TESTS OF OIL RECOVERY DEVICES IN BROKEN ICE FIELDS. PHASE I

Abstract : This final report summarizes the results of tests conducted in broken ice cover with crude oil and No. 2 fuel oil of five oil spill recovery devices manufactured by Lockheed, Marco, Ocean Systems, JBF Scientific, and Oil Mop. Additional tests were conducted to determine the natural spill thickness of crude oil and No. 2 fuel oil in open water at low temperature and in broken ice over. The spreading tests indicated that thin oils will spread to a very thin layer whether in open water or in broken ice cover. Heavy oils in broken ice cover will achieve a natural equilibrium thickness many times greater than the open water thickness due to the partial containment of the oil by the broken ice pieces. The oil recovery tests demonstrated that modifications made to the Lockheed and Marco devices did improve their performance when operating in broken ice cover. Tests conducted with the OSI, JBF, and Oil Mop units were more elementary in nature and did not incorporate modification of the devices for use in ice.