A Laboratory Experiment on Oil Weathering under Arctic Conditions.

• Main Authors: Tebeau,P A, Meehan,T M, Myers,J C
• Other Authors: COAST GUARD RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER GROTON CT
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1982
• Subjects: Organic Chemistry; *FUEL OIL; *WEATHERING; EXPOSURE(GENERAL); MONITORING; CHEMICAL PROPERTIES; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; COMBUSTION; EVAPORATION; FLASH POINT; COLD WEATHER; VISCOSITY; COLD WEATHER TESTS; CRUDE OIL; Arctic; Prudhoe Bay
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA129033; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA129033

A laboratory scale experiment was conducted at the Coast Guard R&D Center during the winter 1979/1980 and winter 1980/1981 seasons to simulate the weathering of oil under Arctic conditions. The experiment consisted of weathering four types of oil ( No. s heating oil, Prudhoe Bay crude oil, No. 4 fuel oil, and No. 6 fuel oil) in open boxes under environmental conditions of periods of up to a month. Samples were collected at various intervals for physical and chemical properties analysis. The experiment focused on evaporation as the primary weathering process in the Arctic. Environmental conditions (temperature and wind speed) were monitored continuously to allow calculation of evaporative exposure. Data analysis consisted of plotting the various physical and chemical parameters (density, viscosity, solubility, etc.), against evaporative exposure, to study the quantiative dependence of the physical and chemical properties on evaporation. The results indicate a well-defined functional dependence of several important physical properities on evaporation. This has led to separate study by the University of Toronto to develop a simplified evaporation model. The results also identified two specific areas where further research is required; namely, the emulsification of oil and the combustion of oil under Arctic conditions.