Smoke Measurements Using a Tethered Miniblimp at the Newfoundland Offshore Oil Burn Experiment (NIST SP 995)

Published

March 1, 2003

Author(s)

William D. Walton, W H. Twilley, Jay A. McElroy, D D. Evans, E J. Tennyson

Abstract

Smoke measurements were taken during the 1993 Newfoundland Offshore Oil Burn Experiment using a helium filled miniblimp tethered to a vessel operated approximately 300 m downwind of the fire. The smoke sampling package suspended from the miniblimp consisted of sampling pumps which drew smoke through either a cascade impactor or filter and discharged gas samples into collection bags. The smoke yield and smoke particle size distribution were found to be similar to previous measurements made for crude oil. The smoke yields of 14.8 to 15.5% of the mass of the fuel burned were measured and 83% of the particulate mass was below 9.8 mum in diameter as measured with a cascade impactor. Measurements of temperature, wind speed, and wind direction taken before and after the burns from the ocean surface to an altitude of 300 m using the tethered miniblimp and a radio telemetry weather station are reported.

Citation

Special Publication (NIST SP) - 995

Report Number

995

Volume

2

NIST Pub Series

Special Publication (NIST SP)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

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Keywords

oil spills, smoke measurement, experiments, sampling, smoke yield, particle size distribution, in situ combustion

Citation

Walton, W. , Twilley, W. , McElroy, J. , Evans, D. and Tennyson, E. (2003), Smoke Measurements Using a Tethered Miniblimp at the Newfoundland Offshore Oil Burn Experiment (NIST SP 995), Special Publication (NIST SP), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=911185 (Accessed October 15, 2025)