Assessing the hazards from a BLEVE and minimizing its impacts using the inherent safety concept

Many worlds' major process industry accidents are due to BLEVE such as at Feyzin, France, 1966 and San Juan Ixhuatepec, Mexico City, 1984. One of the approaches to eliminate or minimize such accidents is by the implementation of inherently safer design concept. This concept is best implemented where the consequence of BLEVE can be evaluated at the preliminary design stage, and necessary design improvements can be done as early as possible. Thus, the accident could be avoided or minimized to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) without resorting to a costly protective system. However, the inherent safety concept is not easy to implement at the preliminary design stage due to lack of systematic technique for practical application. To overcome these hurdles, this paper presents a new approach to assess process plant for the potential BLEVE at the preliminary design stage and to allow modifications using inherent safety principles in order to avoid or minimize major accidents. A model known as Inherent Fire Consequence Estimation Tool (IFCET) is developed in MS Excel spreadsheet to evaluate BLEVE impacts based on overpressure, radiation heat flux and missile effects. In this study, BLEVE impacts are the criteria used as the decision-making for the acceptability of the design. IFCET is integrated with iCON process design simulator for ease of data transfer and quick assessment of potential BLEVE during the design simulation stage. A case study was conducted to assess of potential BLEVE from a propane storage vessel at the design simulation stage using this new approach. The finding shows promising results that this approach has a potential to be developed as a practical tool.     

基于布朗运动的自由飞行下碰撞风险研究

自由飞行是解决空域拥挤的有效方式,为保证飞行安全,对自由飞行下的碰撞风险进行研究。首先,假设自由飞行下飞机的定位误差服从正态分布,在平面直角坐标系内,建立2架飞机水平投影面和垂直投影面的随机运动学模型;其次,当2架飞机在2个投影面上的相对运动距离同时小于最小安全间隔时认为碰撞发生,据此建立飞行碰撞风险模型,并利用欧拉(Euler)方法求解;最后,通过Matlab对一算例进行计算,得出碰撞风险概率。将计算结果与实际安全目标等级对比,验证该模型的合理性。     

基于WBA方法的冲出跑道事故风险管理研究

为改善当前冲出跑道事故在风险辨识环节上存在的不足,提出运用寻因分析(WBA)法,对冲出跑道事故存在的风险进行更加严格、准确的辨识。首先简要介绍WBA方法的内容,然后运用WBA方法对具体事故进行危险源辨识,最后根据辨识出的危险源构建WBA结构图并进行分析。分析结果显示:实例事故的危险源共有14项,分别属于人、机、环,管4个方面。在此基础上,利用模糊层次分析法(FAHP)对辨识出的危险源进行权重排序,得出机组人员处置失误、飞行机组技术欠缺、天气原因、跑道表面积水、机组训练问题等5个最主要因素,并针对这5个因素提出改进对策。     

A STRIP MODEL APPROACH TO PARAMETERIZE A COUPLED GREEN‐AMPT KINEMATIC WAVE MODEL1

ABSTRACT: Infiltration processes at the plot scale are often described and modeled using a single effective hydraulic conductivity (Kg) value. This can lead to errors in runoff and erosion prediction. An integrated field measurement and modeling study was conducted to evaluate: (1) the relationship among rainfall intensity, spatially variable soil and vegetation characteristics, and infiltration processes; and (2) how this relationship could be modeled using Green and Ampt and a spatially distributed hydrologic model. Experiments were conducted using a newly developed variable intensity rainfall simulator on 2 m by 6 m plots in a rangeland watershed in southeastern Arizona. Rainfall application rates varied between 50 and 200 mm/hr. Results of the rainfall simulator experiments showed that the observed hydrologic response changed with changes in rainfall intensity and that the response varied with antecedent moisture condition. A distributed process based hydrologic simulation model was used to model the plots at different levels of hydrologic complexity. The measurement and simulation model results show that the rainfall runoff relationship cannot be accurately described or modeled using a single Kg value at the plot scale. Multi‐plane model configurations with infiltration parameters based on soil and plot characteristics resulted in a significant improvement over single‐plane configurations.     

机组行为、时间余量与飞行安全间的关系探讨

探讨机组行为、时间余量与飞行安全间的关系，为航空公司的机组训练和避免飞行事故及飞行事故征候的发生提供帮助。利用1996—2000年中国民用航空总局航空安全办公室下发的“飞行事故、航空地面事故和飞行事故征候统计的通知”中的资料，找出因机组行为错误导致的、与解决问题的时间余量关系密切的飞行事故和飞行事故征候案例。与飞行专家进行研讨和分析，探求飞行事故及其征候的发生与机组行为和时间余量间的关系。找出了因机组行为错误导致的、与解决问题的时间余量关系密切的飞行事故11起和飞行事故征候133起。其中因机组疏于监控飞机设备和状况、未发现问题存在或未明确所发生的问题的性质而无作为，使得解决问题的时间余量为零或接近零，从而无时间解决出现的问题，导致飞行事故3起和飞行事故征候96起；因机组发现问题存在并在明确所发生的问题的性质后，在一定时间余量内未能突破思维惯性的影响，做出了错误的决策，未能解决所发现的问题，导致飞行事故8起和飞行事故征候37起。飞行事故和飞行事故征候的发生与机组行为和时间余量的关系是，机组行为可以决定时间余量剩余的多少，时间余量的多少反过来决定机组采取何种措施解决当前的问题才能避免飞行事故和飞行事故征候的发生。     

如何预防飞行过程中的不安全因素

民航飞机的运行过程大致分为起飞、爬升、巡航、航路下降、进近、着陆6个阶段。飞机起飞爬升和进近着陆是飞行事故的高发阶段。笔者分析了飞行各阶段的危险源,尤其将起飞爬升和进近着陆两个阶段作为主要研究内容;指出了飞行各阶段的关键操作技术及原理;提出了起飞可能面临多种危险,给出了起飞前机组风险意识检查单,并列出了国际飞行安全基金会(FSF,FlightSafetyFoundation)提出的进近着陆风险意识检查单;运用机组资源管理工具使飞行员树立安全风险意识,从而达到降低飞行事故率,提高飞行安全水平的目的。     

基于模糊数学的飞行学员安全状态综合评价

探讨飞行学员在训练过程中的安全状态，既可以减少飞行训练事故，保证飞行训练安全，又可以为飞行训练提供参考依据。通过对飞行学员飞行训练调查研究和分析，结合各方面专家在人为因素上的研究成果，建立了飞行学员安全状态综合评价体系，并用层次分析法（AHP）确定各评价指标权重，构建了飞行学员安全状态的模糊综合评价模型，并对飞行学员安全状态进行了综合评价，得出了安全状态综合评价等级。     

遥感三维可视化在南沟泥石流调查中的运用

在中国20年来泥石流遥感调查所取得成绩以及存在问题的基础上,尝试用新方法对泥石流进行研究,即采用遥感三维可视化方法调查泥石流。以汶川南沟为例,利用高精度的卫星遥感影像（quickbird）和1：50000的等高线,在erdas软件的支持下,实现了遥感影像三维可视化。并在此基础上对其应用——虚拟GIS飞行和泥石流流域内崩塌堆积物三雏遥感解译。实践证明由于遥感三维解译能全方位观察泥石流沟谷以及相关的地形地貌,所以其解译的准确率比传统二雏遥感解译率高。     

Frequent summer nuptial flights of ants provide a primary food source for bats

In many ant species, nuptial flight tends to be short in time and assumed to be synchronous across a large area. Here, we report that, in the upper Jordan Valley, northern Israel, massive nuptial flights of Carpenter ants (Camponotus sp.) occur frequently throughout the summer, and their alates form up to 90% of the diet of the greater mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum) during this period. This fat and protein-rich diet enables female bats to lactate during summer, and the large amount of fat that both sexes accumulate may serve as an energy source for their following winter hibernation and posthibernation mating in early spring (March–April). We suggest that the annual movement of these bats to the Mediterranean region of Israel may have evolved in order to enable them to exploit the extremely nutritious forms of ant alates when the bats’ energetic demands are highest.     

单机寿命监控中飞行时间的确定方法及影响研究

对飞机实际的飞行时间判断正确与否将直接影响到对飞机损伤量的计算。对两种飞行时间确定方法进行了对比,分析表明,通过发动机转速同时结合地速为判断准则,可以更为准确地从飞行参数数据中提取飞行时间。评估了8种机型损伤量的计算结果,对比表明,对于经常使用加力状态起飞的飞机或起降性能一般的飞机来说,飞行时间上的变化会对损伤量的计算值产生较大影响。