean up process, but are usually too slow to help the environment recover properly. Physical methods, such as wiping with sorbent materials, pressure washing, and raking and bulldozing can be used to assist these natural processes. The fourth and final technique is scare tactics. They are used to protect birds and animals by keeping them away from oil spill areas.
Devices such as propane scare cans, floating dummies, and helium-filled balloons are often used, particularly to keep away birds. (Pringle) Location is an important factor when it comes to clean up. In our case we have to deal with Northern coastal area of Pacific Ocean. Different factors affect the ability to contain and clean up an oil spill. If an oil spill is in remote location lodging, communication resources, and the ability to access an accident scene are all factors for consideration. Small communities may not have the appropriate facilities to house emergency response teams, phone lines, and radio transmitters to handle all of the long distance calls. Standing water such as marshes or swamps with little water movement are likely to incur more severe impacts than flowing water because spilled oil tends to pool in the water and can remain there for long periods of time.
In calm water conditions, the affected habitat may take years to restore. Flowing water is less impacted by oil spills than standing water because the currents provide a natural cleaning mechanism. (Adler) Dispersant's act in the same way as household detergents; when they are added to a film of oil on the surface of the water the oil breaks up into very small droplets forming thin emulsions which disperse in the water column. In effect, they speed up the natural processes of dispersion. In dispersed form the oil is subject to degradation by micro-organisms which occur naturally in the sea. A characteristic plume can be seen spreading slowly down the water surface shortly after treatment if an oil has been satisfactorily dispersed. Dispersant's do not destroy the oil.
However, this must be weighed against the fact that dispersing the oil in the water column makes its toxic components more readily available to marine organisms, particularly in shallow water. Dispersant's do not work on all types of oil or in cold weather conditions under which oil tends to become very viscous. Evaporation and emulsification which render oil resistant to dispersant occur over time and in most cases, dispersant will likely be ineffective after a day or two. If the oil is very viscous (thick) dispersant's are ineffective, since they tend to run off the oil into the water before they can penetrate. As a general rule, dispersant's can be effective in dispersing most liquid oils and liquid water-in-oil emulsions with viscounties less than about 2000 centistokes. Oils that may be more susceptible to treatment on first entry to the water become progressively less so as mousse forms or weathering takes place.
There are several Dispersant application: by aircraft spray system (for example: Hand application (sprayer); methods: By spray systems installed on ships and boats The method of ADDS Pack) application depends primarily on the type of dispersant, the size and location of the spill, and the availability of vessels or aircraft for spraying the dispersant. For application to be effective, several factors in addition to the type of dispersant being used need to be considered. This is important because they control the dispersant to oil application ratio, the vessel or aircraft speed, the swath width (path covered by the spray pattern), the size and number of the spray nozzles, and the thickness of the oil. In-situ Burning, igniting the oil on the surface of the water works well in removing large quantities of spilled oil from the water. To be successful, this is a strategy best initiated early prior to evaporation of the lighter ends which support combustion and prior to weathering of the oil. In-situ burning can only be done in open waters where no danger is posed to drilling rigs, ships, or shoreline.
Fire boom is used to corral the oil and contain it during the burn. Obviously some air pollution does occur when oil is burned. To Do Nothing is a strategy seldom used and is difficult to justify. However, this strategy may sometimes be appropriate. No action is taken except for monitoring the movement of the spilled oil. Natural and biological processes will disperse most spills given time.
Crude oils, particularly of the lighter kinds, that have been spilled a considerable distance offshore in the rough conditions characteristic of those waters are unlikely to pose an environmental threat unless in close proximity to vulnerable concentrations of sea birds. There is likelihood that these oils will be dispersed by natural processes before reaching shore. (Martin) In some cases, despite all the efforts to deal with spilled oil offshore, some oil still reaches the shore. Or it may be an acceptable strategy depending upon the circumstances to allow the oil to come ashore for subsequent collection. In these instances the principal means of cleaning up the oil becomes physical. Beach clean up is labor intensive. The tools used include buckets, shovels, skimmers, booms, earth moving equipment, pumps, vacuum equipment, absorbents, and temporary storage.
If the beach has not been cleaned prior to oil impact, oiled debris must be disposed of along with oil and oiled sand. Chemicals used to treat oil spills include the following: Dispersant's. Dispersant's contain chemicals which reduce the surface tension between oil and water. They therefore result in breakup and dispersal of oil Emulsion Breakers. Used to break down the slick throughout the water column. Water / oil mixture which develops as oil weathers.
This mixture, called mousse, Gelling is around 80 % water and is very difficult to skim, pump, or separate. These are chemicals which increase the viscosity of the oil slick. Also therefore reduce its rate of spread on the surface of the water, called collecting agents. Herders work by affecting the surface tension of the Viscoelastic Additives of Oil and cause the oil to herd to a collection point.
They include Solidifying Agents and Gelling Agents. They convert liquid oil into a solid form, thereby facilitating recovery by manual means or nets. Gelling agents increase the viscosity of the oil slick and thereby reduce its rate of spread. These agents are rarely used because the quantity required to gel oil are extremely high in relation to the volume of oil and it may take as long as 8 Bioremediation hours before the gel is strong enough to allow recovery. (Adler) These are biological agents. They are a combination of enzymes, natural organisms and nutrients which increase the rate of natural degradation of oil. This is a long term technique because it may take months and years to be Burning Agents.
Burning agents are substances that make it possible to be effective. Another method is to ignite oil on the water or upon the shoreline. Getting oil on water to burn is often very difficult. Typical examples of burning agents are gasoline and Neutralizing Agents. These are used to treat spilled oil and light crude oils. They work by reacting chemically with the oil to form less harmful substances.
Sinking Agent are special materials applied to the oil which adsorb the oil to their surface. This combination of oil and the sinking agent is heavier than water and sinks. Oil boom is a floating barrier which is used in cleaning up oil on the surface of the water. Boom is used: to contain oil (containment booming); to collect oil; as a barricade to exclude oil (exclusion booming) from a certain area; to absorb oil; and to deflect oil (diversion booming). Containment booming is the process of preventing the spread of an oil spill by confining the oil to the area in which it has been discharged. The purpose of containment is not only to localize the spill and thus minimize pollution but to assist in the removal of the oil by trying to concentrate it in thick layers on the surface of the water.
Boom can also be used to divert pollutant to areas where cleanup can be conducted and to protect specific areas such as entrances to harbors and rivers or environmentally or economically sensitive areas. Although boom can be classified several different ways, most types of boom share many of the characteristics shown in the drawing above. The drawing shows an end on look at a section of boom. The boom consists of a fabric fence made of a flexible material. A tension member (such as a piece of cable) of greater strength than the fabric prevents the fabric from tearing under stress. Some sort of ballast such as chain or weights is attached to the bottom of the fabric to keep the boom vertical in the water.
Flotation material keeps the boom afloat. There are several different designs and methods of flotation. Floats may be rigid or flexible. Inflatable air chambers may be used to provide flotation. Freeboard is the vertical height of a boom above the water line. The freeboard prevents oil from washing over the top of the boom.
If there is too much freeboard, however the boom may be pushed over in high winds. The part of the fabric below the floats is called the skirt. The skirt prevents oil from being swept underneath the boom. End connectors are used to connect sections of boom together. Since there are many different types of boom there are many types of end connectors. In addition, boom may have some or all of the -Lifting points -Handholds -Bridles -Anchor points.
The most important characteristic of a boom is its oil stiffeners 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. Open Water Boom: is of more sturdy construction and has greater area of use. Protected Water Boom: is used in calmer protected waters freeboard and draft. Inertial Boom: is boom used in areas in and has less freeboard and draft, which the water bottom is periodically flooded and then uncovered by tidal. Boom 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. 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 sorbets; 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 fluids 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. (Pringle) There are...
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Research essay sample on Surface Of The Water Oil Spills
