[en] A Canada-Wide Standard for Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Soil - Tier 1 Method was developed to assess hydrocarbon contamination. This paper presents the results of a completed validation study of the method. This new method replaces many previously used analysis methods. In order to validate the method, several parameters were examined, including linearity, precision, method detection limit and stability. All parameters in the reference method are considered to be reasonable and achievable if a consistent approach is used to obtain, store, prepare and chemically analyze soil samples. The method is not designed for quantitation of individual hydrocarbons, nor is it designed for determining individual PAH compounds. This paper presented the main findings of the linearity study, the precision estimation study, and the method detection limit for gasoline, diesel and motor oil spiked soils. It is expected that this harmonized method will become the new basis of chemical analysis for petroleum hydrocarbons in soil and that it will be used by Canadian environmental labs for assessment, cleanup and remediation of polluted sites where crude oils or refined petroleum products have been spilled. 7 refs., 6 tabs., 6 figs

[en] Augmenting existing microbial populations was adopted as the next logical and sustainable phase of a “treatment train” approach to cleaning up a large, stable groundwater plume at a former chemical manufacturing facility. This less-active treatment phase follows a more intensive cleanup phase involving soil vapour extraction and cyrogenic off-gas treatment. However while the microbial populations were clearly present, initial results indicated microbial activity was stalling. With optimization, it appears biodegradation will achieve cleanup to the extent practicable. (author)

[en] An oil recovery wall system has been proposed for use in Kuwait so that countries to the north and south will be protected from any future and unexpected oil spill. The system makes use of two walls, perpendicular to the shoreline, at both the northern and the southern ends of an oil refinery area. It is designed to keep spilled oil within the vicinity of the wall, preventing oil from spreading to seawater and the rest of the Gulf. The oil recovery wall contains oil-collection units which help contain oil in the event of an accidental spill at any Kuwaiti refineries. This presentation provides details of the oil-collection unit and describes laboratory-scale testing of the unit. The wall has many openings at the bottom to let water flow underneath. All collected oil is pumped into a storage tank built into the wall. Laboratory studies have shown that the coefficient of collected oil is 100 per cent at the low velocity of 0.14 m/s. It decreased to approximately 85 per cent for a high velocity of 0.28 m/s. This major drop in collection efficiency is expected once the critical Froude number is exceeded. 5 refs., 2 tabs., 12 figs

[en] This paper presented a solution to the problem of recovering spilled oil from a sunken ship, particularly when the oil viscosity is high. In such cases, the pipe friction resistance becomes large and oil transfer becomes difficult. In this study, the pipe pressure drop from the pipe entrance to the exit was measured, and the friction factor was obtained. The flow rate in the pipe was then calculated. The oil flow rate of the oil injected into the water was compared with cases where only the oil flowed and with an annular water injection method (AWI). The method of transporting viscous oil by injecting it in a water current proved to be a simple and effective method for reducing the friction coefficient of the pipe. In oil laminar flow, the friction drag was reduced by inserting the oil into water with a simple T joint, thereby increasing the amount of oil transfer. 3 refs., 1 tab., 7 figs

[en] Environmental impacts associated with excess salt in oil and surface water or groundwater (a frequent occurrence in oil and gas production) may be manifested as degradation of soil chemical or physical properties, impaired vegetable growth and degraded surface or groundwater quality. Spill prevention is by far the most effective and most efficient way of avoiding these adverse effects and the attendant remediation costs. However, when spills do occur effective response, based on a comprehensive understanding of impacts, salt movements and remediation procedures can mitigate the adverse environmental effects. This guide is designed to assist those involved in the prevention, assessment, remediation and management of salt-contaminated sites. It summarizes the regulatory requirements in Alberta, including salt remediation objectives, and provides an overview of salt spill problems and effective site assessment and remediation procedures. Background information on the sources of salt, the movement of salt in soil and groundwater, and the adverse effects of salt on soil, vegetation and groundwater is provided in an appendix attached to the Guide. A selected bibliography and a glossary of terms are also included. 42 refs., tabs., figs

[en] This paper outlined the success of the 2003 Joint US and Canadian Coast Guard, US Navy and Industry Viscous Oil Pumping System (JVOPS) Workshop, which demonstrated the capabilities of the United States Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard to respond to oil spills on water using their viscous oil pumping system (VOPS). A diverse group of marine pollution response stakeholders including industry engineers, scientists, pollution response equipment manufacturers and first responders worked jointly to identify methodologies for improving traditional pump transfer methods which have limitations for heavy oil response measures. Proposed enhancements incorporate methodologies such as hot water supply to the annual water injection flanges of the primary pump. This workshop evaluated such systems in a simulated response scenario for extreme viscosity and pumping distance. One hundred people from 7 countries participated in the pump transfer tests. Different types of hose cleaning technologies were used to investigate the start, stop and restart of the long distance transfer process. Some of the accomplishments of the workshop were: improved performance due to annulus water injection applied with hot water on the pump inlet; oil with 200,000 centistokes was pumped a distance of 450 m at nearly full pump capacity with a pressure drop of only 3 bar; and, oil with 500,000 centistokes was pumped a distance of 150 m at nearly full pump capacity with a pressure drop of only 0.9 bar. Further testing can experiment with different water lubrication settings against the measurement of various parameters such as pump discharge pressure, temperature at the inlet of the pump and the pumps hydraulic pumping unit (HPU) pressure. 4 refs., 2 tabs., 1 fig

No abstract available

No abstract available

[en] The whole body counter system Accuscan II of the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ), was designed and built to quantify and to measure radionuclides fission product as well as gamma emitters, with a maximum sensibility of less than 10 n Ci for cobalt 60 at one time of counting of 5 minutes. The system has two detectors of Ge(Hp) with Beryllium window to a relative efficiency of 25% in a counting configuration of vertical scanning, this configuration gives a plane response of constant efficiency. In this work some practical methods developed in the Internal Dosimetry Laboratory to carry out the functioning evaluation of the whole body counter system Accuscan II of the ININ are described. With the obtained results of this evaluation we can decide fine adjustments will be necessary for the optimization of the equipment operation. The evaluation of this equipment was especially necessary, due to its 21 years-old antiquity and for the gradual changes that has in its functioning. The equipment is intrinsically a gamma spectrometry system and some described experiences could be applied too in other gamma spectrometry systems. (Author)

[en] After a nuclear accident or radiological emergency, several social and economical factors shall be considered for the actions to protect the public and to recover the environment. The application of the radiological protection principles on practices in intervention situations may lead to adoption of protective measures disproportional to the involved risk, compromising the resources available to more effective actions. This causes a negative impact on the population and may conduct to discredit about the protective measures and the lost of confidence on the authorities. In this context, the principles of radiological protection for interventions should be studied and analyzed for being adequately applied in accident situations or radiological emergencies that involves the country. These principles are constantly improved and the concept of generic intervention level plays an important role in the decision-making to protect the public. The costs involved to the protective measures for the public in Brazil were studied and cost benefit analysis techniques were applied to estimate the generic intervention levels for public protection applicable in the country. These results were compared to those values internationally recommended, as well to values obtained in a similar study accomplished for Japan. It was also performed a sensibility analysis of the results regarding a value and a simple analysis of the results considering the costs of the several protective measures. (author)