Development of an Oil Dispersant Spraying System
SourceThe extreme concern about today's large oil spills and their impact on the environment has necessitated the consideration of oil dispersants as possible cleanup agents. For this reason, a joint effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S.S.R. Central Scientific Research Institute has been initiated to examine the various oil dispersants and application methods and to establish a uniform series of acceptance tests. Concurrent with laboratory tests of several present-day dispersants, a spraying and mixing system has been developed along the lines of the Warren Spring Laboratory (WSL) system. A continuing program of testing has been begun both in the laboratory and field to develop the optimum operating parameters of the system prior to the full-scale field tests at a spill of opportunity later this year.