Oils, fuels and lubricants are essential to operation of ships and watercraft in all branches of the Armed Forces. Oil-water mixtures generated on vessels ends up in bilgewater, compensated ballast tanks, or oily waste holding tanks. Detergents and shampoo also contribute to the complex composition of the waste streams. Formation of emulsions in shipboard wastewater streams challenges oil-water separator treatment systems, increases maintenance burdens, and adds to offloading costs. Knowledge of how oil/water emulsions are created, stabilized, or worsened in shipboard environments will assist the development of methodologies or technologies that can mitigate the formation and undesired consequences of shipboard emulsions. Development of new S&T approaches to improve separation technologies and prevent or mitigate emulsion formation can impact wastewater treatment effectiveness, waste fuel and oil holding capacities, and mission readiness. These speakers will address how fundamental studies support development of new strategies to minimize emulsion formation and maximize emulsion breaking, inform bilge management practices, and impact recommended chemicals for shipboard use.

Session Chair: Dr. Kathryn Wahl, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Introduction by Session Chair

Dr. Kathryn Wahl, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Emulsions and Treatment

Ms. Holly Nestle, Naval Sea Systems Command

Impact of Processing Route and Composition on Bilge Water Emulsion Formation and Stability

Dr. John Howarter, Purdue University

Macro- and Micro-Scale Flow in Oil-Water Emulsions

Dr. Cari Dutcher, University of Minnesota

Bilgewater Emulsion Characterization: from Model Systems to Real World Samples

Ms. Danielle Paynter, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division

Interfacial Structure of Emulsions

Dr. Lilo Pozzo, University of Washington

Thermodynamic and Kinetic Pathways to Emulsification

Dr. Manoj Chaudhury, Lehigh University