Laboratory study of sulfuric acid spill characteristics pertaining to maritime accidents

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 16; no. 9; pp. 587 - 593
• Main Authors: Tang, Ignatius N, Wong, Wing T, Munkelwitz, Harry R, Flessner, Michael F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 01.09.1982
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es00103a010

Several marine acid-spill accidents are hypothesized and laboratory experiments are described which simulated two different types, convective mixing of concentrated sulphuric acid with water and instantaneous surface spills of oleum. A mathematical model was developed to describe the first type and it is shown that the buoyancy force arising from changing acid concentration and the heat of dilution are the main factors governing dispersion . In the case of oleum spills dense clouds of acid aerosols have been formed which are well within the respirable particle size range. The fraction of airborne acid, however, decreases rapidly with increasing depth of release below the surface. The difference in scale between these experiments and actual marine spills emphasize the need for field trials.