Localization of oil slicks and controlled burning at spill areas

The study is devoted to the development of oil spill response methods, in particular, the method of controlled oil burning using herders under field experimental conditions, as close as possible to real ones. A previously conducted study [1] has found conditions and effectiveness of Siltech OP-40 and ThickSlick 6535 herders for Kashagan oil in artificial sea water with salinity typical for Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea. Based on the results of this work, which showed the effectiveness of herders in relation to weathered Kashagan oil, a large-scale field test was conducted on the controlled burning of oil in the harbor of the North Caspian environmental base for oil spill response in the area of Damba village, Atyrau region. In a field test, 400 l of oil was spilled, the oil slick was localized and thickened using the OR-40 herder, and oil was burned with an efficiency of 95%.