Formal Progress Update Presentation (MP2)

Oil Spill Background

On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded about fifty miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. A picture of the explosion can be seen in Figure 1 below. It sank two days later causing the pipe that connected the wellhead to the platform to bend. Four days after the explosion two leaks were discovered, almost a mile underwater, coming from the pipe (Corum et al.). About 185 million gallons of oil were spilled in the Gulf, making it the biggest oil spill in American history (Shapley). Some of the oil, which looks dull gray in the picture, can be seen in Figure 2 below.

 Figure1: A photograph of the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20,2010.

(Credit: Gerald Herbert/ Associated Press)

 Figure 2: An image from NASA showing the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill.

(Credit: NASA, Goddard, MODIS Rapid Response Team)

Offshore drilling began in the late 1800’s, after people noticed that the wells near the ocean were the best oil producers (NOIA). In 1891, the first offshore fresh water oil wells were drilled in Grand Lake St. Marys in Ohio. Then in 1896, the first offshore salt water oil wells were drilled in Summerland, California, as can be seen in Figure 3 below (Wikipedia). In 1947, the Kerr-McGee Corporation drilled the first well from a fixed platform offshore out of sight of land (NOIA). One of Kerr-McGee's out of sight of land rigs can be seen in Figure 4 below.

 Figure 3: An image of the oil wells in Summerland, California pre-1906.
(Credit: G.H. Eldridge)

Figure 4: A photograph of Kerr-McGee Rig 16.
(Credit: Petrobras)

            Oil can vary depending on the location, but classification of crude oils by location is not very useful. Instead, oil response workers classify oil based on toxicity, physical properties, and changes over time. Class A oils are classified as “light, volatile oils.” They are usually fluid, clear, strong in odor, flammable, and evaporate at a high rate. These oils are able to spread fast on water and they are able to penetrate porous surfaces, such as dirt and sand. They are extremely toxic to humans, plants, and animals. Class B oils are classified as being “non-sticky oils.” This means that the oils have a waxy/oily feel to them. These oils are less toxic and can stick better to surfaces than Class A oils. When the temperature rises, these oils penetrate porous surfaces more often.

 Figure 5: A photograph of the oil that spilled in the Gulf of Mexico just eight days after the spill.

(Credit: Chris Graythen/ Getty Images)

Figure 6: A photograph of the weathered oil found in the Gulf of Mexico.

(Credit: NOAA)

            The evaporation of Class B oils may lead to Class C or Class D oils. Class D oils are classified as being “heavy, sticky oils.” These oils are very sticky and tarry. They are usually black or brown in color and are harder to remove from surfaces. Class C oils do not penetrate porous surfaces as easily and often sink. These oils have a low toxicity, but if contaminated, animals can be smothered or drowned. Class D oils are classified as being “non-fluid oils.” These oils are usually non-toxic and do not penetrate porous surfaces. They are usually black or dark brown and melt when heated, making them very hard to clean. Class A includes most light crude oils, Class C includes medium to heavy crude oils, and Class D includes most heavy crude oils. The weather and water temperature influence the behavior of the crude oils in the environment (EPA). Both Figure 5 and Figure 6 above show the spilled crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico, but unlike the image in Figure 5 that was take only eight days after the explosion, Figure 6 shows the oil about two months and ten days after.

Oil Tanker Background

     Oil is a major source of energy in today's society. Because of its uneven distribution throughout the world, it must be transported by the sea (as shown in Figure 1 below) and in pipelines (as shown in Figure 2 below) to areas that don't have oil. The major oil transport occurs on the seas, ports, and rivers, but are not limited to these areas.

Figure 1: A Venezuela-Cuba Oil Tanker

Figure 2: Iran-Iraq Oil Pipeline

     Accidents can occur whenever oil is drilled, stored, handled, refined, transported, and transferred. Some of the biggest spills in history have included those involving the ships Amoco Cadiz, Exxon Valdez (shown in Figure 3 below), and Sea Empress (Burger).  In March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska. This damaged the tankers hull, releasing about 10.9 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean. Figure 4 below is of an oil sheen from the Exxon Valdez spill. This spill was relatively small, compared to other spills in history, but it had major impacts on the environment and the industry.

Figure 3: Exxon Valdez

Figure 4: Oil Sheen from the Exxon Valdez Spill

     Today, several improvements have been implemented in tanker safety and operations to prevent spills. All personnel working aboard tanker vessels must now be licensed and must routinely engage in safety drills. They are subjected to random drug tests and can only work a prescribed number of hours per day. The tankers are also equipped with GPS that sounds an alarm if the tankers are even 15 feet of course. By 2015, all tankers operating in US waters will be required to have double hulls because of the Oil Pollution Act. The value of the double-hull tankers (shown in Figures 5 and 6 below) in terms of environmental protection has already been demonstrated (Harrison & Testa).

Figure 5: Double Hull Tanker Being Built

Figure 6: The Inside of a Double Hull Tanker

Design Brief

Team

To design and model a system to be used by government agencies (such as NOAA or the Coast Guard) or oil companies to operate in the open ocean and immediately respond to underwater oil gushers whenever the need should arise.

**Revised**

Design and create an educational system to model the capture and transport of oil from undersea gushers.

Individual

To design and construct a model of a device capable of transferring an oil-like substance to a retrieval storage device.

Construction

• Chosen Solution (Solution #4):

 

     This solution, I believe, will be one of the simplest solutions to construct. In this design the oil-like substance will easily flow through holes (size yet to be determined) that will be located toward the bottom of the two interior walls of each tank. The oil will flow into each of the tanks almost at the same time and will fill the tanks a lot faster than in the third solution. Since the oil-like substance will only fill each tank 3/4 of the way, the chances of the liquid to spill if the tanker moves is less. This solution would also be made out of water-proofed wood and hot glue or caulk.

• Model

• Final Tanker