2005 OPA Conference Held at Ohmsett

Continued on page 2

New Calm SeaDispersant Tests

Continued on page 2

What’s InsideOil Viscosity Dispersion ............... page 3

Ohmsett Attends IOSC .................. page 4

Oil Spill Control Training .............. page 5

NWS Earle Commander Visits ...... page 6

Tom Readinger, associate director MMS Offshore Minerals Management Programparticipates in the Incident Command System exercise.

GazetteOhmsett--The National Oil Spill Response Test Facility

Leonardo, New Jersey Fall/Winter 2005Train with oil. Test with oil.

The

During oil spill incidents at sea, wind ve-locity and sea surface conditions may varycontinuously for several days. These arevariables that will greatly impact the suc-cess of any response measures including, andespecially, the use of oil spill dispersants.

The environmental conditions at the timedispersants are applied may not be the pre-vailing conditions the spill will be subjectedto days or even hours later. This fact maybe used to an advantage.

For instance, dispersant could be appliedto an oil spill during calm conditions priorto predicted weather that calls for higherenergy wind and sea conditions some timeafter the application. In this way, the dis-persant application could be conducted un-der operationally favorable conditions, aslong as the dispersant treated oil slick sub-sequently sees energetic conditions favor-able to mixing and adequate dispersion. “The theory is: If a dispersant is sprayedon an oil slick during calm seas, which isthe best situation for operations, how far inadvance can you spray the dispersant and itstill remain effective before wind and wavespick up,” said Randy Belore of S.L. Ross

For the first time ever, OPA Engineers andothers involved in emergency planning andpreparedness met as a group. In August 2005,David M. Moore, of the Minerals Manage-ment Service (MMS) hosted a three-day con-ference at Ohmsett, with a focus on the OilPollution Act, 1990 (OPA ’90). Over thirtypeople participated, including staff fromMMS Headquarters, the Pacific Region,Alaska Region, Gulf of Mexico Region, theU.S. Coast Guard, and the Navy, culminat-ing in a hands-on Incident Command Sys-tem (ICS) tabletop exercise.

The conference highlighted oil spill plan-ning, preparedness, and response for oil andgas facilities, as well as other emergencymanagement roles located seaward of thecoastline of the United States. The trainingfocused on the new National Response Plan,the National Incident Management System

(NIMS), and the Incident Command System(ICS), all new requirements initiated byHomeland Security Presidential DirectiveNumber Five.

Training included presentations by DavidM. Moore on the National OCS Oil SpillProgram, as well as Rusty Wright and AltonBates on the Gulf of Mexico Region Oil SpillProgram, and Chrisy Bohl on the AlaskaRegion Oil Spill Program.

Additional sessions included Regional OilSpill Response Plans and response equip-ment and resources, presented by JodieConnor, J. Connor Consulting; classroominstruction on the Incident Command Sys-tem was provided by Randy Ashmore,USCG Atlantic Strike Force and supportedby Mr. Bill Whitson, USCG Training Cen-ter; the National Response Plan (NRP) waspresented by Lieutenant Commander Mark

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OPA ConferenceContinued from page 1

Calm SeasContinued from page 1

Environmental Research Ltd. With this in mind, research took place at

Ohmsett in June, July, and August 2005 todetermine the “long-term” effectiveness ofdispersants initially applied to spilled oil ina calm sea. The project was sponsored bythe Mineral Management Service, and con-ducted with Alun Lewis Oil SpillConsultancy and S.L. Ross EnvironmentResearch.

Two main factors may cause a dispersantto lose effectiveness after application to anoil slick with time. One is the loss of dis-persant due to partitioning between the oilphase and the water phase. The other is theevaporation of volatile oil components withtime, the phenomenon known as weather-ing. Studies have shown there is most likelya period of time before the surfactants haveleached out and before the oil viscosity hasincreased due to weathering when the dis-persant would still be effective in waves.

“We are learning more about the processesthat effect dispersants such as weatheringand stripping of dispersant. These are fac-tors that come into play in more realistic-scale testing,” said Alan Guarino, project en-gineer for Ohmsett.

Three oils were used during testing at theOhmsett Facility, two crude oils and one fuel

Cunningham, USCG Headquarters; and off-shore security awareness by Victor Vella,Naval Facilities Engineering Service Cen-ter.

Following the MMS Oil Spill Program,NRP, NIMS, and ICS training, was a tabletop exercise involving a simulated oil spill.Ms. Conner provided expertise in the de-sign of the table top exercise with the sup-port of Commander James Hanzalik, Lieu-tenant JG Amber Jack, and Lee Foresmanfrom the USCG National Strike Force Co-ordination Center.

For the drill, the Ohmsett training roomwas transformed into a realistic IncidentCommand Post (ICP), complete with tele-

phones, fax machines, conference callingcapabilities, computer equipment, securitycheck-in desk, oil spill response plans, Inci-dent Management Handbooks, guidebooks,and wall-mounted status charts and maps.

The participants were assigned roles inCommand, Planning, Logistics, Operations,and Finance/Administration, and each grouphad their own area in the ICP. At the start ofthe drill, a live conference call was receivednotifying the ICP of an oil spill in the Gulfof Mexico, probably from a submerged pipe-line. Participants had to call other agenciesmaking them aware of the situation, and thatit was a drill. They also had to collect infor-mation such as weather data to predict the

path of the spill and plan for its impact, lo-cate resources such as planes that could over-fly the area and determine the size of spill,and plan for staging areas for crews thatwould be involved in the cleanup. The drillwas carried out as close as possible to anactual spill. As information came in, it wasposted on the status board, and regular brief-ings were held. At the end of the exercise,the instructors gave their evaluations of howthe class did, and reviewed lessons learnedin going through the exercise. The successof this exercise has prompted talks of an-other exercise in 2007.

oil. Galveston 209, a light viscosity crude,was used to represent oil that would losevolatile components with time, but wouldremain fluid enough to allow for transportof applied dispersant. Ewing Bank 873, amedium viscosity crude, was used to repre-

sent oil that would exhibit significant vis-cosity change with weathering. IFO-30, anintermediate fuel oil, was used to representoil that would not be significantly affectedby weathering.

Crude oil in the Ohmsett test tank during the calm seas dispersant test.

3

Experiments to Determine Oil Viscosity Limits forDispersion in Non-Breaking Waves

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) requestedanother modification to a JBF DIP-600 highspeed skimming unit in their current inven-tory. Based on previous work by Ohmsettengineers, a standard alteration design pack-age was established to modify the remain-ing units.

Ohmsett has completed the fabricationand installation of a baffle plate which has

JBF Skimmer Modification

During recent viscous oil dispersion stud-ies at the Ohmsett facility, funded by Min-erals Management Service (MMS) and con-ducted by S.L. Ross Environmental Re-search Ltd., it was demonstrated that break-ing waves play a critical role in providingenergy for dispersion.

It was found that in the presence of break-ing waves viscous oils were amenable togreater or lesser extents, to chemical disper-sion. However, in the absence of breakingwave energy, the viscous oils tested dis-played very little tendency for dispersion.Even the least viscous of these oils was re-calcitrant to dispersion when applied dur-ing situations when there were no breakingwaves.

In July 2005, Randy Belore of S.L. Rossand Alun Lewis of Alun Lewis Oil SpillConsultancy returned to Ohmsett with a teamof researchers to answer questions that arosefrom the previous study: Is chemical disper-sion a viable oil spill response alternative inthe absence of breaking waves? Is there anoil viscosity limit to chemical dispersion innon-breaking waves? While there are cred-ible observations that show some oils willdisperse in non-breaking waves, the avail-able information is limited and inconsistent.

“A fair amount of research has been com-pleted in breaking waves and viscosityranges,” said Randy Belore of S.L. Ross.“Now we want to study non-breaking wavesand how lower viscosity oils could be treatedand applied to allow dispersant use on dif-ferent types of oil and of different viscosi-ties.”

Preliminary research was conducted atS.L. Ross in Ottawa, Canada to determinewhich oils would be used. Also, evolvingreal-time experimental results at Ohmsettinspired the study of additional oils. Test oilsincluded crudes such as Galveston GA209,West Delta 30, Ewing Bank 873, and Har-mony. IFO-30 was also included to compli-ment the variety of viscosities tested.

For larger-scale tests, researchers chosethe Ohmsett test basin because of the abilityto create the most energetic, non-breakingwaves which resemble those that can be ex-pected at sea, and the ability to monitor waveenergy during tests.

During the tests, researchers used a dis-persant, known to be highly effective, at ahigh dispersant-to-oil ratio. For each test run,prior to dispersing the oil, the waves wouldbe brought to an appropriate level of energyjust below breaking. Technicians would thendistribute the oil at an application rate that

would achieve a particular thickness of oil.Dispersant was applied at various surfacedose rates according to the slick thickness,width, and coverage density. The objectivewas to determine the limits of viscosity anddispersant dose rate for effective dispersionin low energy, or non-breaking waves.

been proven to increase the recovery effi-ciency of the skimmer. Additionally, a ma-jor modification to the belt system was per-formed to correct a stalling problem whenin use.

The modified JBF skimmer has beenshipped to the U.S. Coast Guard for use onthe west coast.

During the oil viscosity dispersion in non-breaking waves test, researchers choseOhmsett because of the ability to create non-breaking waves.

4

Ohmsett Hosts Customer Reception at the2005 International Oil Spill ConferenceIn May 2005 Ohmsett staff spent a week

in lively Miami Beach to participate inthe 2005 International Oil Spill Conference(IOSC). Program Manager Bill Schmidt,Test Engineer Dave DeVitis, and MarketingSpecialist Jane Delgado, greeted visitors atthe Ohmsett booth, providing information ontesting, training and research capabilities atOhmsett.

For Ohmsett, the highlight of the confer-ence was a customer reception hosted by theMinerals Management Service (MMS),MAR Incorporated, and Ohmsett staff onMay 18 at the legendary FontainebleauHotel’s Siesta Court.

During the customer reception, MAR Inc.Chairman and CEO Mike Norcio introducednew members of the oil spill industry to theOhmsett testing, training and research facil-ity and expressed thanks to current custom-ers and friends for their continued support.In addition, MMS introduced MatthewQuinney as the future Ohmsett ContractingOfficer and Technical Representative(COTR).

Joe Mullin of MMS gave a special pre-sentation to Lee Majors of Alaska Clean Seas(ACS) in recognition for outstanding anddedicated services in testing, training andresearch. ACS has supported research atOhmsett by providing crude oils for severaltest programs.

The event was such a success that MAR/Ohmsett and MMS are still hearing rave re-views.

“It was a fantastic evening and great tomeet you and all your people. You were allwonderful hosts! ” said Archie Smith, chiefexecutive and director of Oil Spill ResponseLtd & East Asia Response Ltd Alliance.

CDR Michael Drieu, commanding of-ficer of MSO Savannah said, “I have alwayssupported the work your facility and staff hascompleted, and am very proud the U.S. hasa recognized leader in the response businessthat helps pursue the best technologies to beused for spills. Keep up the great work!”

At the Ohmsett Customer Reception, Joe Mullin of MMS recognizes Lee Majors ofAlaska Clean Seas for his outstanding and dedicated services in testing, trainingand research.

Joe Mullin introduces Matthew Quinney, the new Ohmsett Contracting Officerand Technical Representative (COTR) to Robert Lebowitz, a senior vice presidentat MAR, Inc.

5

Oil Spill Control Training Continues at Ohmsett

During the week of June 20, 2005eleven oil spill responders from all

over the world attended Ohmsett trainingtaught by Texas A&M University CorpusChristi National Spill Control School.

Traveling far from his home in Fujairah,United Arab Emirates, Viju Govind, servicemanager for Seacor Environmental ServicesMiddle East Ltd. (SESME), came toOhmsett to learn how to arrange his responseteams so they can respond more efficientlyto spills.

“I will take back the experience andknowledge gained here, to train our employ-ees and other member companies to workwith spill teams,” said Govind.

SESME provides oil spill response, haz-ardous waste removal, security consultancy,oil spill training, marine fenders and oil spillequipment sales and services, and offshoreoperations support throughout the GulfStates and the Caspian Sea. Working withIndependent Contract Network (ICN) com-panies, SESME trains and integrates thesecompanies on spill teams.

Viju Govind of SESME works a skimmer during hands-on training at Ohmsett.

“We would like most of our senior levelmanagers and supervisors to get used to[working with] skimmers and booms so theycan take over operations and get involved inactivities,” said Govind. “We want to be ableto split-up the managers and senior techni-cians to work [in teams] with ICNs on si-multaneous spills.”

The Ohmsett training program is dividedinto two parts: classroom and tank exercises.Classroom instruction was taught using theNational Incident Management Systemwhich was broken down into three modules:Management and safety, GIS/GPS documen-tation and planning, and a Table Top drillwhich is a culmination of all classroom work.

During the tank training students experi-enced the challenges of removing spilled oilin currents and waves, and collecting andmeasuring recovered oil while using severalskimmer systems. During these exercises, thestudents deployed a boom and operated askimmer in the tank, testing their ability tohandle the equipment as well as how muchoil they are able to skim.

“It becomes a little competition among thestudents to see who picks up the most oil,”said Dr. Steven Barnes, Texas A&M Cor-pus Christi instructor.

Barnes has been coming to Ohmsett toteach the training course for almost eightyears. He says the draw is being able to usereal oil, as well as the state of the art class-room.

“Over the 25 years I’ve been associatedwith the spill school, it has one of the bestclassrooms,” said Barnes. “Ohmsett ranksin the top group, with the convenience ofthe multimedia and the best place to trainwith oil and skimmers/booms.”

Ohmsett’s training facility includes a 25-seat classroom with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment. Following classroom in-struction, students receive hands-on train-ing in the tank where they practice recover-ing oil, using real equipment under condi-tions that simulate an actual oil spill. After-wards, they can then review their perfor-mance by comparing actual calculated oilrecovery rates and efficiencies.

Training sessions can be configured tomeet your specific needs. Hands-on train-ing sessions are available with or withoutclassroom instruction, and can accommodateup to 40 students. Tank training can even beconducted using your own equipment. Con-tact us to design a class for you!

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) oil spill re-sponders returned to Ohmsett three timesthis year – in May, June, and August – forfive-day Oil Spill Recovery EquipmentOperator Training (OSRT) sessions usingCoast Guard oil spill recovery equipmentstored at the Ohmsett facility.

In partnership with the USCG, Ohmsetthas developed a comprehensive course pro-gram that has led to USCG Class C train-ing. Training emphasizes classroom exer-cises and practical hands-on use of the oilspill equipment in realistic conditions.

Recent TrainingSessions atOhmsett

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Dispersant Effectiveness on U.S. OCS Oils Tested at OhmsettIn April 2005, researchers, spill respond-

ers, and regulators assembled atOhmsett – The National Oil Spill ResponseTest Facility in Leonardo, N.J. to test dis-persant effectiveness on U.S. Outer Conti-nental Shelf (OCS) heavy crude oils. Theexperiment was funded by the U.S. Miner-als Management Service (MMS), and con-ducted by S.L. Ross Environmental Re-search Ltd. of Ottawa, Canada, and MARIncorporated.

The objective of the experiment was todetermine the viscosity limit for the effec-tiveness of chemical dispersants applied toviscous crude oils of varied origins. Theexperiment conducted at Ohmsett providesvaluable insight into the dispersibility ofviscous crude oils and could possibly extendthe range of oils that would be consideredcandidates for dispersant application.

The experiment focused on high dose ap-plication of dispersants in moderate break-ing wave conditions on fresh oil.

“We wanted to investigate the effect of oilviscosity on the effectiveness of chemicaldispersants. Oils with viscosities less than2000 cP are generally considered dispers-ible; whereas oils greater than 2000 cP areless likely to be chemically dispersed.” saidRandy Belore of S.L. Ross EnvironmentalResearch Ltd. “We used six crude oils withviscosities ranging from 1,500-40,000 cP.Our goal was to determine where the vis-cosity cut-off is using Ohmsett’s large scaledispersant effectiveness testing protocol thathas been developed over the past four years.”

Working with Ohmsett, S.L. Ross has de-veloped a dispersant effectiveness testingprotocol making a useful venue for deter-mining the field effectiveness of dispersantson heavy crude oils.

The dispersant effectiveness experimentalso provided an opportunity for the MMSto conduct training exercises and to invitevisitors to observe realistic testing in the testbasin. The US Coast Guard-Atlantic StrikeTeam (USCG AST) and the US Environmen-tal Protection Agency-Emergency ResponseTeam (EPA ERT) used the dispersant experi-ment as an operational training exercise forthe SMART (Special Monitoring of AppliedResearch Technologies) monitoring equip-ment and sampling protocols.

The dispersant effectiveness test is part of the Minerals Management Service’slong-term program to use the Ohmsett facility for dispersant testing, training andresearch.

On April 19, 2005, visitors gatheredat Ohmsett to observe dispersant ef-

fectiveness testing on U.S. Outer Continen-tal Shelf heavy crude oils. The experimentswere funded by the U.S. Minerals Manage-ment Service (MMS) and conducted by S.L.Ross Environmental Research Ltd. of Ot-tawa, Canada. The U.S. Coast Guard-At-lantic Strike Team (USCG AST) and the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency-Emer-gency Response Team (EPA ERT) used theexperiment as an operational training exer-cise for the SMART (Special Monitoring ofApplied Research Technologies) monitoringprotocol.

The visitors group was comprised of rep-resentatives from ExxonMobil who suppliedseveral of the different types of crude oilsbeing tested, California Department of Fishand Game, Harbour Petroleum, USCG AST,EPA ERT, and Navel Weapons Station BaseCommander, Captain William Robertson.

This was a first visit for some, while othershave observed other experiments conductedat Ohmsett.

Accompanied by MMS’s Joe Mullin andOhmsett Facility Manager Bill Schmidt, thevisitors received a tour of the facility andfirst-hand look at the test. During the tour,Mullin discussed the facility’s capabilities,testing, and training activities, as well asspill response devices and equipment, whileSchmidt gave an overview of the test basinand its systems.

From the deck of the Ohmsett facility,observers saw the crude oil being sprayedonto the waters surface and then watchedas dispersant was applied. Observerswatched the interaction of the applied dis-persant and the oil slick. They could actu-ally see the effect of wave action dispersingcrude oil from the waters surface into the

NWS Earle Base Commander,Government Scientists &Industry Reps Visit Ohmsett

Continued on Page 7

7

The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of theMMS. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. This document has been technically reviewedby the MMS according to contractual specifications.

Commander Visits OhmsettContinued from page 6

water column. Comments from the observ-ers were that the Ohmsett dispersant effec-tiveness experiments were extremely real-istic.

Captain Robertson, whose background isdiving and salvage with some oil spill re-sponse experience acquired during the GulfWar, was amazed at Ohmsett’s capabilities.

“It is incredible what can be done withreal-world testing. The opportunity to testequipment and get real answers to the ques-tions is extremely valuable,” said Robertson.

“This is a great facility for the CoastGuard and EPA to train using the SMARTmonitoring protocol,” said Anita George-Ares of ExxonMobil, who has observed pre-vious dispersant effectiveness experimentsat Ohmsett.

NWS Earle Base Commander WilliamRobertson visits Ohmsett. Joe Mullinof MMS and Mike Crickard of theU.S. Coast Guard National StrikeForce Coordination Center discuss theSMART technology and dispersanttests being conducted at Ohmsett.

Community RelationsScience Symposium Visit

On a warm spring day in April 2005, stu-dents and teachers from the Monmouth Jun-ior Science Symposium visited Ohmsett totour the facility and test tank.

With recent news stories covering localoil spills, the students came to Ohmsett tolearn about the importance of being preparedin the event of an oil spill, as well as thetraining and testing responders go throughto clean up spills.

Ohmsett’s Health & Safety Specialist,Rich Naples, presented a video and an-swered a few of the student’s questions. Af-terwards, the group toured the test tankwhere Naples gave an overview of the testbasin and its systems. The students also hada chance to look under water through theviewing windows during the tank tour.

Ohmsett Goes High TechOn July 12, 2005, Ohmsett’s Rich Naples

and Paul Meyer visited High Tech HighPakistani Delegation Visits Ohmsett

Ten representatives from the government

of Pakistan visited the Ohmsett Facility onMay 9, 2005 to learn about oil spill responseand recovery techniques. The tour was spon-sored by the U.S. Trade and DevelopmentAgency (USTDA) and escorted by DecisionAnalysis Partners representatives RebeccaGil, regional manager and logistics coordi-nator, and Joseph Duffy J.D., marine envi-ronment consultant.

Ohmsett’s Health & Safety Specialist,Rich Naples, showed the attendees a videoof the facility and answered questions. Af-terwards, Naples gave them a tour of the testtank.

Before returning to Pakistan, the delega-tion also attended the International Oil SpillConference in Miami Beach, FL. on May18, 2005.

School at the Brookdale Community Col-lege Campus in Lincroft, New Jersey. Theyaddressed a science class consisting of 13-and 14-year-old students. During the fiftyminute seminar, Rich and Paul showed thema video of Ohmsett, and described howbooms and skimmers work. The studentsasked them thought-provoking questions re-garding the Ohmsett test tank.

Editor & Graphics ... Jane-Ellen DelgadoTechnical Editors ...... Dave DeVitis, Paul

Meyer, Alan Guarino, Susan Cunneff

The Ohmsett Gazette is publishedby Ohmsett--The National Oil SpillResponse Test Facility--to update

our readers on activitiesat the facility.

For info call: (732) 866-7183.

Ohmsett Fac Ohmsett Fac Ohmsett Fac Ohmsett Fac Ohmsett Facili ili ili ili ilitytytytytyMAR, IncorporatedPO Box 473Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716(732) 866-7183

Test with oil Train with oil

Managed by the U.S. MineralsManagement Service. Operated

by MAR, Incorporated. For moreinformation call (732) 866-7183.

Or visit our web page atwww.Ohmsett.com