Oil Sands Products Spill Response
Abstract
U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) conducted research on response improvements to non-floating oil spills since 2008, when it carried out projects to identify, design, and test new methods for detecting and responding to sunken oil and oil suspended in the water column. RDC began its oil sands products (OSP) Spill Response Project in 2014 with an assessment to determine transportation risks, research and development efforts by other organizations, and potential response gaps with respect to OSP spills. Next, RDC developed a prototype to sample an oil/silt mixture on the bottom of a water body. RDC then evaluated the recovery of weathered OSP in fresh water using a drum skimmer and brush skimmer to determine if any issues related to OSP recovery differed when fresh water was involved. Finally, RDC developed and tested three separate prototypes designed to mitigate the impacts of OSP spilled in moving water in the inland and offshore environments. This report contains results of the RDC research along with information from parallel efforts by other organizations. The report serves as a resource for Federal On-Scene Coordinators in planning for OSP spill responses in both fresh and salt waters.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 19, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1106504
Entities
People
- Alexander Balsley
- Michele Fitzpatrick