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Ohmsett - The National Oil Spill Response Test Facility
Ohmsett
is essential in fulfilling MMS's regulatory responsibilities under the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). Using Ohmsett as a test bed for spill
response technology development is critical to MMS and its regulatory
responsibilities, such as The Ohmsett facility was originally built and operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1974 to 1987. At that time, it was known as the Oil and Hazardous Materials Simulated Environmental Test Tank or OHMSETT. It is now just referred to by the acronym. In 1989, Ohmsett was closed and responsibility for the facility was transferred to the U.S. Navy (USN), as the facility is located on the Naval Weapons Station Earle in Leonardo, NJ. Title VII of OPA 90 gave MMS the lead responsibility for reactivation of Ohmsett in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska as well as the continuing operation and maintenance of the facility as a national test facility. The MMS refurbished Ohmsett beginning in 1990 and reopened it for testing in 1992. Much of the initial reopening expenses, as well as continued base support for the yearly operation and maintenance costs of Ohmsett are covered by the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSTLF). The OSTLF derives its funds from a tax on companies that produce or transport oil. In other words, no appropriated taxpayer dollars are used to support this unique oil spill response technology testing, training, and research facility.
Even the operation of the facility has an environmental focus. The test oils collected from the tank after testing is completed are then centrifuged and filtered for reuse. When the oil can no longer be recycled for use in testing, it is removed from the facility and refined for use as heating fuel. The primary feature of Ohmsett is a large, above ground, concrete test tank. The Ohmsett tank is 667 feet long, 65 feet wide and 11 feet deep. The tank is filled to a depth of 8 feet with 2.6 million gallons of crystal clear water. Filling it to this depth allows the passage of waves up to three feet high down the tank. Three different wave forms can be created by the built in wave generator at the far end of the tank. To fill the tank, the water is drawn from nearby Sandy Hook Bay and filtered. Salt is then added to bring the salinity up to open ocean values of 30 to 35 parts per thousand.
Full
scale oil spill response equipment can be towed at speeds up to 6.5 knots by
the movable tow bridge that rolls the length of the tank on railroad wheels
and rails. The bridge is moved by means of two 500 HP DC motors.
Traditionally, Ohmsett was used to evaluate mechanical oil spill clean up
equipment such as oil containment boom Ohmsett has also been used to evaluate sensors that detect floating oil and measure the slick's thickness, to calculate optimum timing for the emptying of temporary storage devices, and to evaluate the operational efficiency of sorbent materials that adsorb or absorb spilled oil. Standard test protocols that incorporate American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards and guidelines are used at Ohmsett to evaluate oil spill containment booms and skimmers. This is critical to reproducing and directly comparing test results in a scientifically valid manner. Ohmsett represents a necessary intermediate step between small scale "bench testing" and open water testing of equipment in irreproducible, highly variable and always expensive natural conditions.
In 1998, a new testing capability was added at Ohmsett with the construction and installation of an air-injected, underwater, propane burner system that realistically simulates the temperatures associated with burning oil at sea. The propane burner system is used to evaluate the performance and survivability of fire resistant booms used during in situ burning of spilled oil. The information obtained from the burn tests will permit regulators to make science based decisions on the suitability of in situ burn related equipment.
In 1999, another testing capability was added. A difficulty with using oil spill dispersants in the field is predicting and measuring the effectiveness of dispersants over a wide range of conditions. A test protocol to measure dispersant effectiveness is now in place at Ohmsett. Several test series have been successfully completed since implementation of the protocol. A partnership with the National Spill Control School at Texas A&M University helps make Ohmsett a premier training site for spill response personnel. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and USN, both use the facility for training their emergency response personnel. Ohmsett was selected because of the unique capability to combine classroom training with deployment and operation of actual cleanup equipment in oil. Ohmsett is the only facility where you can actually train with full sized equipment in a variety of oil types.
Major Federal testing clients include the USCG, USN and EPA. For example, the USCG used the facility to comparatively test high-speed skimmers before making a major purchase. The diverse client base of Ohmsett varies from foreign government agencies such as the Canadian Coast Guard to major oil industry firms like ExxonMobil Corporation to academic research institutions like the University of New Hampshire, University of Rhode Island and the University of Miami. Ohmsett has also been used by equipment manufacturers to independently demonstrate the capabilities and performance of their products. The highly trained Ohmsett staff has extensive experience in all facets of testing and training. The professional engineers at Ohmsett are available for consultation on design and manufacture of equipment, as well as equipment evaluation procedures. The goal of the staff is to maximize the value of client research dollars, and to make Ohmsett as "user-friendly" and efficient as possible. For further information on the Ohmsett facility, to order brochures, newsletters and videos, please visit the Ohmsett website at http://www.ohmsett.com/. To arrange a tour, or to discuss testing, training or research opportunities at Ohmsett contact:
Matthew Quinney Address:
Minerals Management Service
Privacy | Disclaimers | Accessibility | Topic Index | FOIA Last Updated: 09/08/2008, 01:17 PM
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