OilTrack: A Computational Model To SimulateOil Spills Trajectories In Water

This article describes the OilT\-ack™ mathematical model to simulate oil spills trajectories in water. The model calculates the 2-D velocity field in the spill zone and simulates the oil spreading on the water surface. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) that runs under MS-Windows™makes the model accessible to professionals with little computer training. Comparisons with analytical solution, laboratory experiments and various spreading formulations show that OilTtack™ is an accurate and useful tool to study the oil trajectory from instantaneous or continuous spill accidents in water necessary for contingency planning, and environmental impact assessments.