A proposed new ASTM standard will provide a lab test to determine how various types of oil will interact with water in oil spill situations. Information gleaned from such testing will ultimately lead to more effective oil spill recovery.

All interested parties are welcome to join in the ongoing development of the standard (WK41247, Test Method for the Evaluation of the Stability of Water-in-Oil Mixtures Formed from Crude Oil and Petroleum Products Mixed with Saline Water) through ASTM’s subcommittee on surveillance and tracking (F20.16). People working in standard oil analysis are particularly encouraged to participate.

Predicting facets of oil behavior is an essential component of understanding the nature of oil spills involving crude oils and petroleum products. One such behavior is emulsification, when oil picks up water and retains it for a period of time. ASTM member Mervin Fingas notes that water-in-oil emulsions, which are often called “chocolate mousse” by oil spill workers, can make oil spill clean-up difficult. When such emulsions form, the physical properties of oil change dramatically, turning a liquid product into a heavy, semi-solid material that cannot be easily removed with ordinary spill recovery equipment.

To purchase standards, visit www.astm.org and search by the standard designation, or contact ASTM Customer Relations (tel +1.877.909.ASTM; sales@astm.org). ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN.

For more news in this sector, visit www.astm.org/sn-environmental.

ASTM Committee F20 on Hazardous Substances and Oil Spill Response Next Meeting: Oct. 27-28, 2015, October committee week, Tampa, Fla.
Technical Contact: Mervin Fingas, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, tel +1.780.989.6059; fingasmerv@shaw.ca
ASTM Staff Contact: Jeffrey Adkins, tel +1.610.832.9738; jadkins@astm.org
ASTM PR Contact: Nathan Osburn, tel +1.610.832.9603; nosburn@astm.org

Release #9772