Lessons learned from recent incidents: Facility siting, atmospheric venting, and operator information systems

Recent incidents have focused attention on a number of technical and management systems that need to be addressed by industry. A multiple layer of protection approach is essential for the prevention of incidents and/or reduction of consequences. Safety culture and operational discipline are the overall embracing factors that influence the safety performance of a facility. However, as recent events have indicated, there are a number of technical and engineering issues that must also be developed and implemented appropriately. Some of these issues that could lead to incidents with catastrophic consequences include facility siting and atmospheric relief venting. Impact of operator information systems on the prevention of releases of hazardous materials from their containment is also another significant factor that should be given appropriate attention.

This paper describes these three topics based on the findings from recent incidents and historical data. Engineering standards, regulatory requirements, and industry practices are discussed for facility siting, atmospheric relief venting, and operator information systems. Finally, a summary of gaps and needs in technology, standards, and practices is presented.     

Preferential flow path development and its influence on long-term PRB performance: column study

The operating life of an Fe(0)-based permeable reactive barrier (PRB) is limited due to chemical reactions of Fe(0) in groundwater. The relative contributions from mineral precipitation, gas production, and microbial activity to the degradation of PRB performance have been uncertain. In this controlled field study, nitrate-rich, site groundwater was treated by Fe(0) in large-volume, flow-through columns to monitor the changes in chemical and hydraulic parameters over time. Tracer tests showed a close relationship between hydraulic residence time and pH measurements. The ionic profiles suggest that mineral precipitation and accumulation is the primary mechanism for pore clogging around the inlet of the column. Accumulated N(2) gas generated by biotic processes also affected the hydraulics although the effects were secondary to that of mineral precipitation. Quantitative estimates indicate a porosity reduction of up to 45.3% near the column inlet over 72 days of operation under accelerated flow conditions. According to this study, preferential flow through a PRB at a site with similar groundwater chemistry should be detected over approximately 1 year of operation. During the early operation of a PRB, pH is a key indicator for monitoring the change in hydraulic residence time resulting from heterogeneity development. If the surrounding native material is more conductive than the clogged Fe-media, groundwater bypass may render the PRB ineffective for treating contaminated groundwater.     

Deficit Irrigation Management of Maize in the High Plains Aquifer Region: A Review

Irrigated agriculture is a major economic contributor of the High Plains Region and it primarily relies on the High Plains Aquifer as a source of water. Over time, areas of the High Plains Aquifer have experienced drawdowns limiting its ability to supply sufficient water to sustain fully irrigated crop production. This among other reasons, including variable climatic factors and differences in state water policy, has resulted in some areas adopting and practicing deficit irrigation management. Considerable research has been conducted across the High Plains Aquifer region to identify locally appropriate deficit irrigation strategies. This review summarizes and discusses research conducted in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, and Texas, as well as highlights areas for future research. Editor's note : This paper is part of the featured series on Optimizing Ogallala Aquifer Water Use to Sustain Food Systems. See the February 2019 issue for the introduction and background to the series.     

Test of a behavior-based individual-based model: response of shorebird mortality to habitat loss.

In behavior-based individual-based models (IBMs), demographic functions are emergent properties of the model and are not built into the model structure itself, as is the case with the more widely used demography-based IBMs. Our behavior-based IBM represents the physiology and behavioral decision making of individual animals and, from that, predicts how many survive the winter nonbreeding season, an important component of fitness. This paper provides the first test of such a model by predicting the change in winter mortality of a charadriid shorebird following removal of intertidal feeding habitat, the main effect of which was to increase bird density. After adjusting one calibration parameter to the level required to replicate the observed mortality rate before habitat loss, the model predicted that mortality would increase by 3.65%, which compares well with the observed increase of 3.17%. The implication that mortality was density-dependent was confirmed by predicting mortality over a range of bird densities. Further simulations showed that the density dependence was due to an increase in both interference and depletion competition as bird density increased. Other simulations suggested that an additional area of mudflat, equivalent to only 10% of the area that had been lost, would be needed by way of mitigation to return mortality to its original level. Being situated at a high shore level with the flow of water in and out impeded by inlet pipes, the mitigating mudflat would be accessible to birds when all mudflats in the estuary were covered at high tide, thus providing the birds with extra feeding time and not just a small replacement mudflat. Apart from providing the first, and confidence-raising, test of a behavior-based IBM, the results suggest (1) that the chosen calibration procedure was effective; (2) that where no new fieldwork is required, and despite being parameter rich, a behavior-based IBM can be parameterized quickly (few weeks), and thus cheaply, because so many of the parameter values can be obtained from the literature and are embedded in the model; and (3) that behavior-based IBMs can be used to explore system behavior (e.g., the role of depletion competition and interference competition in density-dependent mortality).     

Evaluation and assessment of environmental protection alternatives for the Jeddah cement company plant

An environmental impact assessment is conducted by utilizing monitoring, meteorological, and physical modeling data. This information serves as input to a decision analysis of the environmental protection alternatives for the cement plant in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Utility theory provides the methodology underlying the Evaluation and Sensivity Analysis Program (ESAP) with which the alternatives are evaluated. Recommendation include: (1) installation of electrostatic precipitators of at least 99% efficiency, (2) institution of a 1.6 km nonresidential zone given the present 60 m chimneys, and (3) substitution of low sulphur fuel for the crude oil now consumed. By illustration this study suggests the general relevance of the ESAP program to environmental assessment and management.     

氮肥:迎接当代挑战

商业氮肥以8170万t之巨,约占现今所有抵达地球耕地氮肥的50%,至少给40%的人口提供了基本的食物需求.摆在我们面前的挑战是,继续帮助满足那种需求,而又要通过改善氮肥利用效率把对环境的负面影响减到最小.在美国,玉米上的氮肥效率在近20年里提高了30%以上,但在玉米和其它作物上尚有潜力可挖.在大多数亚洲国家目前的氮肥效率和生产率比北美一般要低,但他们正在做出努力加以改进.化肥工业认识到在满足人类现今和将来的基本需求方面它所担负的关键角色.它已准备好迎接新的挑战,采用新的实践和技术来提高效率,并以此不仅支持人类生命而且改善人们生活的质量.     

福建尤溪肖板金矿控矿构造特征及其对矿化的控制

肖板金矿床控矿构造是在变质岩构造基础上发育起来的蒲洋变质核杂岩构造之北西侧的剥离构造－低角度正断层系，具有产状平缓、延伸稳定、明显穿切变质岩片理等特征，为以压扭性为主的韧脆性变形，上盘向北西运动，构造岩以千枚岩或构造片岩为主。低角度断层是重要的储矿构造，其控制了矿体的形态、产状、规模和分布，其压扭性力学性质决定了交代为主的矿化蚀变类型，而且在成矿过程中也起到地球化学界面作用。     

南充市水土流失成因分析及防治对策

本文阐述了南充市主要土壤类型及水土流失的特点,分析了自然因素、人为因素对土壤侵蚀的影响,着重对降雨量、地形坡度与土壤侵蚀量之间的关系进行了回归分析,并在此基础上提出了防治水土流失的一些建议.     

Groundwater flow velocities in karst aquifers; importance of spatial observation scale and hydraulic testing for contaminant transport prediction

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - We review scale dependence of hydraulic conductivities and effective porosities for prediction of contaminant transport in four UK karst aquifers....     

Climate-Smart Design for Ecosystem Management: A Test Application for Coral Reefs

Environmental Management - The interactive and cumulative impacts of climate change on natural resources such as coral reefs present numerous challenges for conservation planning and management....