Mitigation of Oil Moving Along the Waterway Bottom
Abstract
In 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Research and Development Center (RDC) determined a need to advance the science of spill response technologies for non-floating, or sunken oil. Since 2017, RDC designed, fabricated, and tested underwater barrier systems that can mitigate the adverse impacts of moving, sunken oil along the bottom of inland and offshore environments as well as large lakes. Mitigation is achieved by containing the spread of oil on the bottom and deflecting it to a collection area for recovery, or away from sensitive areas. RDC tested two different inland mitigation systems in the Kalamazoo River in April 2018 and April 2019, and an offshore mitigation system in Lake Huron in May 2018. For each mitigation system prototype, RDC explored several different anchoring, deployment, and retrieval methods. RDC also monitored each system for position, motion, sag, scour, and tension. RDC deployed the mitigation systems in areas of low to high current velocities in both the Kalamazoo River and Lake Huron. In this compilation report, RDCs summaries, conclusions, and recommendations for future research are provided with respect to the prototypes developed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1086872
Entities
People
- Alexander Balsley