In-Situ Burning Operations

In-Situ Burning Operations D During D Deepwater H Horizon Oill Spill ll

Topics

Pre-”Deepwater” Pre Deepwater Burns Trade-offs and Constraints Deepwater Horizon Burn Operations Important Observations

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Tank Tests – 1980’s & 1990’s Products Burned: Diesel Crude oil Diesel, & Propane Temperatures: o o ~ 1100 C (> 2000 F) Flame Durations: Typically 2 to 3 hours

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Field Trials Field Trials Full‐Scale Burns Aerial & Surface Ignition Burn times: 2 to 3 hours

Svalbard 1988

North Sea 1996 Newfoundland 1993 Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Actual Spill Event – 1989 Prince William Sound, Alaska Exxon Valdez

~ 17 km2 (> 6 ½ miles2 of continuous dark oil

Day 2: Controlled burn in a towed “U” configuration with fire boom

Spiltec Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Preferred Conditions for Burning Oil Thickness

Exposure

> 2 to 3 mm > 1/10 / inch

< 25% to 30% evaporated < 24 to 48 hours exposure

Emulsification

Wind

< 20% to 25% water

< 20 knots

Waves

Current

< 1 to 1 ½ m < 3 to 5 feet

< ½ m/sec / < 1 knot Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Burn Locations: ~ 25 to 55 miles off shore Ti i Timing: A il 28th – July April J l 19th 2010 Source: Continuous Release, 5,000’ deep, dispersant injection Surface Slicks: Light crude, widely spread, unstable emulsion

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Towed Fire Boom Configuration

g Tow Vessels starting a gradual left turn to intercept heavy oil ahead

To w L i n e 90 m 90 (300 feet)

Nominal Burn Area

Typically ~ 650 m2 (7,000 feet2) To 2 ~ 2,500 m (27,000 feet2) when full to leading ends of boom

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

All Ignitions with Hand All Ignitions with Hand‐‐held held Igniters Igniters

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Vessels of Opportunity

Local fishing vessels provided the h “core” “ ” of f the h Controlled ll d Burn Fleet

Captains p & Crews received HAZWOPER training as well as classroom l and hands-on training for C t ll d Controlled Burning Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

More than 400 burns conducted.

376 burns of f significant si nificant size eliminatin eliminating between ~ 220,000 bbl and 310,000 bbl.

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Many days involved multiple simultaneous burns simultaneous burns On June 18 8th, 2010, 0 0, the burn teams conducted 16 burns resulting in the elimination of ~ 50,000 to 70,000 bbl of oil.

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Oil “even emulsions” Could be fed to Ongoing Burns

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Burning Outside of Fire Boom If sufficient volumes of oil collect ll t directly di tl d downstream, t burning may continue outside the boom. Such burning is normally small and can be controlled with boat wakes and fire monitors. f Rising hot air may draw oil into the fire helping to sustain fire that would normally burn out within minutes.

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Long –– Duration Burns Long BURN # 224 Lasted for 11 Hours And Forty Eight Minutes

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Types of Fire Boom Hydro-Fire H d Fi B Boom Pyro P Boom B 3M/AMI Oil Stop and Kepner

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Hydro‐Fire Boom Water-Cooled Water Cooled Reelable Individual Inflated Segments Redundant Water Cooling & Filtering Systems

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

American Marine – 3M High-Temperature H h T Ceramic C and d Stainless Steel Covers Solid Flotation Core

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

PyroBoom

Fence-Type Boom with Silicone Coated d Refractory f Fabric Aluminum *Connectors & Stainless Steel Floats with Glass Foam

* Recent enhancements include SS Hinge Connectors & Top‐Edge Reinforcement Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Fire Boom Summary (Used during Deepwater Horizon Spill – 2010) (Used during Deepwater Horizon Spill – (Used during Deepwater Horizon Spill Performance P f Factors

Elastec Hydro‐ Fire

Elastec American Marine‐3M

AFT, Inc. AFT I Pyro

Oil Stop

Kepner

No. of Systems Used

27

37

13

3

2

Longest Continuous B Burn

11 hours, 48 min.

11 hours, 21 min.

3 hours, 13 min.

27 min.

43 min.

Average No. of Barrels Burned per System

5,061

3,915

1,749

28

295

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Controlled Burning y Disadvantages g y Authorization Required y Oil Encounter Rate f for Wide-Spread p Slicks y Smoke Plume & Burn Residue y Proximity Constraints for Populated Areas y Limited Availability of Fire Boom & Expertise y Potential Secondary Fires

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Controlled Burningg y Advantages

3

2

2

y High Hi h oil il elimination li i ti rate t (0 (0.171 171 m /Hr/m /H / , 0.07 0 07 gpm/ft /ft ) y Very High Efficiency of Removal (typically 90% -95%) y Risk reduction (hazardous/flammable vapors)

y Minimal logistics and equipment requirements

y Effective over wide range g of oil types yp & conditions

y Specialized equipment (fire boom) cost effective, easily

maintained and transportable y Storage/Disposal not required (except for burn residue) y Minimal environmental impact (short-term & localized)

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec

Important Observations • Controlled Burning – Shift from “Alternative” to •

• •

• •

“Primary” response option.

Fi B Fire Boom T Technology h l – Tools T l and d Tactics T ti now proven for the rapid and efficient elimination of large quantities of oil at sea. sea Most Vital Ongoing Support – Surveillance, Spotting & Communications.

Cost per Barrel Burned – Typically US$ 20 to 40 (a fraction of the cost for dispersant application and d mechanical m h i l recovery/disposal). /dis s l) Inventories & Trained Personnel – Need to stock fire boom & igniters; and, and train fire teams teams.

Important Proactive Effort – Coordination with regulators, public and media, and integration of all response options.

Alan A. Allen, Spiltec