Oil

Question 1

What is oil?

Answer 1

50=90% Hydrocarbons; alkanes, cycloalkanes, aromatic compounds, polycyclic, aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

plus, sulphur, fatty acids, nitrogen compounds, metals

Question 2

what are the sources of oil to the ocean?

Answer 2

1. transportation
2. fixed installations
3. other sources like municipal/industrial wastes
4. natural inputs

Question 3

What are the types of transportation sources to the ocean?

Answer 3

1. tanker operations
2. tanker accidents
3. bilge and fuel oils
4. dry docking
5. non-tanker accidents

Question 3

What are the types of transportation sources to the ocean?

Answer 3

1. tanker operations
2. tanker accidents
3. bilge and fuel oils
4. dry docking
5. non-tanker accidents

Question 4

What are the types of fixed installation sources of oil to the ocean?

Answer 4

1. offshore production, drilling production
2. coastal refineries
3. marine terminals

Question 5

What are the other sources of oil to the ocean?

Answer 5

• municipal wastes
• industrial wastes
• urban runoff
• river runoff
• atmospheric fall out
• ocean dumping

Question 6

What can be the fate of spilled oil?

Answer 6

1. Spread (oil slick)
2. Evaporation
3. Dissolution
4. Emulsification
5. Biodegradation
6. Mechanical reduction
7. Sinking
8. Beaching
9. Persistence

Question 7

What affects the evaporation of spilled oil?

Answer 7

• Nature of oil

- Environmental factors e.g. air/sea temperature, wind speed, sea state.

Question 8

What is the spreading rate of 1 tonne of Iranian crude oil?

Answer 8

It spreads to a slick 48m in diameter, 0.1mm thick in 10 minutes. Drifting occurs at 60% of water currents 2-4% of the wind speed.

Question 9

What are the types of emulsification?

Answer 9

water in oil emulsion - chocolate mousse

oil in water emulsion - use of dispersants

Question 10

What are the treatments of oil at sea?

Answer 10

Dispersants
Booms
Oil removal

Question 11

What is the process of dispersants?

Answer 11

1. Initial dispersion
2. Bacterial colonisation of dispersant and dispersed oil droplets
3. Bacterial degradation of oil and dispersant
4. Colonisation of bacterial aggregates by protozoans and nematodes

Question 12

What are the 2 types of booms?

Answer 12

Towed booms; used to prevent spreading and maximise encounter rate
Moored booms; used in shallow or inshore waters to contain or deflect oil

Question 13

What is the toxicity scale of petroleum hydrocarbons?

Answer 13

• aromatic compounds more toxic than aliphatics
• middle mw compounds more toxic than high mw tars
• low mw volatile compounds unimportant

Question 14

what are the environmental effects of oils?

Answer 14

i) chronic low-level input (e.g. in vicinity of oil port or refinery marshlands & estuaries)
ii) single major incident spill