[en] The oil spill prevention and response research program of the U.S. Minerals Management Service was described including its goals and objectives, some recently funded projects, and future research directions. As it is now the trend in most research organizations, a large part of the program is carried out in cooperation with other major research centers to leverage funds and to maximize study results. For example, joint research with Environment Canada focuses on the physical and chemical properties of dispersants, remote sensing and mapping oil slicks and shoreline cleanup strategies. Similarly, cooperative projects are underway with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in assessing the capabilities of in-situ burning as an oil spill response tool. Research capabilities of OHMSETT - The National Oil Spill Response Test Facility were also reviewed. A series of tables listed titles of research projects completed during 1995-1996. 5 tabs.,

[en] Environment Canada's Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (LEAF) system was tested in a series of overflights over naturally occurring oil seeps off Santa Barbara, California. The objective was to test the system's ability to detect oil in actual marine environments and to distinguish petroleum oil from biogenic oils released by kelp beds in and around these naturally occurring oil seep areas. High resolution colour reconnaissance camera images and down-looking video images were collected concurrently with the fluorescence data for documentation purposes. Results of the experiment were analyzed in detail. They confirmed the system's ability to produce geo-referenced oil contamination location maps in real-time. The fluorescence data obtained during overflights was most similar to typical crude oil, i. e. the system successfully distinguished between biogenic oil and typical petroleum oil. 9 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs

[en] A new version of gas chromatographic method analysis for measuring dispersion effectiveness in the laboratory is described. The new method is characterized by correction for very low oil-in-water values, use of fewer calibration points directly around the expected value, and a different method for heavier oils with fewer resolvable chromatographic peaks. Differences between the new and older methods is demonstrated by comparing results obtained by using both the new and the older methods. A detailed description is provided for the swirling flask test and gas chromatographic analysis of crude oil samples in the Appendix. It was observed that the standard deviation of the new method is within about 10 per cent of the value, which is the same as the standard deviation for the older, often very inaccurate methods. This confirms that standard deviation is an indicator of repeatability and not accuracy. 8 refs., 1 tab

[en] The effects of basic operational variables associated with the swirling flask test are reported. Changing energy levels, changes in settling times and changes in the amount of shaking time were measured and the effects observed. Increasing the energy level causes the dispersion to begin rapidly. Increase in settling time of 10 minutes from five to 80 minutes decreases effectiveness after 10 minutes, indicating that mostly large, unstable droplets resurface during the initial period of time. Increase in the shaking time ranging from 10 to 160 minutes produced only a small increase in effectiveness, confirming that dispersion is primarily a threshold phenomenon rather than a continuous process. 7 refs., 3 tabs., 3 figs

[en] Response of several particulate monitoring instruments to aerosols which might be encountered during monitoring of an in situ oil spill burn, was examined. The aerosols included road dust, salt and particulates from the combustion of heptane, diesel fuel and crude oil. Total suspended particulates, 10 micron and 2.5 micron sampling heads were used with each instrument. Two optical cell instruments reported similar concentrations as reported by gravimetric instruments in the case of burning heptane, diesel fuel and crude oil. For salt and road dust aerosols, two optical cells reported much lower values than those measured by gravimetric instruments. The differences were attributed to salt and road dust aerosols having different size distributions. These differences, however, can be minimized by careful calibration. Results indicate that with careful calibration any of the instruments tested can be used as a monitoring tool to help response teams to assess whether in situ burning is leading to an increase in airborne particulates above an acceptable level. 8 refs., 7 tabs., 24 figs

[en] A series of experiments have been conducted to measure and compare the thermal exposure to a fire-resistant boom from liquid hydrocarbon fuel and propane fires. The objective was to test the potential of propane fueled fires as a fire source for testing fire-resistant oil spill containment booms.Thermal exposure from propane fires have been measured with and without waves. Results indicated that although propane diffusion flames on water look like liquid hydrocarbon fuel flames and produce very little smoke, the heat flux at the boom location from propane fires is about 60 per cent of that from liquid hydrocarbon fuel fires. Despite the attractive features in terms of ease of application, control and smoke emissions, it was concluded that the low heat flux would preclude the application of propane as a fuel for evaluating fire resistant containment booms. 2 refs., 7 figs

[en] The second series of fire tests for fire-resistant containment booms were conducted in a wave tank at the U.S. Coast Guard Fire and Safety Test Detachment in Mobile, Alabama, utilizing ASTM F-20 draft standards. Six different fire-resistant containment booms were used. Three of the six were modified designs of booms used in the first series of tests. The tests in this series were designed to address issues raised in the first series, namely the location of heat fluxes and thermocouples, and the protocol for water-cooled booms. The results of the second series of tests are discussed and compared to the first. Strengths and weaknesses of the test protocol and other possible improvements are also discussed. 5 refs., 5 tabs., 7 figs