Intercomparison of oil spill prediction models for accidental blowout scenarios with and without subsea chemical dispersant injection

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-15-2015

Abstract

We compare oil spill model predictions for a prototype subsea blowout with and without subsea injection of chemical dispersants in deep and shallow water, for high and low gas-oil ratio, and in weak to strong crossflows. Model results are compared for initial oil droplet size distribution, the nearfield plume, and the farfield Lagrangian particle tracking stage of hydrocarbon transport. For the conditions tested (a blowout with oil flow rate of 20,000 bbl/d, about 1/3 of the Deepwater Horizon), the models predict the volume median droplet diameter at the source to range from 0.3 to 6. mm without dispersant and 0.01 to 0.8. mm with dispersant. This reduced droplet size owing to reduced interfacial tension results in a one to two order of magnitude increase in the downstream displacement of the initial oil surfacing zone and may lead to a significant fraction of the spilled oil not reaching the sea surface.

Identifier

84931571875 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Marine Pollution Bulletin

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.05.039

e-ISSN

18793363

ISSN

0025326X

PubMed ID

26021288

First Page

110

Last Page

126

Issue

1-2

Volume

96

Fund Ref

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

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