As offshore hydrocarbon exploration moves into deeper and more remote waters, the uncertainties associated with the safe development and production from strata located more than 3,050 m (10,000 ft) below the seafloor increase significantly. These challenges are found in the subsurface—like extreme reservoir temperatures, pressures and fluids—or in manmade equipment and materials. And every year—like countless spring breakers before her—Mother Nature finds the Gulf Coast in the summer months to be the perfect vacation destination. Unfortunately, she packs an impressive one-two combination of tropical storms and hurricanes that can leave offshore engineering marvels punch drunk and their operators with nasty hangovers. If only we could find some way to accurately divine the future to prevent and respond to such challenges.

While it is no crystal ball, the Blowout and Spill Occurrence Model (BLOSOM) can provide operators with a glimpse into the future by helping visualize the “what if” scenarios that often crop up in an offshore project. It also can help in the response effort should a hydrocarbon release event occur.

BLOSOM—created by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)—is an integrated system designed to simulate offshore oil spills resulting from deepwater and ultradeepwater well blowouts. BLOSOM assists with risk assessment, can help prevent future hydrocarbon spills and serves as a comprehensive tool for response planning, according to the NETL-issued project fact sheet.

BLOSOM is a part of the DOE’s integrated risk-assessment modeling effort of offshore hydrocarbon systems to help reduce uncertainty and improve science-based decision-making for stakeholders involved in offshore E&P.

As noted on the fact sheet, BLOSOM provides a flexible suite of modeling tools designed to work together as a single system, taking into account the multiple environmental uncertainties associated with deepwater and ultradeepwater environments and blowouts. The components are designed to be explicitly 3-D and use equations best suited for high-pressure environments while maintaining the flexibility to operate with limited or highly uncertain data.

Information about BLOSOM and NETL’s Offshore Resources Portfolio can be found at edx.netl.doe.gov/offshore/.

BLOSOM is an integrated suite of modeling components. (Source: U.S. DOE's NETL)

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