Contraction and confinement of oil slicks on water, including water where ice is present, using non-ionic surfactants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240311-B2
Application number	US-201514701493-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2015
Priority date	Apr 30, 2014
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

Methods for reducing the size of an oil slick on a water surface or on a water surface when ice is present are described. Spreading of oil can be reversed by reducing the surface tension of the seawater, for example, by using a low concentration of at least one water-soluble surfactant, such as a non-ionic surfactant. A controlled amount of the surfactant or surfactant mixture may be discharged over time at the inner-wall of a spill control boom surrounding the oil spill, or within the vicinity of the oil spill in the absence of control booms using a soaker hose or a floating polyethylene or polypropylene hose impregnated with surfactant, whereby the confinement and contraction of the oil slick is maintained by compensating for dissolved surfactant and surfactant moving away from the oil slick. Water-soluble surfactants are typically solids or gels at low temperatures when no organic co-solvent is added to the surfactant. The solid or gel form is advantageous for generating slow, but continuous release of surfactant, and thus there is no need for an organic co-solvent. This is not the situation for oil-soluble surfactants, which require an organic co-solvent to be successfully applied at low temperatures. Mixing oil-soluble surfactants with water-soluble surfactants may overcome the problem of dispersing oil-soluble surfactant without an organic co-solvent at low temperatures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for reducing the size of an oil slick, having a spreading coefficient, S, and an area, on a water surface, comprising: deploying a floating oil control boom having a chosen length extending around at least a portion of the area of the oil slick in the vicinity of the oil slick, and a surface facing the oil slick; and dispersing a chosen mixture of at least one water-soluble surfactant and at least one oil-soluble surfactant in the absence of an organic solvent for the at least one oil-soluble surfactant between the floating oil control boom and the oil slick in an amount effective for maintaining the spreading coefficient at a value less than zero.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of moving the floating oil control boom such that the area of the oil slick is reduced.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chosen length of the floating oil control boom is selected such that the floating oil control boom surrounds the oil slick.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chosen mixture of at least one water-soluble surfactant and at least one oil-soluble surfactant is introduced between the floating oil boom and the oil slick adjacent to the surface of the floating oil control boom facing the oil slick.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the chosen mixture of at least one water-soluble surfactant and at least one oil-soluble surfactant is introduced between the floating oil control boom and the oil slick adjacent to the surface of the floating oil control boom facing the oil slick using a soaker hose or a porous pipe.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of dispersing at least one water-soluble surfactant between the floating oil control boom and the oil slick.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one water-soluble surfactant is introduced between the floating oil control boom and the oil slick adjacent to the surface of the floating oil control boom facing the oil slick.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one water-soluble surfactant and the chosen mixture of at least one water-soluble surfactant and at least one oil-soluble surfactant are introduced between the floating oil control boom and the oil slick adjacent to the surface of the floating oil control boom facing the oil slick using a soaker hose or a porous pipe.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one water-soluble surfactant and the at least one oil-soluble surfactant comprise non-ionic surfactants.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one water-soluble surfactant is chosen from CH 3 (CH 2 ) n O(CH 2 CH 2 O) y H, where n≤10, and y<10, polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate, and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein n is between 8 and 10, and the average value for y=8.3.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one oil-soluble surfactant is chosen from sorbitan monolaurate, and sorbitan monooleate.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chosen mixture of at least one oil-soluble surfactant and at least one water-soluble surfactant has greater water solubility than oil solubility.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chosen mixture of at least one oil-soluble surfactant and at least one water-soluble surfactant has an HLB value between about 10 and about 14.

15. A method for reducing the size of an oil slick, having a spreading coefficient, S, and an area, on a water surface, comprising: dispersing a chosen mixture of at least one water-soluble surfactant and at least one oil-soluble surfactant in the absence of an organic solvent for the at least one oil-soluble surfactant at least at one location in the vicinity of the oil slick in an amount effective for maintaining the spreading coefficient at a value less than zero in the absence of a floating oil control boom, wherein the at least one water-soluble surfactant is chosen from CH 3 (CH 2 ) n O(CH 2 CH 2 O) y H, where n≤10, and y<10, polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate, and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein n is between 8 and 10, and the average value for y=8.3.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one oil-soluble surfactant is chosen from sorbitan monolaurate, and sorbitan monooleate.

18. A method for reducing the size of an oil slick, having a spreading coefficient, S, and an area, on a water surface, comprising: deploying a floating rope having a chosen length extending around at least a portion of the area of the oil slick in the vicinity of the oil slick impregnated with at least one water-soluble surfactant or a chosen mixture of at least one water-soluble surfactant and at least one oil-soluble surfactant in the absence of an organic solvent for the at least one oil-soluble surfactant for releasing the at least one water-soluble surfactant or the chosen mixture of at least one water-soluble surfactant and at least one oil-soluble surfactant in an amount effective for maintaining the spreading coefficient at a value less than zero.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the floating rope is chosen from polyethylene-based rope and polypropylene-based rope and mixtures thereof.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising the step of moving the floating rope such that the area of the oil slick is reduced.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the chosen length of the floating rope is selected such that the rope surrounds the oil slick.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein the at least one water-soluble surfactant and the at least one oil-soluble surfactant comprise non-ionic surfactants.

23. The method of claim 18 , wherein the at least one water-soluble surfactant is chosen from CH 3 (CH 2 ) n O(CH 2 CH 2 O) y H, where n≤10, and y<10, polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate, and; polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein n is between 8 and 10, and the average value for y=8.3.

25. The method of claim 18 , wherein the at least one oil-soluble surfactant is chosen from sorbitan monolaurate, and sorbitan monooleate.

26. The method of claim 18 , wherein the chosen mixture of at least one oil-soluble surfactant and at least one water-soluble surfactant has greater water solubility than oil solubility.

27. The method of claim 18 , wherein the chosen mixture of at least one oil-soluble surfactant and at least one water-soluble surfactant has an HLB value between about 10 and about 14.

Assignees

• Univ Wyoming

Inventors

• Takamura Koichi
• Morrow Norman R
• Loahardjo Nina
• Winoto

Classifications

• C02F2305/04

  Surfactants, used as part of a formulation or alone · CPC title

• E02B15/045

  Separating means for recovering oil floating on a surface of open water (E02B15/048 takes precedence; separation in general B01D) · CPC title

• E02B15/041

  Devices for distributing materials, e.g. absorbed or magnetic particles over a surface of open water to remove the oil, with or without means for picking up the treated oil (E02B15/042 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C02F1/40

  Devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material (cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; devices in sewers for separating liquid or solid substances from sewage E03F5/14, e.g. for use in drains leading to the sewer E03F5/16) · CPC title

• E02B15/04

  Devices for cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like floating materials by separating or removing these materials ({stopping water-borne material in artificial water canals E02B5/085; stopping water-borne material at barrages or weirs E02B8/023}; other treatment of water, waste water or sewage C02F; materials for treating liquid pollutants, e.g. oil, gasoline, fat, C09K3/32 {; separation of oil in sewage conduits E03F5/16}) · CPC title