APPENDIX C: OIL SPILL ENCOUNTER RATE FOR CONTINGENCY PLANNING
Appendix C
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Spill response teams are generally seeking high spill recovery rates. However, a desired recovery capacity can only be achieved when the spilled oil can be collected fast enough for the skimming and pumping systems to operate at their rated capacity. After oil has spread over a broad area, recovery capacity depends on the rate at which the skimming system encounters the oil slick. For advancing skimmers, encounter rate depends on skimming speed, sweep width, and the amount of oil available, in this case measured in terms of slick thickness. This Appendix shows how to compute oil spill encounter rate for advancing skimmers and how this information can be used at spill sites or to develop contingency plans.
A similar worksheet method is used in ASTM standard F1780, Standard guide for estimating oil spill recovery system effectiveness [1]. This standard incorporates the concept of encounter rate, as well as other factors such as changes in slick conditions, equipment limitations, storage and transfer limits, and response and transit times to guide the user in estimating overall system performance.
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