Guidance Document - Behavior of Diluted Bitumen in the Freshwater Environment
Abstract
The growth in oil production in North America is due in part to the increase in production and distribution of Canadian oil sands products. Recent spills of oil sands products (e.g., diluted bitumen (dilbit)) have demonstrated that they behave differently than conventional crude oil when spilled. The objective of this project is to study the behavior and response tools of dilbit spills in the freshwater environment. In addition, to provide the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Federal On-Scene Coordinator with decision-making guidance as they relate to the fate and transport of dilbit in the freshwater environment. The USCG Research and Development Center (RDC) led a three-experiment study at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) facilities in Hanover, NH to evaluate the behavior of dilbit products in freshwater. For these tests, researchers conducted weathering studies for 30-days using a set of open tanks containing freshwater. The research used two dilbit products, Cold Lake Blend (CLB) and Western Canadian Select (WCS) with different sediment concentrations and a control (no sediment). Throughout the experiments, the team visually assessed the oil slicks and collected samples for physical and chemical analysis. After 8 days of weathering, most dilbit product sank and refloated until it totally sunk. Dilbit density and viscosity increased over time during the weathering process. The presence of sediments contributed to the faster sinking of dilbit when compared with the control tanks. Evaporation of the diluents were faster in the warm weather than the cold weather. The chemical analysis results show that photo-oxidation was a major mechanism of the removal of aromatic compounds.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 29, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1215737
Entities
People
- Benedette S. Adewale
- Michael A. Wurl
- Michel C. Boufadel
- Michele Fitzpatrick
- Timothy J. Cooke