A smaller-scale experiment to study the physics of spray

Everyone should respect the power of the ocean on a stormy day. One measure of the energy present in a stormy sea state is the amount and trajectory of the spray. Spray is present in the middle of the ocean with waves alone. And waves on the ocean surface interacting with solid objects create complex and visually spectacular patterns of spray. The solid object can be a breakwater, drilling rig, or a ship. Another spray-related case is the presence of large industrial tanks of liquid, and often dangerous liquids, which exist throughout the world. Dangerous liquid chemicals were stored since there was no environmentally safe way to dispose of them. There is still no safe way to deal with some of these chemicals but now the storage tanks are old and beginning to fail. A breach in such a tank can be catastrophic. Recent experience has shown, that when such tanks burst, the resulting spray may shoot several hundreds of meters from the tank—distances that are not readily explained. These tanks often have a wall or dam (containment barrier) surrounding them in an attempt to contain a violent breach or leakage. When the tank bursts it is akin to the dam-break problem. A wall of water rushes forth and impinges on the barrier creating spray. Experiments discussed will include tank experiments that closely model the bursting tank case. But the focus of the talk is a new smaller-scale experiment that attempts to identify some of the fundamental mechanisms of spray formation.