Modeling the fate of drilling waste in marine environment - an overview

The fate of drilling waste discharged in a receiving water body has been modeled considering various processes and using different concepts and approaches since the past three decades. However, the present literature survey revealed that no fully validated drilling waste discharge model exists that elaborately describes all principles and processes in an appropriate mathematical framework. The transport of drilling waste in the marine environment, a complex process, is still only partially understood. Review of available modeling works suggests that integration of the existing concepts and approaches can develop a more reliable prediction model. The salient features of such a model are summarized in this review. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.