Facilities

Welcome to the oil spill research page. Please navigate through the facilities below.

Emulsification of oil by mechanical mixing

       It is commonly believed that emulsification of oil slicks after a couple of days renders  the use of dispersant            Details »

Emulsification of oil by breaking waves

      Complementing the study of emulsification by mechanical mixing, our laboratory            Details »

Large Scale Plume

Oil and methane were ejected from the Macondo well blowout and formed a rising plume. Details »

Shear Layer

A jet or plume of oil released in the ocean will experience shear at its boundaries as it moves through the water. If the shear is great enough, the interface will become unstable, and mixing of water and oil will occur. Details »

Towing Tank

Subsea oil well blowouts, such as the IXTOC I and Deepwater Horizon accidents, can cause extensive environmental, economic, and public health damage. The magnitude and type of damage largely depends on the fate of the discharged oil. Details »

Turbulence Tank

Oil droplets in the ocean will experience turbulence. Turbulence acts to break up these droplets. Details »

Wave Tank

Oil spilled at sea forms thin slicks, which are subsequently broken up into droplets by breaking waves. Details »

Bubble Bursting

Breaking waves entrain air, resulting in the formation of subsurface bubbles. Details »

Lung Cell Exposure Chamber

Aerosolization of oil by wave splashing on crude oil slicks may pose a respiratory health threat to oil-spill workers and communities nearby.  Details »