- Author
-
Evans, D. D.
- Title
- Burning Oil Spills. BFRL Video Seminar.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
-
Video
June 25, 1991
- Keywords
-
crude oil
|
spill fires
- Abstract
- In the event of an oil spill, burning has been shown to be an effective means of rapidly removing large quantities of oil from the water surface. The general acceptance of burning as a spill response option is hampered by a lack of understanding about the environmental consequences of the burning. For several years, research has been underway at NIST, sponsored by Mineral Management Service, U.S. Coast Guard, and the American Petroleum Institute, to quantify the burning of crude oil on water, the emissions, and the trajectory of the smoke plume. Findings of the burning with regard to burning characteristics, smoke yield, smoke particulate, and plume flow will be presented. Areas in need of further study to enable adequate responses to public concerns will be indicated. A brief summary of the recently completed large (up to 11,000 liters in a 230 m2 burning area) crude oil spill fire studies conducted at the USCG Fire and Safety Detachment in Mobile, Alabama will be presented to stimulate discussion of a large fire dynamics.