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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Microfluidic Devices for Characterizing Pore-scale Event Processes in Porous Media for Oil Recovery Applications
Published on: January 16, 2018
Three-dimensional oil dispersion model in the Campos Basin, Brazil
Bernardo Lopes Almeida de Oliveira1, Theodoro Antoun Netto1, Luiz Paulo de Freitas Assad1
1a Laboratório de Tecnologia Submarina , Programa de Engenharia Oceânica - COPPE/UFRJ , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
Abstract:
This paper presents the physical and mathematical formulation of a three-dimensional oil dispersion model that calculates the trajectory from the seafloor to the sea surface, its assumptions and constraints. It was developed by researchers who are familiar with oil spill dispersion and mathematical analysis. Oil dispersion is calculated through two computational routines. The first calculates the vertical dispersion along the water column and resamples the droplets when the oil reaches the surface. The second calculates the surface displacement of the spill. This model is based on the Eulerian approach, and it uses numerical solution schemes in time and in space to solve the equation for advective-diffusive transport. A case study based on an actual accident that happened in the Campos Basin, in Rio de Janeiro state, considering the instant spill of 1000 m3 was used to evaluate the proposed model. After calculating the vertical transport, it was estimated that the area covered by the oil spill on the surface was about 35,685 m². After calculating the dispersion at the surface, the plume area was estimated as 20% of the initial area, resulting in a final area of 28,548 m².
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