Oil spill responders train at CRREL to keep the arctic clean

Published March 4, 2014
A Hanover, N.H., firefighter takes advantage of a unique opportunity to extinguish burning North Slope crude oil.  The burning is part of Alaska Clean Seas’ Advanced oil Response in Ice course, program to train oil spill responders.  The fire department’s presence was requested as a precaution, but resulted in training for them as well.  Burning oil is an environmentally accepted and extremely efficient method of mitigating oil spills in ice-infested water.

A Hanover, N.H., firefighter takes advantage of a unique opportunity to extinguish burning North Slope crude oil. The burning is part of Alaska Clean Seas’ Advanced oil Response in Ice course, program to train oil spill responders. The fire department’s presence was requested as a precaution, but resulted in training for them as well. Burning oil is an environmentally accepted and extremely efficient method of mitigating oil spills in ice-infested water.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) recently hosted the annual Alaska Clean Seas (ACS) Advanced Oil Spill Response in Ice course, utilizing the laboratory’s Geophysical Research Facility (GRF) while taking advantage of New Hampshire’s cold temperatures.

ACS’s mission is to protect the environment by providing effective response services to the producers of Alaska North Slope crude oil and the first 167 miles of the Trans-Alaska pipeline system in accordance with oil spill response agreements and plans.

“This was a very comprehensive class – giving all the spill responders an opportunity to experience oil mitigation techniques and tools,” said Leonard Zabilansky, a CRREL research civil engineer and provider of logistical oversight and technical assistance to ACS.  “This year, we incorporated ice melting technology using jets and bubblers – a method to melt ice and recover just the oil residue.”

ACS developed their training program around CRREL’s outdoor test basin, the Geophysical Research Facility, a 60 x 25 x 7 ft. concrete in-ground tank.  The tank is equipped with a retractable roof and refrigeration system to maintain ice conditions.  A 22-inch-thick layer of ice was allowed to freeze on the surface of the tank and North Slope crude oil was injected prior to the start of training. 

The Advanced Oil Spill Response in Ice course was completed over one week, from Jan. 27-31, training approximately 40 spill response personnel, with an additional two-day field observer workshop.  These groups represented various oil companies and agencies working the oil industry in cold regions.

The course combined both classroom and hands-on components.  In the classroom, students reviewed the technical and methodology of recovery, and dedicate hours of hands-on training utilizing the GRF and recovery equipment provided and demonstrated by company representatives.  Training topics on response tactics include ice safety; delineating an oil spill under ice; deploying and using grooved drum, brush and mop skimmers; and oil burning. 

“CRREL provides Alaska Clean Seas the opportunity to train the North Slope Spill Response Team members on tactics for response to oil spills in solid ice conditions,” said Alaska Clean Seas Planning and Development Manager Lee Majors.  “This practical controlled experience with actual oil under ice is invaluable and only obtainable at the CRREL facility.”

This is the third year CRREL has hosted ACS training, the first being a week-long course in February 2012 and two one-week courses in January and February 2013. 

CRREL has become a valuable resource to ACS due to its experts’ vast knowledge of ice and the uniqueness of its facilities.