Continued development of a test for fire booms in waves and flames

The durability of a fire resistant boom and its ability to contain oil during an in situ burn without creating any environmental damage as a result of the burning crude was evaluated. The screening test included four stages: (1) the pre-burn wave stress stage, where the test boom was flexed under tension in waves to simulate deployment of the boom and transit to the spill site, (2) the burn in wave stage, where the test boom was exposed to waves and repeated on hourly cycles of a propane gas fire to simulate oil burning operations, (3) the post-burn wave stress stage, where the test boom was again flexed under tension in waves to simulate retrieval of the boom, and (4) the oil-containment stage, where the ability of the boom to contain thick pools of hot oil was assessed. Three recommendations were made after the test program: (1) increase the heat generated by fire, (2) increase the tension on the boom, and (4) improve the data acquisition system. 10 refs., 10 tabs., 13 figs