During the past two
years there has been an increased use of dispersants as a response technique
to offshore marine oil spills. The US EPA has recently revised the National
Project Schedule with regards to dispersants, and the cold water application
and performance of these materials has come under critical review. MMS sponsored two series
of dispersant effectiveness (DE) experiments at Ohmsett, the National Oil
Spill Response Test Facility, in Leonardo, NJ to evaluate the effectiveness
of Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527 dispersants on Alaskan and Canadian crude
oils. These crude oils have a wide range of physical and chemical properties
and were tested in fresh and in weathered conditions.
During both series of DE
experiments, MMS hosted groups of 40 observers from government, industry,
academia and private sector participated in all aspects of the testing
program.
This project was
conducted in two separate test phases. Phase 1 was conducted between Feb. 25
to March 14, 2002 at Ohmsett.
Phase 2 was conducted in
February 2003, at Ohmsett under Project 476, “Ohmsett 2003 Cold Water
Dispersant Effectiveness Tests”
The identical crude oils
used in Phase 2 DE experiments at Ohmsett were also used tested for their
in-situ burning capabilities (Project 452). The in-situ burn
experiments were conducted October 21 to November 1, 2002, in the Alaska
Clean Seas portable wave tank at the BP Fire Training Grounds, Prudhoe Bay,
AK. Results
and final reports can be found in Project 452.
When both sets of
experiments are completed, we will have a direct documented comparison of
how each crude oil responds to burning and to the use of dispersants.
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