Researchers have demonstrated that controlled fire whirls can remove oil from spills more quickly and with reduced emissions than standard burning techniques.
A team from Texas A&M University and the University of California, Berkeley, conducted large-scale tests at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Brayton Fire Training Field. They generated a nearly 17-foot-tall fire whirl over a 1.5-meter pool of crude oil floating on water. The spinning flames consumed up to 95 percent of the oil and burned it about 40 percent faster than conventional in-situ burns, according to the study published in the journal Fuel. Soot emissions dropped by 40 percent. Dr. Elaine Oran of Texas A&M University said the approach draws in more oxygen to create hotter, more efficient combustion. She noted that fire whirls must operate in a narrow set of conditions to reach peak performance. The work was supported by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Researchers aim to develop portable systems that could generate fire whirls on demand during future spills.