A model of liquid releases from a submerged vessel

This paper presents an application of fluid mechanics in calculating the leakage of a fluid from a vessel submerged in a river, lake or the ocean. A model is developed to determine leakage due to changes of gravity and pressure forces caused by movements of the vessel or waves at the surface. The equations in the model are solved analytically, and the solution is tested for the sensitivity of its predictions to the variation of input data. The model's predictions of discharges due to differences in hydrostatic pressure are verified with experimental data. Finally, the model is applied to a known case of gasoline leakage from an overturned barge in a river.