Estimating the Oil Droplet Size Distributions in Deepwater Oil Spills

Abstract

Oil released in a deepwater blowout breaks up into droplets. Hence, the time it takes for oil to reach the water surface, its location, and the size of the surface slick at a given time, are all affected by oil droplet sizes. Information on oil surfacing time, its location, and slick size are essential for emergency spill response as well as contingency planning. Despite the importance of the oil droplet size on oil fate in many oil spill problems, our ability to estimate oil droplet sizes has been poor. In this paper, methods are developed for a deepwater oil spill model to estimate the oil droplet size distribution generated due to an accidental release. Models for estimating oil droplet size distribution generated by a deepwater release are developed based on the maximum entropy formalism. The quality of results depends on the constraint equations used. The paper shows results using only the mass balance and specific surface area as constraint equations. The latter case showed markedly improved results. Model results for droplet size distribution are compared with limited experimental data.