Boom failure mechanisms: Comparison of channel experiments with computer modelling results

Abstract A large outdoor flowing water channel has been used to obtain experimental data on boom failure mechanisms. Oil containment and failure around a simple barrier has been observed for oil viscosities from 10 to 5600 cSt at relatively low flow velocities from 0.10 to 0.20 m/s. The centre line profiles of stable contained slicks have been measured and underwater videos of escaping oil have been made when the barrier failed. These experiments have been duplicated with a computational fluid dynamics model of the channel and barrier, and satisfactory agreement between the simulated and the experimental measurements has been obtained. The study indicates that computer simulations of these complex processes can be used to obtain data about failure mechanisms that would be difficult to measure experimentally.