Perth Petroleum Services Oil & Chemical Spill Equipment

Using simulants during an oil spill exercise

Simulants provide an avenue to increase spill response proficiency. Whether the spill response team operate predominantly in a marine environment, inland waters like rivers or dams, or land-based spills, actual spills are infrequent and it's not feasible to trial new equipment, train untested responders or test response theories.

Test tanks or lab experiments do not replicate the real world. Some smaller equipment like absorbents can be evaluated but it's difficult to test and evaluate larger marine equipment like booms, skimmers and recovery tanks. A facility in the United States (Ohmset) is designed to provide some of the conditions of the environment such a waves and different grades of oils can be be added to water but wind, current and general working conditions require a real-world situation.

• Exercises and drills lack realism without simulants. They provide a focus point for responders. Whether preventing a liquid simulant entering a drain or preventing it impacting a sensitive marine environment, the simulant becomes a common enemy for response teams to work against.
• There is a need for simulation so responder organisations and manufacturers can evaluate and improve oil spill technologies and their effectiveness.

Types of simulants

A number of simulants have been used during oil spill exercises. They range from liquid dyes, peat moss, fruit (oranges) popcorn, dog food (pellets), rice husks, coconuts, tracking buoys, sorbet pads and sugar cane.

Impact to environment

When considering using a simulant, consider the impact to the environment and whether the risk outweighs the reward. In a spill exercise where absorbent pads are being used as simulants, they may not be recovered and therefore lost to the marine environment or washed up on a beach. The benefit of this simulant's use would need to be considered carefully.

Permits and approvals

The ultimate question is do we need regulations and a permit system to use an appropriate oil simulant.

There is no clear policy in the US for the approval and use of simulants.

From our research in Australia, we found the environment seems to determine which department and legislation govern the simulant's use.

• Firstly, is the simulant a pollutant or contaminant?
• Does the application of a simulant to the environment breach any littering laws?

We feel there may be a need to combine relevant departments under one authority, to enable organisations to apply for a permit to use simulants during spill exercises and testing. I would suggest that so long as the ecological risks were considered, this process remains simple.

Intentional spills of real hydrocarbons

This may be a step too far for Australian people at present, however it does provide an even more realistic opportunity to train and test equipment. Each year there is a large scale release of oils in Norway. The Oil on Water Exercise held in the North Sea this year will release 196m3 of oil emulsion and 20m3 of high-viscous oil.

Summary

Simulants that can mimic oil on land or water have a place when it comes to providing responders with a practice target. They create realism during exercises and help to increase proficiency with response gear and tactics. This however, must be balanced with the potential environmental risks associated with releasing such simulants into the environment.