Three-dimensional oil spill transport and dispersion at sea by an event of blowout

The simulated droplet trajectories of the 3-D model at the Caribbean platform showed that droplets with a diameter of 50mmformed a distinct subsurface plume, which was transported horizontally and could remain below the surface. This plume could have a very restricted area of impact because the disp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY
Main Authors: Otero-Diaz, Luis, Pierini, Jorge O., Chambel-Leitao, Paulo, Malhadas, Madalena, Ribeiro, Joao, Chambel-Leitao, Jose, Restrepo, Juan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:Spanish
Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Sede Medellín - Facultad de Minas 2014
Subjects:
Aun
Online Access:https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/dyna/article/view/37951
Description
Summary:The simulated droplet trajectories of the 3-D model at the Caribbean platform showed that droplets with a diameter of 50mmformed a distinct subsurface plume, which was transported horizontally and could remain below the surface. This plume could have a very restricted area of impact because the dispersion is only controlled by the ocean currents which, at 1000 m depth, have a low intensity and are quite turbulent. In this case, the formed plume stayed trapped at 1000 m depth, not posing a risk to the Caribbean Coast. In contrast, droplets with diameters of 250mm, 1 and 10mm rose rapidly to the surface, even with different velocities (6, 10, 20 ms-1). Las trayectorias de las gotas simuladas con el modelo 3-D de dispersión de petróleo en la plataforma del mar Caribe colombiano mostraron que las gotas con diámetro de 50mm, forman una pluma subsuperficial, la cual es transportada horizontalmente y puede permanecer debajo de la superficie por largo tiempo. Esta pluma podría tener un impacto muy restringido, porque la dispersión es controlada solamente por las corrientes oceánicas, las cuales a 1000 metros de profundidad, tienen baja intensidad y son poco turbulentas. En este caso, la pluma formada permanece atrapada a 1000 metros de profundidad, no poniendo en riesgo la costa Caribe. En contraste, las gotas con diámetros de 250mm, 1mm y 10 mm, se elevaron rápidamente a la superficie, aun con diferentes velocidades (6, 10, 20 ms-1).