Engineering Resources - Oil and the Environment

Researchers test steam heat to increase the efficiency rate of oil recovery under an ice sheet at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Hanover, New Hampshire, site. The oil, which has been inserted into the pool below the ice sheet, is recovered by saturating the fibers. Cycling the fibers through steam heat rejuvenates them. This process allows for better saturation and recovery rates.

Researchers with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory and Applied Research Associates Inc. recently used measurement instruments both above and below an ice sheet to measure the efficiency of burning oil in ice. The photo shows the below ice instruments used, which include a remotely operated vehicle, with attached acoustic sensors, and a fixed platform, that when testing rests on the bottom of the basin, fitted with acoustic and temperature sensors.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory recently hosted onsite testing with Applied Research Associates Inc. to measure burn efficiency of oil in ice. CRREL Engineering Technician Bill Burch ignites the oil-laden ice cavity with a propane torch. In the background, thermal imaging cameras are set up to measure the heat of the burn.

U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory engineers hosted Applied Research Associates Inc. testing onsite using the Geophysical Research Facility, an outdoor refrigerated basin, to measure burn efficiency of oil in ice. In the foreground a computer screen visually monitors and streams the testing live to sponsors. In the background, researchers use visible and infrared cameras to measure thermal properties.