A team of researchers funded by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) began testing new oil burning technology at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Joint Maritime Test Facility on Little Sand Island off the coast of Mobile.
Karen Stone, a petroleum engineer with BSEE’s Oil Spill Preparedness Division, said the work is being conducted by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute through a grant from BSEE.
“BSEE awarded the contract to the institute in order to help find ways to improve in-situ burning,” Stone said. “They have successfully developed a new type of heat-feedback system that improves the combustion of crude oil. While the research is aimed at reducing the emissions from in-situ burning, it also has potential to catch any unburned oil residue that could potentially sink to the bottom of the ocean.”
The goal of the research on Little Sand Island is to develop new methods and tools to both improve the efficiency of controlled burns and reduce the amount of soot produced.
For more information, visit www.Bsee.gov or call (202) 208-6184.
