Open AccessCONTAINING OIL SLICKS IN FLOWS OF FINITE DEPTH
Author(s) -
David L. Wilkinson
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
proceedings of conference on coastal engineering/proceedings of ... conference on coastal engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2156-1028
pISSN - 0589-087X
DOI - 10.9753/icce.v13.145
Subject(s) - froude number , mechanics , front (military) , flow (mathematics) , oil spill , geology , racing slick , meteorology , environmental science , geotechnical engineering , hydrology (agriculture) , petroleum engineering , physics
The hydrodynamics of oil slick containment are examined. It is shown that containment is only possible when a densimetric Froude number based on flow velocity and depth and the oil density is less than a critical value. Experiments confirmed that an oil slick was unable to maintain a stationary front when the Froude number exceeded the critical value. It is also shown that viscous effects ultimately limit the thickness and therefore the length and volume of any real slick. Expressions are derived which enable these limits to be determined.