Author(s): Yoshitaka Matsuzaki; Toshinori Ogasawara; Shigeki Sakai; Koh Izumiyama; Shigeo Kanada
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Oil; Ice; Current; Deformation and Movement; Numerical Simulation
Abstract: The full operation of crude oil and natural gas offshore the island of Sakhalin has just started. If oil spills accidentally, a coastal area along the Sea of Okhotsk in Hokkaido, Japan might suffer serious environmental damage from the spilled oil since there is a strong southward ocean current in the Sea of Okhotsk. The sea surface in this area is covered by ice in winter, therefore it would not be possible to find the spilled oil. In this study, a numerical simulation model is developed to predict the deformation and movement of an oil slick induced by a current under the ice cover. The validity of the model is examined by the comparisons with experimental results. And also, the effects of the current velocity, the amount of the spilled oil and the properties of the oil on the speed of the oil slick movement are discussed based on the numerical results.
Year: 2006