Wyman BriggsUSCG, Sector Northern New England

Deepwater HorizonUAC Environmental Unit

Insitu Burning and Dispersants

September 2010

1UNCLASSIFIED

Interagency Issues

2UNCLASSIFIED

Claims

Public Health

Flow Rate

Oil Budget

Sand Berms

Sea Food Testing

Subsurface water sampling

Alternative Technologies

UNCLASSIFIED 3

Overview Insitu Burning – Historical perspective

ISB during DWH response

Controlled Burn Operations Plan

Air monitoring initiative

Dispersant application during DWH response

Bioremediation

UNCLASSIFIED 4

ISB Historical Perspective

Several test burns conducted during the Exxon Valdez response, in Canada and elsewhere with promising results.

Used in response to accidental oil spills with varying success – particularly in difficult to reach and remote areas

Trade-off: Oil on water vs black sooty smoke plume

Long term vs short term

UNCLASSIFIED 5

Controlled Burn Site Locations

Well site

Within 15-20 miles of well site sourceIdentify heavy oil concentrationsConsider skimming/dispersant groups input inputDevelop “Burn Box” 10-20 miles on a side

UNCLASSIFIED 6

ISB Organization- ICP Houma

11

Controlled Burn Group Supervisor

Task Force Leader

Wildlife Observers

Safety Officers

Burn CoordinatorSupport Vessel

Burn CoordinatorSupport Vessel

Fire TeamFishing Vessels

Fire TeamFishing Vessels

Fire TeamFishing Vessels

Fire TeamFishing Vessels

Technical AdvisorsAir OperationsOffshore Burn OperationsEnvironmental Impacts

Spotters Documentors

Surface (On-Water) Documentors

UNCLASSIFIED 7

ISB Operations1. Approved burn operations area (Burn Box)

established previous day based on spotted oil locations, weather, skimming/dispersent ops

2. Spotter aircraft locates areas of concentrated fresh/thick oil and vectors in fire team vessels.

3. Control vessel coordinate with aerial observers and directs boom vessel collection and need/timing of ignition operations.

4. Igniter of choice is hand deployable device of gelled diesel in plastic container with foam flotation and road flare.

5. Safety considerations include:- Daylight operations- Area clear for at least 2 nautical miles- Safety technician, PPE, safety plan

UNCLASSIFIED 8

Smoke Plume Sampling

- Aerostat deployed to sample ISB smoke plume

- Results being evaluated

ISB Stats

• 411 controlled burns conducted as part of DWH response during the summer of 2010

• Up to 90+% efficiency rate

• Estimated 265,450 Bbls or 11,148,900 gallons burned for a total of 5% of the total quantity discharged. – more than Exxon Valdez release

• 60% more oil was burned than skimmed

UNCLASSIFIED 10

Dispersant Application

Claims

Public Health

Flow Rate

Oil Budget

Traditionally one of the more controversial issues in spill response

Reduces cohesiveness of slick so it can be broken into small droplets, dispersed and subject to natural biodegradation

Environmental trade-off: water column vspotential shoreline impacts

Aerial/vessel:1.07M gals, subsea:771K gals

Dispersant Use during DWH Response

11UNCLASSIFIED

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Gal

lons

Date

Daily Dispersant Applications

Surface (Aerial)

Surface (Vessel)

SubSurface

UNCLASSIFIED 12

Bioremediation Bioaugmentation – add bacteria

Biostimulation – add nutrients

Limited value for oil discharges

UNCLASSIFIED 14

Potential RRT 1 Issues

Review ISB effectiveness

Review ISB impacts

Consider trade-offs

Revisit RCP guidelines

Revisit equipment

availability

Review dispersant effectiveness

Review dispersant impacts

Consider trade-offs

Revisit RCP guidelines

Revisit equipment

availability