Numerical simulation of oil dispersion after an accidental subsea blowout in the gulf of patras

SCImago Journal Rank
2023: SJR=0.19

CWTS Journal Indicators
2023: SNIP=0.57

Vol.6, No.1, 2021: pp.11-20

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF OIL DISPERSION AFTER AN ACCIDENTAL SUBSEA BLOWOUT IN THE GULF OF PATRAS

Authors:

Dimitrios-Periklis A. Giannoulis¹

, Nikolaos A. Avgerinos¹, Dionissios P. Margaris¹

¹University of Patras, Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics Department, Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, Patras, Greece

https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2021.6.1.2

Received: 13.12.2020.
Accepted: 17.03.2021.
Available: 31.03.2021.

Abstract:

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the exploitation of hydrocarbon deposits within the Greek territory, in the Aegean and the Ionian Sea. This increasing interest comes along with the possibility of an oil spill event of devastating impact on the environment, the marine life and the economic activity of the nearby coastal areas. In this context, the present work simulates the trajectory of leaking oil in the event of an accidental subsea blowout in the Gulf of Patras, in order to predict the underwater dispersion, to estimate the rise time needed for the underwater oil spill to reach the sea surface as well as the distance of this position from the accident location. Numerical simulations were performed using ANSYS Fluent software and the proposed numerical methods were validated against small-scale experimental results. Two cases involving oil leakage in the presence of transverse sea currents are examined, one for crude oil and one for chemically dispersed oil. Results for the rise times, the rise and horizontal migration velocities of the oil plume, as well as the distances traveled horizontally and vertically are presented.

Keywords

ANSYS Fluent, dispersants, leaking oil, numerical simulation, subsea blowout

References:

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Volume 9
Number 3
September 2024

How to Cite

D.-P.A. Giannoulis, , N.A. Avgerinos, D.P. Margaris, Numerical Simulation of Oil Dispersion After an Accidental Subsea Blowout in the Gulf of Patras. Applied Engineering Letters, 6(1), 2021: 11–20.
https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2021.6.1.2

More Citation Formats

APA

Giannoulis, D.-P. A., Avgerinos, N. A., & Margaris, D. P. (2021). Numerical Simulation of Oil Dispersion After an Accidental Subsea Blowout in the Gulf of Patras. Applied Engineering Letters, 6(1), 11–20.
https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2021.6.1.2

MLA

Giannoulis, Dimitrios-Periklis A., et al. “Numerical Simulation of Oil Dispersion after an Accidental Subsea Blowout in the Gulf of Patras.” Applied Engineering Letters, vol. 6, no. 1, 2021, pp. 11–20, https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2021.6.1.2.

Chicago

Giannoulis, Dimitrios-Periklis A., Nikolaos A. Avgerinos, and Dionissios P. Margaris. 2021. “Numerical Simulation of Oil Dispersion after an Accidental Subsea Blowout in the Gulf of Patras.” Applied Engineering Letters 6 (1): 11–20.
https://doi.org/10.18485/aeletters.2021.6.1.2.

Harvard

Giannoulis, D.-P.A., Avgerinos, N.A. and Margaris, D.P. (2021). Numerical Simulation of Oil Dispersion After an Accidental Subsea Blowout in the Gulf of Patras. Applied Engineering Letters, 6(1), pp.11–20.
doi: 10.18485/aeletters.2021.6.1.2.