The various factors affecting the performance of oil spill dispersants have been studied in the laboratory using a simple test to emulsify the oil in the water. The observations have been confirmed by spraying oil onto the sea followed by overspraying with dispersant.
It was found that viscosity of the oil or mousse was the main limitation that influenced the droplet size distribution. Energy of agitation had a minor effect but there was no evidence that the “self-mix” dispersants required less energy for adequate dispersion.
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