OIL SPILL TECHNOLOGIES HEAT UP

The concept of burning spilled or leaked oil on the sea''s surface has been known for many years, offering an extremely effective way of reducing the spill by as much as 90 percent with minimal equipment. The method, commonly known as in-situ or controlled burning, takes advantage of the fact that oil can be ignited on water if the layer is at least 3 mm in thickness – even under Arctic conditions.

Compared with mechanical clean-up, chemical dispersants and natural assimilation, in-situ burning is highly effective, particularly in remote areas where the resulting smoke plume isn''t so visible, or where it is difficult to deploy other types of clean-up equipment. Moreover, if properly employed, in-situ burning can result in the least detrimental overall impact on the environment.

Although these advantages had long been recognized, the true potential of in-situ burning could not be realized: the technology to do the job properly simply wasn''t available, and regulatory acceptance was slow in coming. [...]

For more information on this article, please contact Vice President Peter Lane at pla@desmi.com or by phone: + 1 716 564 1730.