Insitu fluorometry for oilspills

1
In-situ fluorometry for oil-spills
BUBA Deployment During SOO Exercise
BUBA Deployment During SOO Exercise
Chris Fuller Jim BonnerDepartment of Civil
EngineeringTexas AM University
ECO-WETStar Meso-Scale Testing Results
Instrumentation
ABSTRACT The current SMART protocol used by the
U.S. Coast Guard relies on traditional ex-situ
fluorometers that require physical transport of
the sample from the water column to the
instruments. While sample transport methods are
available (e.g. pumps and discrete sampling),
they introduce time lags in the data acquisition
process. These lags can be a source of error
when the data is post analyzed and is not
conducive to real-time monitoring efforts,
creating significant logistical problems and
dispersion (smearing) of the sample stream.
Another limitation of the currently-used
equipment is that it requires much attention to
manually record GPS data which is later used to
determine the spatial distribution of an oil
plume. Recent developments of in-situ
fluorometric instrumentation promise to simplify
problems associated with deployment of ex-situ
instrumentation (e.g. insuring that pumps are
primed) in boat-based field applications. This
study first compares the performance of two
in-situ fluorometers in a simulated oil and
dispersant application at the Shoreline
Environmental Research Facility at Texas AM
University in Corpus Christi, Texas. The
fluorometers were the WETStar and the ECP-FL3
(both by WETLabs, Inc.). To address issues
related to data collection from a GPS and a
fluorometer, a system was developed that
simultaneously merges data from both instruments
into a single file and presents the data
real-time as a color-coded ship track. The
applicability of this system was tested and
evaluated during a spill response exercise
conducted by the Texas General Land Office and
the U.S. Coast Guard in Galveston Bay, Texas,
U.S.A.
SOO Exercise
In-situ Wetlabs ECO-FL3
Chlorophyll A(470nm/695nm)
Fluoroscein
(470nm/530nm) CDOM
(370nm/460nm)
ECO-WETstar CDOM
(370nm/460nm) Ex-situ Turner 10-AU
Long-wavelength oil kit
(300-400nm/500100nm)
Participants ? Texas General Land Office ? U.S.
Coast Guard ? Clean Channels Association ? Texas
AM University
Location ? Galveston Bay, Texas Simulated Oil
Spill and Dispersant Application ? Spill
simulated with fluoroscein ? Applied from
boat ? Dispersant simulated with rhodamine ?
Applied from aircraft
? ECO-WETStar uses flow cell (i.e. unit must be
towed to get sample) ? Peaks indicate that unit
was towed through center of plume
Instrumentation ? WetLabs-ECO-WETstar in BUBA
configuration ? Turner- 10-AU Field fluorometer
Meso-scale Testing
SOO Exercise Results
ECO-FL3 Meso-scale results
Fluorometer results were compared to TPH values
obtained from discreet samples
? Turner data was manually recorded ? WETStar
(BUBA) data was continuous ? WETStar data was
comparable to Turner data ? Peaks indicate when
instruments were towed through dye plume
? Values represent averages of from short
sampling interval at tank locations identified ?
CDO concentrations were heterogeneous at t30
min. ? At t60 min, CDO concentration was more
evenly distributed throughout tank ? No flow cell
gives ability to make measurements at discreet
location w/out use of pumps

• In-situ Fluorometry
• ? Recent advances in technology have led to
  development of in-situ fluorometry
• ? Benefits include
• ? Ease of deployment
• ? Alleviates sampling lag
• ? Alleviates problems associated with sample
  transport
• ? Contaminated lines
• ? Loss of prime on pumps
• ? Etc.

ECO-WETStar (BUBA Buster Configuration)
BUBA Features
ECO-FL3 versus GC-MS Analyses
? Synchronized data collection from GPS and
fluorometer ? Spatial, temporal, and
chemistry data merged into single data file ?
Real time visualization ? Color coded ship
track on map
? Results show good correlation between
fluorescence and GC-MS (TPH) values ? Indicates
that units useful tools for measuring chemically
dispersed oil in near shore marine environments
Proven Tehcnology ? Laboratory studies ?
Show that in-situ fluorometers can easily detect
oil in water ? Chemically dispersed
oil ? Soluble oil
Simulated Ship Track with BUBA
BUBA Deployment During DEPOL Experiment (Brest,
France)

• Shoreline Environmental Research Facility
• Meso-scale demonstration of in-situ fluoromtry
  in dispersant application
• ? Natural seawater (i.e. ambient
  particles)
• ? Used to detect chemically dispersed oil
• ? Instruments used
• ? ECO-WETstar
• ? ECO-FL3
• ? Results compared to TPH
  determined by GC/M
• ? Ability to evaluate under real world
  applications
• ? Waves
• ? Turbidity

SERF Demonstration
? Motorized bridge with dispersant nozzles,
ECO-WETstar (BUBA configuration) ? Lead sounding
weight used to orient ECO-WETstar in direction of
tow.
Conclusions
? In-situ fluorometer are capable of accurate
detection of oil plumes in natural environments ?
Ease of use (i.e. solid state, no field
calibration) is a benefit to spill response
community ? No plumbing required simplified and
fast deployments