On the response of 500 gal propane tanks to a 25% engulfing fire

This paper presents detailed data on the thermal response of two 500 gal ASME code propane tanks that were 25% engulfed in a hydrocarbon fire. These tests were done as part of an overall test programme to study thermal protection systems for propane-filled railway tank-cars.

The fire was generated using an array of 25 liquid propane-fuelled burners. This provided a luminous fire that engulfed 25% of the tank surface on one side. The intent of these tests was to model a severe partially engulfing fire situation.

The paper presents data on the tank wall and lading temperatures and tank internal pressure. In the first test the wind reduced the fire heating and resulted in a late failure of the tank at 46 min. This tank failed catastrophically with a powerful boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE). In the other test, the fire heating was very severe and steady and this tank failed very quickly in 8 min as a finite rupture with massive two-phase jet release. The reasons for these different outcomes are discussed. The different failures provide a range of realistic outcomes for the subject tank and fire condition.     

On the thermal rupture of 1.9 m propane pressure vessels with defects in their thermal protection system

This paper describes the results from a series of fire tests that were carried out to measure the effect of defects in thermal protection systems on fire engulfed propane pressure vessels.

In North America thermal protection is used to protect dangerous goods rail tank-cars from accidental fire impingement. They are designed so that a tank-car will not rupture for 100 min in a defined engulfing fire, or 30 min in a defined torching fire. One common system includes a 13 mm blanket of high-temperature ceramic fibre thermal insulation covered with a 3 mm steel jacket. Recent inspections have shown that some tanks have significant defects in these thermal protection systems. This work was done to establish what levels of defect are acceptable from a safety standpoint.

The tests were conducted using 1890 l (500 US gallon) ASME code propane pressure vessels (commonly called tanks in the propane industry). The defects tested covered 8% and 15% of the tank surface. The tanks were 25% engulfed in a fire that simulated a hydrocarbon pool fire with an effective blackbody temperature of 870 °C.

The fire testing showed that even relatively small defects can result in tank rupture if the defect area is engulfed in a severe fire, and the defect area is not wetted by liquid from the inside. A wall failure prediction technique based on uniaxial high-temperature stress rupture test data has been developed and agrees well with the observed failure times.     

火龙果果皮色素的提取及稳定性研究

研究了火龙果果皮色素提取的最佳条件、提取液的稳定性和各种添加剂对提取液稳定性的影响。     

二甲亚砜热稳定性的实验研究

采用先进的绝热加速量热仪为手段,对二甲亚砜的热稳定性进行了系统研究,其内容涉及纯二甲亚砜的热稳定性、加酸碱和硫化物等杂质后二甲亚砜的热稳定性,包括初始放热温度、温升速率、温度-压力等;通过修正试验数据,消除了热惰性因子的影响;得到了二甲亚砜的热稳定性特性。研究表明,在酸、碱存在时,二甲亚砜在室温下即可发生强烈的放热反应,导致二甲亚砜的分解温度提前。该实验研究结果,对二甲亚砜的安全生产工艺过程控制具有重要参考价值。     

地震条件下尾矿坝稳定性分析

坝体稳定性不足引起的溃坝事件是尾矿库常见的一种病患。本文以某尾矿库为工程背景，运用拟静力法分析了尾矿坝在地震条件下的稳定性，运用理正岩土软件对其结果进行必要的校核，得出影响运用该方法计算尾矿坝地震稳定性精确性的重要因素——超空隙水压力变化值，该变化值主要由坝体材料渗透性决定，在此基础上提出了相应的安全对策。     

采空区对地表稳定性的影响

为了考虑采矿空区对地表拟建建筑物的影响,采用先进的ANSYS大型有限元计算程序,计算了某采矿空区对地表稳定性的影响.所得结果不仅可以为拟建结构提供必要的地表变形参数,而且为认识采矿空区地表变形机理提供了技术思路.     

非饱和土边坡稳定的安全分析及进展

笔者基于基质吸力和土抗剪强度之间的关系和非饱和土力学理论 ,以基质吸力问题为中心 ,通过工程实例对影响非饱和土边坡滑动的各种内在及外界因素进行了参数分析 ,尤其对降雨入渗和裂隙影响的定量分析新进展进行了研究。研究结果表明 :非饱和土边坡稳定分析应加强考虑基质吸力对抗剪强度的折减影响 ,修正极限平衡方法对考虑降雨入渗 ,裂隙影响及暂态渗流的非饱和土边坡稳定性研究具有工程意义和实用价值。     

Lyapounov理论在矿井通风系统稳定性分析中的应用

当矿井通风系统的特征参数发生变化时,矿井通风系统的风流状态也会发生变化,这些变化是否会影响矿井通风系统的稳定工作,对这个问题进行研究有利于确保安全生产.本文根据Lyapounov稳定性理论对矿井通风系统的稳定性进行分析,得到矿井通风系统在其正常的工作区段,系统特征参数发生一定的变化时,其状态是稳定的;当变化超过一定的界限后,系统变得不稳定,不利于系统正常功能的实现.     

旧路改造工程路堤稳定性安全监测方案设计

本文从旧路改造工程的特点出发,通过室内实验获取土力学参数并对沉降量进行预测计算.利用沉降仪、测斜管、孔隙水压力计、土压力盒等多种测试仪器,选取有代表性的观测断面,对经过土工格栅加筋处理的软土地基进行了高路堤施工期间的沉降与稳定观测,并提出适合工程特点的控制标准.从而达到控制路堤稳定、检验填筑质量、控制差异沉降、为路面施工提供技术支持的目的.     

Why social values cannot be changed for the sake of conservation

The hope for creating widespread change in social values has endured among conservation professionals since early calls by Aldo Leopold for a “land ethic.” However, there has been little serious attention in conservation to the fields of investigation that address values, how they are formed, and how they change. We introduce a social–ecological systems conceptual approach in which values are seen not only as motivational goals people hold but also as ideas that are deeply embedded in society's material culture, collective behaviors, traditions, and institutions. Values define and bind groups, organizations, and societies; serve an adaptive role; and are typically stable across generations. When abrupt value changes occur, they are in response to substantial alterations in the social–ecological context. Such changes build on prior value structures and do not result in complete replacement. Given this understanding of values, we conclude that deliberate efforts to orchestrate value shifts for conservation are unlikely to be effective. Instead, there is an urgent need for research on values with a multilevel and dynamic view that can inform innovative conservation strategies for working within existing value structures. New directions facilitated by a systems approach will enhance understanding of the role values play in shaping conservation challenges and improve management of the human component of conservation.