CONTAINMENT OF OIL SLICKS IN THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER

Oil booms and surface barriers are unable to contain oil floating on a moving body of water under certain conditions of current, water depth and oil density. In some circumstances, oil will flow beneath the boom irrespective of how deeply it is immersed. This report examines the significance of the above phenomena in the tidal reach of the St. Lawrence River between Pointe au Pere and Montreal. The percentage of time oil cannot be contained is determined for a number of typical oil densities along this reach of the river. The appendix to the report describes the experiments and analyses from which the underflow mechanism was determined. Criteria are established which must be satisfied if containment is to be possible. When containment is possible, it is shown that the boom immersion depth can be calculated from known values of current and depth and the density of the oil.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Research Council of Canada

  Division of Mechanical Engineering, Montreal Road
  Ottawa, ONo K1A 0R6,   Canada 
• Authors:
  • Wilkinson, D L
• Publication Date: 1971-12

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; References;
• Pagination: 45 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Oil booms; Oil spill cleanup
• Old TRIS Terms: Oil barriers; Oil containment; Oil spill control
• Subject Areas: Environment; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00054022
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Research Council of Canada
• Report/Paper Numbers: LTR-HY-16 Final Rpt
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 26 1974 12:00AM