INITIAL AGING OF FUEL OIL FILMS OF SEA WATER

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Abstract
The process of aging or weathering of nos. 2, 4, and 6 fuel oil films on sea water has been studied both in laboratory apparatus and at sea. Loss of oil components by evaporation and dissolution was considered to be the main mechanism of the initial weathering. The rates of evaporation of each oil type and comparison of the relative importance of evaporation and dissolution are reported. During the initial weathering period, the rate of evaporative loss of weight of a given fuel oil was found to be proportional to the percentage of volatile compounds (ie. with boiling points less than 270°C) in the oil. The experiments showed that the medium molecular weight aromatic hydrocarbons comprise the greatest proportion of the dissolved compound in the sea water. Predominant are the methyl- and the dimethyl- naphthalenes. The dissolution of the lower molecular weight aromatics seems to be offset by their high rate of evaporation, while the high molecular weight aromatics are limited by their solubility. Saturated hydrocarbons were not found in detectable amounts. At sea, the onset of whitecapping and breaking waves was shown to produce large accelerations of evaporative loss of compounds with boiling points less than 270°C.

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