Oil Drops in the Ocean - Spreading, Splitting, and Coagulation by Chemistry

This project is primarily focused on understanding the behavior of oil droplets released in marine environments, particularly from produced water discharges in offshore operations. The research aims to predict how oil droplets behave under various environmental conditions, such as buoyancy, diffusion, and coalescence. However, the developed model can be extended to study the behavior of a wide range of waterborne contaminants, providing a foundation for environmental management, pollution control and ecological protection.

The project utilizes Population Balance Equations (PBE) to model the movement, transformation, and evolution of oil droplets in marine environments. While the model is designed specifically for oil droplets it can also be applied to other contaminants, including chemical spills, and microplastics. By accounting for factors like particle size, viscosity, and interfacial tension, the model offers insight into how different substances behave in water and interact with marine ecosystems.

The developed model is designed to enhance pollution control and environmental risk assessment strategies particularly in offshore operations. It provides more accurate predictions of how contaminants such as oil droplets behave in water, enabling better decision-making for spill response, and environmental protection.

Future steps include refining the model through further experimental data and collaboration with industry stakeholders. A software tool will be developed based on the model, allowing users to simulate and predict droplet dynamics in real-world scenarios, not only for oil but for a variety of pollutants. This tool will be integrated with OPENDRIFT, an opensource software designed to simulate the movement of objects in the ocean, allowing for seamless interaction with other marine modeling systems. This integration will enable more accurate spill response planning, pollution tracking, and ecosystem management by providing a comprehensive view of how pollutants move and spread in marine environments.