RELIABLE REAL TIME DETECTION OF OIL SPILLS AND ALGAL BLOOMS USING NON-CONTACT FLUORESCENCE
The ROW (Remote Optical Watcher) is an autonomous sensor that detects oil on water in real time. It detects the presence of most oils, from heavy oils (crude, bunker fuels), through medium weight oils (diesel, lubricants), to light fractions (kerosene, jet fuel) using oil’s natural fluorescence. Even vegetable oils can be detected with the ROW.
Its non-contact design ensures the sensing optics of the unit are not obscured by marine growth or oil films, eliminating the need for regular maintenance and cleaning, and a very low operating power requirement make it ideal for remote locations. ROW’s accurate detection removes the irritation of false positives while rapid detection performance allows for early response to leaks and spills, minimizing the cost of cleanup and environmental damage.
MUNICIPAL WASTE WATER TREATMENT
Waste Water treatment plants can be contaminated by oil from spills or carelessly dumped in the municipal sewer system, where it can disrupt the biological processes essential for breaking down organic matter. It also makes sludge management more challenging, as it hinders dewatering, increasing the volume of waste that needs to be disposed of.
The installation of reliable oil detection in the influent to the plant allows for contaminated waste water to be diverted to a holding area for additional treatment before being processed through the plant.
SHIPPING PORTS AND DOCKS
An oil spill from a vessel in a port presents a critical environmental compliance issue that can trigger a cascade of regulatory violations and enforcement actions. The immediate concern when oil is observed on the water is its containment to protect water quality and marine ecosystems.
Installing oil on water detectors in various positions around the port provides rapid detection of spills and unauthorized discharges of oil, allowing clean up teams to be dispatched quickly and efficiently.
OIL AND GAS FACILITIES
Oily waste water from oil production facilities and refineries requires significant processing to remove oil and other contaminants before discharge to environment or municipal systems. Oil carry-over into the environment can present a significant risk to operators in terms of clean-up costs and regulatory fines.
Installation of an oil on water monitor at the plant discharge point(s) provide a reliable means of catching carry-over events before they become an issue, saving both cost and impact on public perception.
MIDSTREAM/OIL PIPELINES
Where oil pipelines pass through remote, environmentally sensitive areas, the result of leaks can be catastrophic and costly. Installing remote devices to detect oil on water in waterways adjacent to pipelines provides an opportunity to react rapidly in the event of a spill to contain the problem and limit its impact on both the environment and reputation.
AIRPORTS
Airports cover large areas that need to quickly move surface water away from in the event of inclement weather. Fuel storage facilities and aircraft fueling activities provide a potential for spills and these can get into surface water systems.
The use of oil on water detectors where surface water is routed to the environment provides a useful tool in the early detection of oil spills before water is discharged, saving clean-up costs and avoiding potential penalties.
OFFSHORE
At oil production facilities or ship mooring locations offshore, oil spills and leaks can have far reaching impacts on marine life. Installing oil on water detectors on buoys in these areas provides real time feedback of leaks and spills. Using a low power device (such as an ROW – 2W/12Vdc) makes monitoring possible in these remote, off grid areas.
Feedback via over-air telemetry of real time detection status can be used to trigger the immediate deployment of containment and clean up resources, protecting both the environment and public image of operators.
WATER TREATMENT
Oil contamination into the local water can posed a serious problem to a treatment facility's normal operations: hydrocarbon can foul membrane filters, destroy bioreactors, and clog sand filters, leading to potentially long plant shutdowns.
Installing oil on water detectors at points upstream of the water inlet to the plant provides 24/7 detection of oil spills, allowing for contaminated water to be diverted away from critical plant infrastructure and for oil spill mitigation measures to be put in place.
POWER GENERATION
Hydroelectric turbine generators have lubricant oil filled bearings which, when worn, can leak. The leaked oil accumulates in pits inside the plant. Real time monitoring of these overflow pits within the plant will immediately alert operators to any potential oil leaks and provide a vital data point for condition monitoring systems linked to the generator turbines.
AQUACULTURE
Oil spills can be catastrophic for aquaculture, directly threatening the very foundation of these farming operations. The immediate impact often involves direct mortality of farmed fish and shellfish due to the acute toxicity of hydrocarbons present in the oil. Small spills may not kill the farmed stock, but can leave it tainted rendering it unmarketable.
In river-based farms, early detection of oil contamination can be achieved by mounting oil on water detectors upstream. For open water farms, installing buoy mounted oil on water detectors around the farm area will allow for oil containment booms to be deployed, preventing the spill from reaching the farm.
ALGAL BLOOM
An overarching goal is to detect blooms, especially harmful algal blooms (HABs), before they reach problematic levels, allowing for proactive management and mitigation efforts. Detection can be made optically using fluorometry. Using the fluorescence excitation wavelength specific to chlorophyll-a, any concentration of chlorophyll-a will provide an indication of the occurrence of an algal bloom.
Installation of an algal bloom detector in lakes and open water can provide vital feedback of the presence of HAB’s and allow rapid response to control their growth and impact.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESIONS
OIL CONTAMINATION IN INCOMING WATER/WASTEWATER STREAMS
Oil contamination is a problem in incoming streams in the water sector. How can oil on water detectors be implemented to detect oil presence?
ROW’s can be used for monitoring both waste water and drinking water facilities.
For potable water treatment plants taking raw water from rivers and open water, installing an ROW upstream of the plant intake can identify the presence of oil and allow water to be diverted for additional treatment and prevent plant impact. Installation can be on bridges, dams and other structures above the water level. Several units can be used at differing distances from the plant for earlier warning.
For waste water treatment, detecting oil in influent streams will help protect microbiological colonies in the process and therefore maintain plant effectiveness. Monitors can be installed within sewer chambers and beneath manhole covers to watch the incoming effluent for oil pollution.
LEAK DETECTION
How does optical fluorescence work for leaks in the power sector?
Thermal or hydroelectric facilities contain heavy rotating machinery for generation. Within these machines is a great deal of lubricating oil ensuring that they run smoothly and efficiently. Lubricant oil leaks are a problem that need to be attended to for both operational and environmental reasons.
Catch pits gathering water beneath the generation equipment are periodically pumped out as levels rise. Leaks of lubricating oil will typically end up in these pits too. Installing an oil on water monitor above these pits will give real time indication of the presence of any oil in them, allowing for appropriate action to be taken to resolve the leak and to handle the contaminated water before discharge from the plant.
REMOTE INSTALLATION
Can oil on water detectors be installed in remote locations?
The ROW system has a very small operating power requirement (2W at 12Vdc). Because of this, it makes the ROW an ideal device for remote installations. When installed with a solar panel and battery, it can operate just about anywhere, from remote open water bodies to offshore buoys.
Signaling to a central point can be achieved using off-the-shelf transmission devices operating on the same solar/battery power system.
OIL-ON-WATER vs OIL-IN-WATER
What is the difference between an oil-on-water monitor and an oil-in-water monitor?
An oil-on-water monitor is specifically designed to detect the presence of oil floating on open water/wastewater. Oil spreads out on the water in a thin layer and is designed to detect the presence of such an oil film. The most effective way to measure oil on water is by fluorescence.
An oil-in-water monitor is intended to measure very low concentrations of oil (ppb levels) in a homogenous flowing stream. At very low levels, the oil is dissolved in the water stream and can be detected using either fluorescence or UV absorbance techniques. At higher levels, it forms an emulsion with the water and is best detected using a scattered light turbidity technique.
If you have an oil-in-water measurement need, check out oil-in-water solutions with the Kemtrak FL007 analyzer here
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