Influence of Water Turbulence on Burning Behavior of Thin Fuel Slick

This experimental study analyses the burning behavior of a thin n-dodecane fuel slick, floating on the water sublayer under varying turbulence intensity. An experimental platform simulating surface turbulence below a burning fuel slick is described in the study. Turbulence is created using a submerged axisymmetric jet pointing upwards, resulting in an isotropic regime in the horizontal plane. Turbulence intensity is studied as a parameter comparable to ocean conditions, with a fuel slick of 5 mm considered for the experiments. The corresponding fluctuating component of turbulent velocity lies in the range of 0 cm/s to 4.2 cm/s. The change in turbulent boundary condition below the burning fuel slick results in a 44% decrease in the mass burning rate of the fuel compared to the no turbulence case. A model is developed to predict the heat transfer coefficient by validating the measured fuel temperatures. The model results show an increase in the heat transfer coefficient by the water layer with the increase in turbulence intensity, thus justifying the convective cooling effect of surface turbulence.