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Modeling the transport of oil–particle aggregates resulting from an oil spill in a freshwater environment

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Abstract

Transport of oil through pipelines is at an all-time high and so is the risk of oil spill accidents. The July 2010 spill of diluted bitumen into the Kalamazoo River was the largest release of heavy crude into an inland waterway in the history of United States. After extensive cleanup and recovery efforts, substantial residual deposits from the oil spill remained in the river system, mainly due to the formation of oil–particle aggregates (OPAs). Understanding the conditions under which OPAs can be suspended, transported and deposited is important for river management. Concerns about OPAs reaching Lake Michigan motivated this work. A three-dimensional Eulerian/Lagrangian model for OPA transport was developed for Morrow Lake in the Kalamazoo River, using specified OPA properties based on laboratory experiments. The three-dimensional model included the Morrow Lake dam operational rules as well as wind effects, which might increase the risk of resuspension and transport of OPA downstream. The usage of the model as a management tool is illustrated; the suitability of the model framework to incorporate the more complex processes of OPA formation transformation is discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the U.S. Coast Guard's Pollution Removal Funding Authorization through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. The authors would also like to thank Faith Fitzpatrick and Paul Reneau of the USGS Wisconsin Water Science Center for their help throughout the study. David Soong of the USGS Illinois Water Science Center is acknowledged for providing useful discussion. Rex Johnson of GRT is acknowledged for providing bathymetry data and other useful information. STS Hydropower Ltd (STS) is acknowledged for providing data on lake water levels and dam operation rules. This manuscript represents the views of the authors and does not necessarily represent the opinions of any state and federal agencies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Zhenduo Zhu

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD, USA

    David M. Waterman

  3. Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana and Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Marcelo H. Garcia

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Correspondence to Zhenduo Zhu.

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Zhu, Z., Waterman, D.M. & Garcia, M.H. Modeling the transport of oil–particle aggregates resulting from an oil spill in a freshwater environment. Environ Fluid Mech 18, 967–984 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-018-9581-0

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