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Behavior of Oil

Estimating the amount of oil leaked from T/B Rhode Island


NOAA/HAZMAT's ADIOS II leaking tank model was used to estimate the amount of oil that
could have leaked from the barge.


The following assumptions were used to initialize the model:

Tanks dimensions:  60 feet by 25 feet by 12 feet

Volume of oil in the tank: 5600 bbls

Hole size : 6 inches by 1.5 inches

Hole location: 5 feet above the bottom of the tank

Water level: 15 feet above the bottom of the tank.


Results:

Base on the assumptions, the maximum amount lost was 1200 bbls  over approximately 7
hours.


The accuracy of this value is unknown because of the following:

The actual tank dimensions and shape are different than the rectangular tank shape
required to run the model.


The model does not take into account the pour point of the oil which is less than the
water temperature.


The exact size and shape of the hole is different than 6 inches by 1.5 inches used in the
model.