Modélisation numérique lagrangienne de barrages flottants et de nappes d’hydrocarbures

Lagrangian Numerical Modelling of Boom and Oil Spill

EDF R&D / LNHE, 6 quai Watier, 78400 Chatou, France

Abstract

One of the solutions to protect the coast against oil pollution after a ship wreck consists of using a boom. One expects the oil to be confined upstream of the boom skirt; however, turbulent stresses and gravity waves often allow the oil to go downstream of the boom. We investigated the possibility of studying the behaviour of an oil spill in the vicinity of a floating boom with the lagrangian numerical method smoothed particle hydrodynamics (sph). The fluids (water and oil) as well as the boom are made of particles moving together following equations of motion. Turbulent effects are also accounted for. We modelled a steady flow in an open channel and regular waves in a flume, in order to predict the possibility of oil leakage under or over the boom by entrainment or submersion. Our results reveal a fairly good agreement with experiments carried out at the leptab, as well as theoretical considerations.