Improving Technologies for Detecting Submerged Oil

This project carried out a meso-scale evaluation of various technologies typically used for the detection of submerged oil. These technologies included various point sensors, fluorometers, and sonar-based sensors. Results from these initial tests show that some of the sensors were able to detect trace amounts of submerged oil in flowing water. The learnings from these tests will allow industry and government agencies to make more informed decisions on which sensors to use for emergency response and monitoring plans. The results are also beneficial to the participating vendors who provided technology, as they allow for either optimization or validation of their design for submerged oil detection.

During this project, C-FER designed and built a custom full-scale experimental facility in Edmonton, Alberta, known as the Inland Waterway Simulator (IWS). The IWS facilitates the carefully controlled, measured, and safe experimental testing of various leak detection and spill response technologies at representative full-scale conditions. As such, it provides a unique, controlled test environment to accurately evaluate submerged-oil leak-detection technologies. Initial leakage events were carried out in the IWS to evaluate the performance of four submerged oil detection sensors during a series of demonstration tests.