Influence of thermal shock of piezoelectric pressure sensors on the measurement of explosion pressures

Piezoelectric pressure sensors are susceptible to changing temperatures, because resulting mechanical deformations of the sensor membrane and housing may exert a positive or negative force on the piezo crystal, thus changing the reading of this sensor. The consideration and compensation of this influence quantity is a frequent topic of many investigations in the field of combustion chambers, of spark-ignition engines and internal combustion engines. However, this is not the case in the field of the type of protection “flameproof enclosures”. Here a peculiarity is the fast temperature rise during a single explosion and the concurrent influence of the temperature gradient, which is often described as thermal shock. The whole event has a typical duration time of the order of seconds and less. Thermal shocks have so far received little attention, as was also a lesson learnt from the evaluation of an interlaboratory comparison between Ex testing laboratories. The laboratories handle thermal shock in a variety of ways, starting from complete ignorance up to various sophisticated coatings. This was a main source of different results within the field of participants. This work evaluates the behavior of different piezoelectric pressure sensor types with respect to thermal shock. Different temperature protection measures are investigated regarding their functionality, practicability and stability. Possible influences on the sensitivity of the sensors due to the used protective measures regarding thermal shock are shown. The transient temperature load of the sensor membrane is estimated by physical calculations as well as numerical analysis based on surface temperature measurements transformed in a surface heat flux density. This work provides guidelines for typical end-users in the field of flameproof enclosures how to handle thermal shock correctly.     

Peculiar effect of acylamino and cyan groups on thermal behavior of 2-(1-cyano-1-methylethyl)azocarboxamide

2-(1-Cyano-1-methylethyl)azocarboxamide (CABN) is a representative of new-type azo initiator in the radical polymerization industry. The peculiar water and oil soluble characters make it a versatile rising star for the industry to initiate the polymerization of monomers in either polar or nonpolar solvents based continuous phases. This paper decodes the effect of acylamino and cyan groups on thermal stability and hazards of CABN via advanced thermokinetic analysis and numerical simulation. Initially, simultaneous thermogravimetric analyzer was employed to evaluate the thermal stability of CABN and its two structurally similar azo compounds (azos), azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and azodicarbonamide (AC). Followed with calorimetric experiments by differential scanning calorimetry, the effect of two functional groups on thermal behavior parameters, such as decomposition temperature, melting point, and heat of decomposition was estimated. The results indicated that the acylamino group can improve the thermal stability of CABN but with bulkier heat release. Ultimately, through the medium of thermokinetic analysis, the thermal hazard of AIBN, CABN, and AC was simulated based on auto-ignition and thermal explosion theory. The research results would provide references for the synthesis of new-type azo initiators and process safety parameters to the polymerization industry.     

Effect of initial pressure on the lower explosion limit of nicotinic acid/acetone mixture

In the work presented in this paper, the effect of initial pressure on the lower explosion limit (LEL) of the hybrid nicotinic acid/acetone mixture was investigated through standard explosion tests carried out in the 20 L sphere. From experimental results, the flammability diagram was built in the plane (concentration/minimum explosive concentration) of nicotinic acid versus (concentration/LEL) of acetone. Interestingly, it has been found that, in going from low pressures (P < 1 atm) to high pressures (P > 1 atm), the extension of the flammability region increases. This behavior has been attributed to the fact that the turbulence kinetic energy (and thus the energy dissipation) decreases with increasing initial pressure. Bartknecht's correlation for LEL of hybrid mixtures was modified to take into account the effect of pressure, and two correlations were obtained able to give satisfactory predictions of experimental data at both low pressures and high pressures.     

Explosion of solvent vapor in a ring partition of the floating roof

The relative importance of the vapor cloud explosion (VCE) hazard has grown in recent years. Many of large disasters were attributed to the VCE. This article introduced an explosion accident of solvent vapor in a ring partition of floating roof in detail. Source of explosive materials and ignition reason were analyzed, and the blast equivalency in ring partition was estimated in the specific conditions. The case would provide a reference for preventing the similar accident.     

Experimental and theoretical research on the inhibition performance of ethanol gasoline/air explosion by C6F12O

The safety issue of ethanol gasoline and the methods to control or weaken its explosion have attracted attention. To clarify the effect of C₆F₁₂O (perfluoro(2-methyl-3-pentanone)) on the explosion of ethanol gasoline-air mixtures and intrinsic mechanism, the explosion overpressure and flame propagation behavior under different equivalence ratios (φ = 0.6–0.8) and C₆F₁₂O concentrations (χ_inh = 0–4.0%) were experimentally obtained. The detailed inhibitor reaction process was also obtained by CHEMKIN based on a new assembly kinetic mechanism. The results show that the effects of C₆F₁₂O on the explosion characteristics of ethanol gasoline varied with χ_inh and φ. For rich flames, C₆F₁₂O is more effective than and heptafluoropropane (C₃HF₇) and nitrogen (N₂) in suppressing explosions; for lean and equivalence ratio flames, the addition of C₆F₁₂O may result in more severe explosions. The decrease in chemical reactivity is mainly because the mole fractions of OH and H radicals and the proportion of paths H radicals involved decrease after adding C₆F₁₂O, and R1500: CF₃COF + H = CF₃CO + HF, R965: CF₂:O + H = CF:O + HF, R863: CF₃ + H = CF₂ + HF are main suppressing reactions.     

4种硝酸酯热安定性的绝热试验研究

利用绝热加速量热仪(ARC)对硝酸正丙酯(NPN)、硝酸异丙酯(IPN)、太根(TEGDN)、敌根(DEGDN)4种硝酸酯的热稳定性进行了绝热试验研究,得到绝热放热曲线和热分解特征参数。分析了4种物质分解过程的特点,对测试结果进行了修正。计算得到动力学参数和自加速分解温度SADT,以此作为评估热安定性的判据。结果表明,4种硝酸酯在外界热作用下容易发生分解,反应速度较快,伴随明显的热效应和压力效应。4种硝酸酯的热安定性由好到差排序为:IPN、NPN、TEGDN、DEGDN。     

Effects of thickness profile and inner/outer of localized thin area defects on the remaining strength of pressure equipment

When encountering pressure equipment with a structural defect such as a local thinning defect (LTA), a critical question often arises regarding the safety of continued operation. This is primarily determined by the strength at the LTA zone, as it represents the weakest point of the structure. The remaining strength factor (RSF) is proposed as an indicator to evaluate the remaining strength and life of pressure equipment when a severe LTA is identified. The API 579/ASME FFS standard offers a series of practical engineering approaches for field engineers to follow, which have achieved great success. However, it has been found that the simpler Level 1 and Level 2 approaches sometimes fail to differentiate between LTAs on the inner or outer surface of the pressure equipment, yielding identical numerical processes and results. Moreover, the use of critical thickness profiles to replace the actual thickness profile in analysis can lead to overly optimistic estimation of the RSF, posing a potential danger when the RSF is close to the allowable limit. Key issues investigated in this study include: (a) discrepancies caused by the use of simplified critical thickness profiles or parabolic profiles, as API 579 suggested, on the RSF; (b) differences in RSFs when the same LTA is on the inner and outer wall; and (c) comparisons of membrane stress and bending stress, as well as their influences on the RSF at the cross-section of the vessel wall. It can be concluded with certainty that all simplified geometries (CTP and PTP) tend to underestimate the RSF and should be used with caution. Additionally, the actual remaining strength of the outer LTA was found to be slightly lower than that of the inner LTA of identical size. Therefore, when remaining life and derating for prolonged operation are of interest, finite element analysis on pressure equipment with the LTA is recommended.     

阻挡放电联合金属氧化物催化降解H2S的研究

采用介质阻挡放电联合金属氧化物催化降解气态H2S,考察了单组分及复合金属氧化物催化剂、催化剂与低温等离子体结合方式对H2S及副产物O3去除性能的影响,分析了等离子体联合Mn复合金属氧化物催化降解H2S机理。结果表明,金属负载量相同条件下,电压低于22kV时,Mn复合金属氧化物对H2S的催化活性高于单组分Mn金属氧化物,催化活性及对O3的分解能力从大到小依次为:Ag+Mn、Cu+Mn、Fe+Mn、Mn。当电压为18 kV时,Ag+Mn、Cu+Mn、Fe+Mn复合催化剂分别比单组分Mn催化剂对H2S的去除效率提高了近10%、6%、4%。等离子体后催化区域中Mn催化剂催化氧化H2S的效率明显低于等离子体催化区域。Mn催化剂在等离子体后催化区域中能有效催化分解O3。随着电压的升高,Mn金属氧化物在等离子体后催化区域对H2S催化作用逐渐增强。在电压22 kV时,等离子体联合后催化比单独等离子体作用时,H2S去除效率提高了近11%。     

聚苯乙烯泡沫芯材的燃烧特性及其在火灾事故原因调查中的应用

利用热解分析、热电偶束和ISO9705房屋/墙角等实验装置测试了彩钢板中聚苯乙烯泡沫(EPS)芯材的热解特性和水平方向的温度分布及整体板材的燃烧特性,结合某乳液公司冷库火灾事故原因调查,分析评价了EPS泡沫夹芯板的潜在和实际火灾危险性,证实了EPS芯材内部的燃烧和热传播为火灾蔓延的主要原因.     

Experimental investigation of the effect of occupant characteristics on contemporary seat belt payout behavior in frontal impacts

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the occupant characteristics on seat belt force vs. payout behavior based on experiment data from different configurations in frontal impacts.

Methods: The data set reviewed consists of 58 frontal sled tests using several anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) and postmortem human subjects (PMHS), restrained by different belt systems (standard belt, SB; force-limiting belt, FLB) at 2 impact severities (48 and 29 km/h). The seat belt behavior was characterized in terms of the shoulder belt force vs. belt payout behavior. A univariate linear regression was used to assess the factor significance of the occupant body mass or stature on the peak tension force and gross belt payout.

Results: With the SB, the seat belt behavior obtained by the ATDs exhibited similar force slopes regardless of the occupant size and impact severities, whereas those obtained by the PMHS were varied. Under the 48 km/h impact, the peak tension force and gross belt payout obtained by ATDs was highly correlated to the occupant stature (P =.03, P =.02) and body mass (P =.05, P =.04), though no statistical difference with the stature or body mass were noticed for the PMHS (peak force: P =.09, P =.42; gross payout: P =.40, P =.48). With the FLB under the 48 km/h impact, highly linear relationships were noticed between the occupant body mass and the peak tension force (R² = 0.9782) and between the gross payout and stature (R² = 0.9232) regardless of the occupant types.

Conclusions: The analysis indicated that the PMHS characteristics showed a significant influence on the belt response, whereas the belt response obtained with the ATDs was more reproducible. The potential cause included the occupant anthropometry, body mass distribution, and relative motion among body segments specific to the population variance. This study provided a primary data source to understand the biomechanical interaction of the occupant with the restraint system. Further research is necessary to consider these effects in the computational studies and optimized design of the restraint system in a more realistic manner.     

Importance of accounting for the piping system and boundary conditions in determining the maximum surge pressure following heat-exchanger tube-rupture

Shell-tube type heat exchangers are often used to exchange heat between a high-pressure fluid and a low-pressure fluid, and the pressure difference between the two fluids could be significantly high. If the difference in the design pressure between the low-pressure (LP) and high-pressure sides is greater than that covered by American Petroleum Institute (API 520 and 521) 10/13^th rule, dynamic analysis is required to ascertain that the maximum surge pressure that could be reached does not compromise the integrity of the LP side of the exchanger. API guidelines also notes that attention should also be given not only to the shell-side of the heat exchanger under evaluation, but also to the “upstream and downstream systems” This paper offers further insight into the importance of including the surrounding piping systems around the subject heat-exchanger where a tube-rupture scenario is considered, and also directs attention to the importance of correctly specifying the appropriate boundary conditions (B.C.) at the far ends of both the upstream and downstream piping systems. It demonstrates the effects of specifying different B.C. on the maximum pressure surge via a case study of a hot separator vapour condenser in a bitumen hydrotreating unit, where the process fluid on the tube-side is a vapour–liquid mixture at 9660 kPa(g). The vapour mass fraction of the process fluid is approximately 0.5, and is mostly hydrogen. The fluid on the LP side is cooling water connected to the plant supply and return cooling systems as well as another adjacent low pressure condenser. The design pressure for the cooling water piping system and the adjacent condenser is 1380 kPa(g).     

Documenting the sustainability of a mature Click It or Ticket program: the North Carolina experience

North Carolina was the first United States jurisdiction to implement a statewide program (called Click It or Ticket) coupling concentrated enforcement with massive publicity to increase seat belt use. After a successful pilot program in three very different North Carolina communities, the statewide program was launched in October 1993, and has been most active and productive as well as imitated by many other states over the past decade. This paper explores the combination of ingredients that have been employed and sustained over that period of time. These include: (a) a basic coalition of critical public-private agencies (central to the planning, execution, and publicity of the many Click It or Ticket programs); (b) critical top-down commitments (starting with the governor); (c) pervasive and innovative media events/press releases/ PSAs/ web site information; (d) vigorous and well-publicized law enforcement; (e) feedback on results with solid, updated data; (f) related statewide and local programs/activities; and last but not least (g) continuous funding.