Modeling oil spills transportation in seas based on unstructured grid, finite-volume, wave-ocean model

A three-dimensional integrated model is developed for simulating transport and fate of oil spills in seas. The model contains two main modules, flow and transport-fate modules. The flow module uses an unstructured finite-volume wave-ocean coupling model. Using unstructured meshes provides great flexibility for modeling the flow in complex geometries of tidal creeks, barriers and islands, with refined grid resolution in regions of interest and not elsewhere. In the transport-fate module the oil dispersion is solved using a particle-tracking method. Horizontal diffusion is simulated using random walk techniques in a Monte Carlo framework, whereas the vertical diffusion process is solved on the basis of the Langeven equation. The model simulates the most significant processes that affect the motion of oil particles, such as advection, surface spreading, evaporation, dissolution, emulsification and turbulent diffusion as well as the interaction of the oil particles with the shoreline, sedimentation and the temporal variations of oil viscosity, density and surface-tension. Detailed comparisons of simulations with analytical solutions and numerical simulations made with the popular structured finite difference model ROMS (the Regional Ocean Modeling System) for two idealized cases: wind-induced long-surface gravity waves in a circular lake and freshwater discharge onto the continental shelf with curved coastlines, are presented. With a better fit to the curvature of the coastline using unstructured nonoverlapping triangle grid cells, the developed model system provides improved numerical accuracy in simulating the oil spill trajectory. Also keep in mind that attention must be paid to choose the horizontal and vertical resolution in simulating the oil trajectory in the coastal ocean.

Research highlights
► The flow module uses an unstructured finite-volume wave-ocean coupling model.
► Compared with the analytical solutions and the structured finite model ROMS.
► Choose suitable horizontal and vertical resolution in simulating the oil trajectory.
► Developed model provides improved numerical accuracy in oil spill-simulation.