Project Title: Submergence Plane Oil Containment Technology
Management Issue: Improved oil-spill response in high-current environments.

The Challenge
A recent report titled Control of Oil Spills in High Speed Currents, A Technology Assessment (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Technical Information Service) noted that from 1993 to 1999, 58% of all oil spills 100 gallons and larger occured in fast-current waterways. Here, the term "fast-current" refers to water traveling faster than 1 knot. (Report #ADA369279INZ, available at www.ntis.gov)

While conventional oil booms are effective against oil spills in slow water, they are insufficient in faster currents; the water simply forces the oil under the booms (See Conventional Boom simulation).

New technology is required to safeguard coastal and estuarine habitats from oil contamination.

The Science
With funding from CICEET, University of New Hampshire (UNH) researchers designed a "submergence plane" oil boom. The largest version of the boom is 100 feet wide. The barrier consists of a leading, planar surface (flexible, with aluminum framing) inclined downwards, and a containment region separated from the water flow beneath by horizontal and aft barriers (made from flexible materials - see Image 1 and Image 2).

The leading edge of the boom forces the oil down and, after passing the leading edge, the oil floats up and is contained between the leading edge and the aft barrier (See Bay Defender III simulation). Skimmers are then used to remove the oil from the containment area.

The submergence plane boom was designed and tested at incrementally larger scales. In tank experiments at OHMSETT, the U.S. national oil spill test facility in Leonardo, New Jersey, 40 foot versions of the boom consistentlly contained oil at a speed of 2 knots, doubling the critical velocity of conventional booms. (The 2 knot capability is for moderate to high viscosity oil. Very low viscosity petroleum products —jet fuels and light oils—break up and disperse too readily for containment. Most oils transported by ship and barge, including heavy heating and industrial oils and as well as crudes, are high viscosity.)

In the winter/spring of 2001, the research team constructed a 100 foot version of the submergence plane boom, which was dubbed the "Bay Defender III."

The next questions were where and how to deploy the system to get the most benefit. Throughout this project, researchers cooperated with the Piscataqua River Cooperative (a consortium of four oil companies along the Piscataqua River, located on the border of NH/Maine) to help improve oil-spill response and provide a real-world scenario for testing the new boom technology.

It was determined that protecting the upper estuarine system - the Great Bay Estuarine Research Reserve - was paramount, and that it would be necessary to intercept spills from a variety of terminal sources on the flood tide (See Image 3). Based on previous work on secondary surface currents, researchers chose an interception point upriver from the oil terminals (See Image 4).

Two 100 foot lengths of standard oil boom were connected to the ends of the Bay Defender II to serve as angled lead-ins and extend the interception capacity of the Bay Defender II. Since the conventional booms are not perpendicular to the direction of current, the oil is not forced under the booms (See Angled Lead-Ins simulation). Rather the oil is guided along the conventional booms until captured by the Bay Defender III.

In May, 2001, the Bay Defender III, with the conventional boom lead-ins, was deployed on the flood tide near the Sprague Oil Terminal (See Image 5). The purpose of the field test was to make sure that the oil-containment system was strong enough to withstand the various forces exerted upon it by currents and towing. Additionally, the experiment serves as valuable training for the practical aspects of deployment - launching, towing and anchoring.

Application
Efforts to commercialize this technology are ongoing. UNH-affiliated manufacturers have the ability to mass produce the specialized oil booms, and project representatives are in discussions with possible clients in the U.S. and Canada.

To effectively apply this technology , boat pilots and deployment crews must be highly trained. Crew members familiar with deployment logistics are available for consulting purposes.

In related work, UNH researchers have developed a vehicle of opportunity skimming system (VOSS) that uses design concepts similar to the Bay Defender III. They key difference in the systems is that the Bay Defender III is a moored containment system while the VOSS, or hydrofoil/fast-sweep, is designed to function alongside a Coast Guard buoy tender.

For more information, contact:

M. Robinson Swift, University of New Hampshire
(603) 862-1837, mrswift@cisunix.unh.edu

Steve Root, Portsmouth Tow
603-436-0915

Kalle Matso, CICEET
603-862-3508, kalle.matso@unh.edu

• Click here to download a pdf document that summarizes this project.

• Join a discussion group for oil spill responders!

Also, see the progress reports below for more details.