Effects of temperature and wave conditions on chemical dispersion efficacy of heavy fuel oil in an experimental flow-through wave tank

The effectiveness of chemical dispersants (Corexit 9500 and SPC 1000) on heavy fuel oil (IFO180 as test oil) has been evaluated under different wave conditions in a flow-through wave tank. The dispersant effectiveness was determined by measuring oil concentrations and droplet size distributions. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model indicated that wave type and temperature significantly (p < 0.05) affected the dynamic dispersant effectiveness (DDE). At higher temperatures (16 °C), the test IFO180 was effectively dispersed under breaking waves with a DDE of 90% and 50% for Corexit 9500 and SPC 1000, respectively. The dispersion was ineffective under breaking waves at lower temperature (10 °C), and under regular wave conditions at all temperatures (10–17 °C), with DDE < 15%. Effective chemical dispersion was associated with formation of smaller droplets (with volumetric mean diameters or VMD ⩽ 200 μm), whereas ineffective dispersion produced large oil droplets (with VMD ⩾ 400 μm).