ABSTRACT

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The Development and Test of Equipment for Rapid Reflotation of Spilled Orimulsion®

An Orimulsion® spill will behave differently to an oil spill by initially going into suspension as microscopic surfactant coated bitumen particles in the upper 2-3 meters below the sea surface. In case of spills at Orimulsion® marine terminals, or near shore, it is therefore important to be able to rapidly refloat the bitumen. In this way the spill could be converted to and treated as a conventional heavy oil spill, using booms and heavy oil skimmers.

Previous tests by Intevep and Bitor indicated that agitation, air injection, and splashing are important for a rapid formation and reflotation of bitumen droplets. This developed into the FAF (Forced Adhesion and Flotation concept). However, besides the effect of a centrifugal pump’s agitation, air injection received the major attention until it was discovered that the splashing effect was as important and at the same time more simple and less costly to employ. As a result, the PNP Orimulsion® Refloater was developed: A floating submerged or non submerged centrifugal pump, which sucks from beneath the water surface and with great force discharges vertically up against a splash cover, from where the water splashes back to the surface. Enhanced agitation and very strong aeration causes a very efficient reflotation. 

F. Hvidbak - flemingCo environmental aps
P. Masciangioli - INTEVEP

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