Project Number | 569 |
Date of Summary | March 19, 2007 |
Subject | Svalbard, Norway Experimental Oil Spill To Study Spill Detection and Oil Behavior in Ice |
Performing Activity | DF Dickens and Associates, SINTEF, Boise State University, The University Center at Svalbard |
Principal Investigator | David Dickens |
Contracting Agency | Minerals Management Service |
Estimated Completion | Completed |
Description | Proposal focuses on the design and implementation of a field spill in Svalbard, Norway in March 2006, where several remote sensing systems will be tested in both surface and airborne modes. Experiment will be conducted over solid land fast sea ice representative of the type of ice found in many near shore Arctic regions of the world including the Alaskan North Slope. |
Progress |
For the past 2 years the Minerals Management Service (MMS) has sponsored
research on the detection of oil in and under sea ice and has funded
several successful sets of experiments using ground penetrating radar
and ultra-sensitive ethane sensors. (TAR Project No. 517,
http://www.mms.gov/tarprojects/517.htm)
Next phase of this research program was to design and implement a full-scale experimental spill at Svea, Svalbard, Norway. MMS worked with SINTEF and the University of Svalbard on this effort and in February 2006, MMS has received its fourth permit from the Norwegian government and the Governor of Svalbard to conduct “an intentional release of oil for research purposes” at Svea. The proposed research will:
MMS then assembled a Joint Project with Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Clean Seas,
ConocoPhilips, ExxonMobil, Shell Technology Norway, and Statoil ASA
as participants. In late March 2006, we injected 3,400 liters of
fresh Stratfjord crude oil cleanly under the ice. All of the oil was
completely contained within the skirt. From March
27-31, 2006, the ground penetrating radar successfully detected
and mapped the oil from the surface, showing a clear difference in
signature between clean and oiled ice. We were not able to "see" the
ice/oil/water interface from the helicopter but did come back with a
very clear profile of the snow and ice top surface from the airborne
trials. It appears that with the current "off the shelf" radar
technology we can provide a useful operational tool to quickly map oil
under ice from the surface (a major improvement over drilling holes) and
potentially to map oil buried under snow on top of the ice from a
helicopter at low level. We are still analyzing ice samples for gas
concentrations to assess the future potential of ethane sensors. The
acoustics system provided mixed results and the data requires more
analysis to assess future prospects in this area.
More than sixteen scientists and observers from the funding agencies participated. Fate and behavior experiments were conducted throughout the field program. Following the conclusion of field activities, the site was monitored until the crude oil migrated to the surface. On May 30, 2006, a successful in situ burn was conducted culminating in a highly efficient (96%+) oil burn in ice (no surprise on the high efficiency). This was after the oil was in and under ice for 2-months. A report was sent to the Governor of Svalbard documenting the field work, in situ burn activities and the status of the spill site. All aspects and requirements of the spill permit were completed and the site was returned to its natural state. Once again, MMS left a positive impression with the Norwegian government for complying with all aspects of the spill permit requirements. This is extremely important for obtaining spill permits in the future. Interpretation and analysis of results will proceed through the summer, with the aim to produce a draft report on the full program in September 2006. The final report has been accepted by MMS. This project is complete. |
Report | |
AA (16 pages, 3 MB) |
Summary Field Report, DF Dickens Associates LTD, SINTEF, The University
Centre at Svalbard, and Boise State University, April 12, 2006.
|
AB (6 pages) | Field Report on In Situ Burn Activities at Svea, Svalbard, May 2006, DF Dickens Associates Ltd, SINTEF, June 9, 2006. |
AC (94 pages) | 2006 Svalbard Experimental Spill to Study Spill Detection and Oil Behavior in Ice, Final Technical Report, DF Dickins Associated Ltd., SINTEF, The University Center in Svalbard, Boise State University, 55 pp., December 15, 2006. |
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