THE USE OF AIRCRAFT FOR THE CLEARANCE OF OIL SPILLS AT SEA1

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Abstract
This paper describes experiments conducted with undiluted concentrate dispersants both in the laboratory and at sea which show that oil may be dispersed without the addition of artificial agitation. A description is given of trials over airfields, in which the appropriate droplet size was determined so that virtually all of the liquid discharged from the plane actually reaches the ground/sea surface. Experimental slicks were then laid at sea and the methods are described. These were treated by aircraft using the technique developed over the airfields. Results are presented on fresh crude oil (Kuwait, Ekofisk), topped Kuwait, and topped Kuwait water-in-oil emulsion. Experiments and results obtained with a Piper Pawnee and a DC-4 are included. Information is also presented on the logistics of aircraft use in spills offshore and close to shore with a view to giving as precise an evaluation as possible of the overall feasibility of aircraft dispersant operations.

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