EAGER: Fire Whirls on Water: Clean and Efficient Hydrocarbon Combustion

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

1507623(Oran) This project proposes to investigate the potential of fire whirls in cleaning up oil spill on water, as they are believe to be faster, cleaner methods of burning up oil that would otherwise spread over large areas. The understanding gained from the proposed study can help to reduce the environmental impact of an oil spill, which is disastrous for people and fragile wildlife and ecosystems living in these areas are greatly affected. As such it has a tremendous socio-economic impact. Graduate student assistants will be involved in the research under the supervision of the principal investigators. Oil spill over water poses a very dangerous situation, not only in its impact on ecology but also in its potential of causing large scale fires, which in turn are capable of causing losses in properties and human lives. One method of mitigating the hazards associated with fires over oil (mainly hydrocarbons) spill is, as the PIs propose, is to use fire swirls. Because the swirling motion of the air generate a centripetal force and flow toward the axis of the whirl, the air motion over the water surface would prevent the oil from further spreading into larger areas. In the meantime, the burning and the associated increase in the buoyancy effect further enhances the whirl motion and the effect of preventing oil spread while burning the oil in a smaller area (again, due to the inward motion of the air flow) is amplified. The PIs propose to introduce spills over water over a range of sizes, or areas. The swirling air motion will be initially generated, as in small scale tornado-like phenomenon. The experimental approach includes observing and measuring the air motion both near the fire whirl and water motion on and beneath the surface of water, i.e., the mechanism of prevention of oil spread. The results possess a potential to increase our understanding of both fire whirls and burning over water for safety and spill remediation. Over many different scales, these experiments will provide insight into the controlling parameters that govern both oil spread and combustion of oil and other hydrocarbons in open water which has not been explored before.