Modeling of Vertical Transport of Hydrocarbons of Crude Oil Spills in Non-Convective Water Bodies Supported by Suspended Sediments: Case of Parts of the Nigerian Niger Delta Mangrove Swamps

Abstract

Crude oil spill is a major source of water pollution. In water with wave and tides, the environment could be self-cleansed. This kind of environment has enjoyed tremendous research attention over the years with plethora of models available for the forecasting, monitoring and management of residual petroleum presence in imparted environments. On the other hand, parts of the Nigerian Niger Delta mangrove swamp contain stagnant water with suspended sediments. The heavy load of suspended sediments has the capacity to adsorb oil and dissolved hydrocarbon components. This paper reports on the development of models for the vertical transport and concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbon components at different strata of the water column by suspended sediments adsorption using governing equations of transport and mass transfer. The developed models were validated with data obtained from simulated stagnant water that was polluted with crude oil.