Continuous-flow apparatus for use in petroleum bioassay

A system was designed for long-term bioassay of dispersed petroleum derivative, with samll amounts of insoluble material, in stable seawater concentration. The system permits simultaneous development of long-term biological indicators of oil contamination and a standardized, sensitive set of analytical methods. A description is given of the device which continuously extracts dispersed No. 2 fuel oil derivative in seawater. Illustrations are shown of the fuel oil dispersion and bioassay apparatus, the mariotte bottle used for metering fuel oil, the separation devices, and the dispersion metering tank. Distinguishable concentrations were obtained and maintained over the 96-h test periods for the various dispersed oil dilutions, thus demonstrating the feasibility of the system.