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Author
Walton, W. D. | Twilley, W. H. | Hiltabrand, R. R. | Mullin, J. V.
Title
Evaluating a Protocol for Testing Fire-Resistant Oil-Spill Containment Boom.
Coporate
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD Coast Guard, Groton, CT Minerals Management Service, Herndon, VA
Report
NIST SP 995; Volume 2, March 2003,
Book or Conf
Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP) Technical Seminar, 21st. Environment Canada. Volume 2. Proceedings. June 10-12, 1998, Environment Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Alberta, Canada, 651-671 p., ['1998', '2003']
Keywords
oil spills | cleaning | crude oil | diesel fuels | heat release rate | pool fires | containment | in situ burning | instruments | heat flux
Identifiers
radial distance from boom circle center to heat flux gauges; ground meteorological conditions; burn chronology, time in (hr:min:s)
Abstract
Most response plans for in situ burning of oil at sea call for the use of a fire-resistant boom to contain the oil during a burn. Presently, there is no standard method for the user of fire-resistant boom to evaluate the anticipated performance of different booms. The ASTM F-20 Committee has developed a draft Standard Guide for In Situ Burning of Oil Spills on Water: Fire-Resistant Containment Boom; however, the draft provides only general guidelines and does not specify the details of the test procedure. Utilizing the guidelines in the draft standard, a series of experiments was conducted to evaluate a protocol for testing the ability of fire-resistant booms to withstand both fire and waves. A wave tank capable of assessing the capabilities of a 15 m section of boom by subjecting it to a 5 m diameter fire with 0.15 m high waves was designed and constructed at the U.S. Coast Guard Fire and Safety Test Detachment in Alabama. A draft test protocol was evaluated using five typical fire-resistant oil-spill containment booms. The results of this evaluation are presented. The strengths and weaknesses of the protocol are discussed along with areas for possible improvement.