- Author
- Walton, W. D.
- Title
- In Situ Burning of Oil Spills: Mesoscale Experiments and Analysis.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- Minerals Management Service, Herndon, VA
- Report
- NISTIR 5192; NIST SP 995; Volume 2, September 1993; March 2003, 39 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
- oil spills | crude oil | burning rate | particle size distribution | plumes | fire tests | heat release rate | pool fires | smoke yield | in situ burning | regression rate
- Identifiers
- smoke plumes; trajectory observation; trajectory modeling
- Abstract
- A series of six mesoscale experiments were performed to measure the burning characteristics of Louisiana crude oil on water in a pan. These included one - 6 m square and five - 15 m square burns. Results of the measurements for burning rate and smoke emissions are compared to those from previous burns of various scales. The burning rate as indicated by the regression rate of the oil surface was found to be 0.062 ± 0.003 mm/s for both the 6 m and 15 m square pan fires. Smoke particulate yields from both the 15 m square fires were found to be approximately 11% of the oil burned on a mass basis.