Oil Spills
By Dr Arvind Kumar
Frequent media reports of oil spills, both off-shore and on-shore, in the seas is a cause of serious concern fraught with grave implications for marine life and the people inhabiting coastal areas. There have been many releases of oil over the years. They are caused by many variables. Those caused by human error or unexpected accident can only be partially prevented by better design. Those that are the result of predicable design or mechanical failure can be prevented. Offshore oil spill prevention and response is not just design and predictions. Important aspects of prevention include technological assessment of equipment and procedures, and protocols for training, inspection, and contingency plans for the avoidance, control, and shutdown of offshore operations. Response includes technological assessment of equipment and procedures for cleaning up oil spills, and protocols for the detection, monitoring, containment, and removal of oil spills, and the restoration of affected wildlife and habitat.
Occurrence of oil spills is a frequent phenomenon and all that can be done is to try to anticipate them and prevent them by useful maintenance and repairs before the leak happens. The researchers at MIT’s Impact and Crashworthiness Laboratory have developed a computer model that tests automobile components for crashworthiness and this could also be of use to the oil and gas industry. These researchers are now using their simulations of material deformation in car crashes to predict how pipes may fracture in off-shore drilling accidents. In the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico spill, the oil companies are now tryin to get the technology that allow to work at the bottom of the sea to plug oil spills. Better would be to stop the leak before it happens.
