Two-dimensional numerical simulation for transport and fate of oil spills in seas

In this study, a description of a two layers model for simulating oil spills in seas has been given. This model considers the oil in seas as consisting of surface oil slick and suspended oil droplets entrained over the depth of the flow. The model is based on the particle approach. The amount of oil released in seas is distributed among a large number of particles tracked individually. They are driven by water current and wind-induced speed when they are on the water surface and turbulent diffusion is also taken into account following a random walk technique. The model includes many significant processes: advection, surface spreading, evaporation, dissolution, emulsification, turbulent diffusion, the interaction of oil slick with the shoreline, sedimentation and the temporal variations of oil viscosity, density, surface-tension, etc. Sample simulations for oil spill in the Bohai Sea are presented. (author)