Title:

Validation Testing for Commercial-Off-the-Shelf Acoustic Sensor for Oil Spills

Underwater acoustic sensing shows promise in being a reliable way to detect oil and its thickness in aquatic environments. The goal of this project is to assess the precision and accuracy of an AQUAscat 1000R commercial off the shelf (COTS) acoustic sensor in detecting marine diesel floating on the water’s surface during emergency response situations. Responders need to know the oil’s thickness to determine the type of clean-up technique to use. Experimentation included 13 slicks of thicknesses ranging from 550um to 5500um of both marine diesel and MC20 crude oil. Slick thicknesses achieved during the protocol were determined using the Coastal Response Research Center’s RGB overhead camera and ImageJ software. Based on current data analysis, the AQUAscat 1000R shows promise in being able to identify marine diesel slick thicknesses in controlled laboratory experimentation. Further analysis of MC20 data that was collected will be conducted to determine if the AQUAscat 1000R was able to precisely and accurately detect its slick thicknesses during the experiments. Next steps in this project include sound speed and density analysis using an oscilloscope, more oil types, and detecting oil under ice, with non-stationary surfaces, and while oil is dispersing. Additionally, findings will be reported to the US Coast Guard responders regarding potential use of ROV and AUV mounted COTS for determining slick thicknesses during spills.

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