Open AccessNUMERICAL SIMULATION OF OIL SLICK TRANSPORT IN BAYS
Author(s) -
Shen Wang,
Li-San Hwang
Publication year - 1974
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.v14.129
Subject(s) - oil spill , superposition principle , marine engineering , environmental science , petroleum engineering , meteorology , tidal current , oil field , oil droplet , geology , simulation , computer science , mechanics , engineering , oceanography , physics , quantum mechanics , chemical engineering , emulsion
A computer model for simulating oil spreading and transport has been developed. The model can be utilized as a useful tool in providing advance information and thus may guide decisions for an effective response in control and clean-up once an accidental spill occurs. The spreading motion is simulated according to the physical properties of oil and its characteristics at the air-oil-water interfaces. The transport movement is handled by superimposing the spreading with a drift motion caused by winds and tidal currents. By considering an oil slick as a summation of many elementary patches and applying the principle of superposition, the model is capable of predicting the oil size, shape, and movement as a function of time after a spill originates. Field experiments using either cardboard markers or soybean oil to simulate a spill were conducted at the Long Beach Harbor. Computer predictions showed good agreement with the field traces.