Robert Martin Koros

Engineering Study of an Oil Gellation Technique to Control Spills from Distressed Tankers

ABSTRACT Crude oil gellation is a potentially attractive technique for minimizing or preventing the loss of oil from a distressed tanker by converting the liquid oil into a rigid solid. The procedure involves the chemical reaction of two organic liquid gelling agents dissolved in the oil to form a gelant compound which entraps the oil. The resulting gel would float as a coherent mass if it were extruded from a ship or escape as a result of tanker break-up. This paper presents the results of a program undertaken to demonstrate in situ gellation on a large scale, and to gather engineering design information for this technique. The work was jointly funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Engineering design data gathered during this study include the effect of mixing energy, mixing time, gellation time and temperature on gel strength. In addition, rheological properties of the gel were examined to relate gel strength to the maximum fluid static head that may be maintained without flow thro...