Natural dispersion revisited.
This paper presents a new semi-empirical model for oil droplet size distributions generated by single breaking wave events. Empirical data was obtained from laboratory experiments with different crude oils at different stages of weathering. The paper starts with a review of the most commonly used model for natural dispersion, which is followed by a presentation of the laboratory study on oil droplet size distributions formed by breaking waves conducted by SINTEF on behalf of the NOAA/UNH Coastal Response Research Center. The next section presents the theoretical and empirical foundation for the new model. The model is based on dimensional analysis and contains two non-dimensional groups; the Weber and Reynolds number. The model was validated with data from a full scale experimental oil spill conducted in the Haltenbanken area offshore Norway in July 1982, as described in the last section of the paper.
SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: oeis-joh@online.no.
Øistein
Ø
Johansen
SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, Trondheim, Norway.
Mark
M
Reed
SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, Trondheim, Norway.
Nils Rune
NR
Bodsberg
D008956:Models, Chemical; D009664:Norway; D010578:Petroleum; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D010578:Petroleum; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Droplet size distribution; Modelling; Natural dispersion; Oil spills