Surface Water Droplet Size Distribution Instrument - Laboratory Validation, Tank Deployment, and Field Evaluation

Sep 30, 2026

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A final report evaluates the performance of three surface oil droplet size distribution (DSD) instruments—LISST-Black, Towed SilCam, and ShadowGraph—across laboratory, wave tank, and field scales. Monitoring dispersant use on surface oil slicks under SMART and Subpart J requirements is the study context, including measurement and reporting of DSD. Laboratory validation in water tanks at NJIT uses polyethylene microspheres with multiple bead sizes to quantify instrument outputs and reliability for repeatable data acquisition.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages74

Reading Time3 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Instrument concepts and roles

Project goal and testing scales

Laboratory validation approach

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Oil Spill Preparedness Division Surface Water Droplet Size Distribution Instrument Laboratory Validation, Tank Deployment, and Field Evaluation Final Report December 2024 Michel Boufadel, Wen Ji, Zhaonian Qu, and Ruixue Liu Surface Water Droplet Size Distribution Instrument Laboratory Validation, Tank Deployment, and Field Evaluation Draft Final Report OSRR \# 1156 © 2024 Copyright holder December 2024 Authors: Michel Boufadel New Jersey Institute of Technology Wen Ji New Jersey Institute of Technology Zhaonian Qu New Jersey Institute of Technology Ruixue Liu New Jersey Institute of Technology Prepared under 140E0123R0007 By New Jersey Institute of Technology 323 DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD, NEWARK, NJ 07102 DISCLAIMER Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the US Department of the Interior (DOI.), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Oil Spill Preparedness Division (OSPD), Sterling, VA, under Contract Number 140E0123C0007 . This report has been technically reviewed by BSEE, and it has been approved for publication. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the US Government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. REPORT AVAILABILITY The PDF file for this report is available through the following sources. Click on the URL and enter the appropriate search term to locate the PDF: | Document Source | Search Term | URL | | --- | --- | --- | | Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)
U.S. Department of the Interior Library
National Technical Reports Library
[DOI.org](DOI.org) Foundation | Project Number – 1156
Surface Water Droplet Size Distribution Instrument Laboratory Validation, Tank Deployment, and Field Evaluation | [https://www.bsee.gov/what-we-do/research/oil-](https://www.bsee.gov/what-we-do/research/oil-) | | | | spill-preparedness/oil-spill-response-research [https://library.doi.gov/uhtbin/cgisirsi/?ps=8L0m](https://library.doi.gov/uhtbin/cgisirsi/?ps=8L0m) | | | | pW5uPV/SIRSI/X/60/495/X | | | Surface Water Droplet Size Distribution Instrument | [https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/](https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/) | | | Laboratory Validation, Tank | | | | Deployment, and Field | | | | Evaluation
Surface Water Droplet Size Distribution Instrument Laboratory Validation, Tank Deployment, and Field Evaluation | [https://doi.org/10.70149/0000001156](https://doi.org/10.70149/0000001156) | Sources: a) BSEE (2019), b) DOI [2021], c) National Technical Information Service (2021) CITATION Boufadel, M.C., Ji, W., Qu, Z., and Liu, R. (NJIT, Newark NJ), 2024. Surface Water Droplet Size Distribution Instrument Laboratory Validation, Tank Deployment, and Field Evaluation. Sterling (VA): US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. 63 p. Contract No.: 140E0123C0007. [https://doi.org/10.70149/0000001156](https://doi.org/10.70149/0000001156) ABOUT THE COVER Cover image by Ann Slaughter. OSPR Project 1156 – “Surface Water Droplet Size Distribution Instrument Laboratory Validation, Tank Deployment, and Field Evaluation”. The surface monitoring kit shakedown test at Raritan Bay, New Jersey. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was funded by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) . GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Monitoring the use of dispersants on surface oil slicks has been an element of oil spill response in the US since the 1990s. The monitoring has been performed under the guidance of the Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies (SMART) protocols that were developed by multiple Federal agencies and managed by the National Response Team (NRT) . The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) released a new Rule specifyi

FAQs

What is the purpose of this final report?

To evaluate the performance of the LISST-Black, Towed SilCam, and ShadowGraph camera for measuring oil droplet size distribution in oil spill response across lab, tank, and field settings.

Why is droplet size distribution measurement important in dispersant monitoring?

Because dispersant use monitoring under SMART protocols and Subpart J monitoring requirements includes measuring and reporting droplet size distribution of both oil and dispersed oil.

How were the instruments validated in the laboratory?

Laboratory tests were conducted at NJIT in a water tank using polyethylene microspheres across multiple selected bead sizes, tested individually to support validation of instrument measurement outputs.

Sep 30, 2026

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