MMS, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Environment Canada were leaders in developing and testing in situ burn spill response capabilities in the 1990’s. Tests at the MMS (now BSEE) Ohmsett facility and at sea offshore Newfoundland demonstrated this important spill response option.
BSEE has continued to advance the MMS spill response research program, and recently announced an exciting enhancement to in situ burn capabilities. BSEE and the Naval Research Laboratory invented a low-emissions atomizer burner designed to cleanly and quickly burn spilled oil, even after oil has been emulsified with water. See the video below.
The atomizer works by converting a stream of liquid, in this case, neat or emulsified crude oil, into a fine spray. The combustible spray is then able to completely burn without the plume of black smoke or residue, leaving the area safer for people, wildlife, and the environment. The burner interfaces with off-the-shelf pumps and air compressor equipment, so the collected fuel can be pumped to the burner. It can be mounted on a floating platform to stand freely in the water and has been successfully tested on waves.
NRL
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 
Leave a Reply