Case study: Assessment on large scale LPG BLEVEs in the 2011 Tohoku earthquakes

After the 2011 Tohoku earthquakes, several chemical and oil complexes on the Pacific Ocean shoreline of northeast Japan experienced massive losses. In Chiba, a refinery operated by Cosmo Oil lost 17 LPG storage vessels which were either heavily damaged or totally destroyed by fires and explosions in the refinery. These large vessels ranged in size from 1000 to 5000 m³. The estimated volume of LPG at the time of the incident was between 400 and 5000 m³ for each vessel. Five boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions (BLEVEs) of LPG occurred, resulting in huge fire balls measuring about 500 m in diameter.A BLEVE is defined as the explosive release of expanding vapor and boiling liquid when a container holding a pressure-liquefied gas fails catastrophically. It is thus important to estimate the physical properties of superheated liquids: the thermodynamic and transport properties, the intrinsic limits to superheating and depressurization, and the nature of thermodynamic paths. Also it is hoped to provide better understanding of the vessels designed, manufactured, installed, and operated to reduce or eliminate the probability that a sequence of events will result in BLEVE or loss of primary containment. Knowledge of these matters is still incomplete. The objective of this research is to estimate the significant BLEVE phenomenon in very large scale spherical vessels based on published information in Japan. There are some models predicting BLEVEs. However, it is essential to know if this is true for very large scales such as spheres since validation is usually rare to provide confidence in estimating the superheated liquids behaviors. To this end, comparing with the information on this event, the conditions in the five LPG vessels at the time of the BLEVE were determined in terms of: duration of vessel failure (time to BLEVE); mass fraction in the vessel with time; temperature distribution in the liquid and vapor region and pressure within the vessel (e.g. initial pressure and internal high-speed transient pressure during failure), by means of a computer program AFFTAC Analysis of Fire Effects on Tank Cars, which solves heat conduction, stress and a failure model of the tank, a thermodynamic model of its fluid contents, and a flow model for the lading flowing through the safety relief device. Subsequently, the consequences from the sphere BLEVE, such as the expected fireball diameter and duration and the expected blast overpressure produced by the BLEVE failures, are also subjects of active research. Here the blast using the methods of PHAST and SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering was calculated.Results suggest that methodologies here used gave reasonable estimations for such real and huge BLEVEs in a validated way, which may provide valuable guidance for risk mitigation strategy with regard to LPG facility in design, emergency planning, resiliency, operations, and risk management.     

不同孔径排放钻孔有效影响半径的时空响应

针对矿井在施工排放钻孔局部防突措施时,已知排放时间,如何确定排放钻孔孔径和钻孔间距这一难题,提出一种钻屑量和钻屑瓦斯解吸指标现场测试法,结合数值模拟计算,确定不同孔径排放钻孔有效排放半径随时间的变化规律。研究结果表明:同一孔径排放钻孔,随着排放时间的增加,有效排放半径呈幂指数增大;不同孔径排放钻孔,随着排放钻孔直径的增加,有效排放半径呈幂指数增大。研究结论对矿井选取合适的排放钻孔孔径及布置参数具有指导意义。     

Comparison of distribution function estimators for forestry applications following variable probability sampling

Practical considerations often motivate employing variable probability sampling designs when estimating characteristics of forest populations. Three distribution function estimators, the Horvitz-Thompson estimator, a difference estimator, and a ratio estimator, are compared following variable probability sampling in which the inclusion probabilities are proportional to an auxiliary variable, X. Relative performance of the estimators is affected by several factors, including the distribution of the inclusion probabilities, the correlation () between X and the response Y, and the position along the distribution function being estimated. Both the ratio and difference estimators are superior to the Horvitz-Thompson estimator. The difference estimator gains better precision than the ratio estimator toward the upper portion of the distribution function, but the ratio estimator is superior toward the lower end of the distribution function. The point along the distribution function at which the difference estimator becomes more precise than the ratio estimator depends on the sampling design, as well as the coefficient of variation of X and . A simple confidence interval procedure provides close to nominal coverage for intervals constructed from both the difference and ratio estimators, with the exception that coverage may be poor for the lower tail of the distribution function when using the ratio estimator.     

射流曝气的气液两相流的数值模拟

射流曝气在活性污泥处理方法中起着重要的作用。采用数值模拟的方法研究自吸式单级单喷射流器中的气液两相流动状况，通过对不同长径比和喷嘴面积比的射流曝气器模型的气液两相流的计算，定量分析长径比和喷嘴面积比对射流曝气器流场和空气与工作介质流量比的影响，为进一步设计开发新型高效的射流曝气器提供参考。     

Effective diffusivity of the uranyl ion in a granite from Inada, Ibaraki, Japan

The effective diffusivity of uranium(VI) in Inada granite has been determined by through-diffusion. Experiments were performed at room temperature (20–25°C) in a 0.1 mol 1⁻¹ KCl solution where uranium is present predominantly as the poorly sorbing UO₂²⁺. An effective diffusivity (D_e) of (3.6 ± 1.6) × 10⁻¹⁴ m² s⁻¹ was obtained, close to that for uranine (nonsorbing organic tracer), but one order of magnitude lower than those obtained for Sr²⁺ and NpO₂⁺, and two orders of magnitude lower than that obtained for I⁻. According to well established theory, a proportional relationship exists between D_e and the diffusivity in the bulk of the solution (D_v). The effective diffusivity obtained in granite was not proportional to D_v. This agrees with results obtained for effective diffusivity in a Swedish granite. The ratio D_e/D_v was found to be not constant but increased with D_e or D_v. This result suggests a limit to the application of the theory.     

基于微积分的LPG和CNG喷射火模型建立和三维数值模拟

由液体和气体泄漏引发的喷射火灾事故屡见不鲜,而现有的喷射火模型却有诸多缺陷。将喷射火形状近似为圆锥,鉴于液体和气体的泄漏速度随压强和温度均有变化、点源离地面会有一定高度、风速对火焰倾角也有影响、圆锥喷射中心线上每个点源对目标的热辐射均不同等实际情况,新建液体和气体扩展半径的计算方法,引入风速对火焰高度和火焰偏角的作用,比较AGA法和Thornton模型,发现AGA法更加符合实际,再利用微积分原理建立三维点源喷射火模型,展示火焰形状对目标的影响,从而得出热辐射的最终危险性。最后以LPG和CNG储罐喷射火事故为例进行对比验证,首次模拟出喷射火的形状,更清晰准确地展示了目标入射热辐射通量随目标点位置的变化和危险范围,可为火焰阵面处的消防安全决策提供参考。     

氢气还原海绵铁去除水体中硝酸盐的研究

利用小球烧结和氢气还原工艺制备了粒径1mm～5mm的多孔性球形海绵铁,对球形海绵铁去除水体中硝酸盐的效率及去除动力学进行了研究。结果表明:溶液初始pH值对硝酸盐去除效率的影响显著,初始pH值小于3时,硝酸盐的去除率随溶液初始pH的增加而逐渐降低;初始pH值大于3时,硝酸盐的去除率又随之升高。硝酸盐浓度低于10mgN/L时,硝酸盐去除率随着硝酸盐初始浓度的增加而增加,硝酸盐的残余量保持在0.4mgN/L左右;硝酸盐浓度高于20mgN/L时,硝酸盐的去除率随初始硝酸盐浓度的增加而略有降低。球形海绵铁去除硝酸盐为一级动力学反应,反应级数为0.970～1.378,表观反应速率常数为0.314h-1～0.536h-1。海绵铁还原硝酸盐的主要产物为氨氮,随着还原反应的进行,溶液pH值快速增加,氨氮以分子态氨的形式从水中逸出。进行归纳总结和对比,并以多环芳烃的提取为例列举了各方法的应用步骤,从而为其他环境样品其他有机物分析预处理提供参考。     

应急避难场地“就近布置”规划原则探讨

通过对避难行为、避难需求的相关调查,对现有"就近布置"避难场地的规划原则进行了深入分析和研究,对"近"提出了"时间距离近"和"空间距离近"的两重涵义;在此基础上认为不同类型应急避难场地在布局上对"近"的要求应区别对待;该原则可进一步表述为"服务半径基础之上与人口密度、通达路径相对应,就近布置"。     

排桩几何参数对其隔振半径的影响试验研究

通过室外试验的方法、从二维角度入手并将排桩参数与瑞利波波长建立联系研究了几何参数变化时隔振半径的变化。结果表明:单排桩可取得整体性的隔振特点,并且隔振效果最佳的区域在桩后较近的距离;桩长增加可使其隔振效果提升且隔振半径随桩长与波长比值的增加而增加,当桩长与波长比值小于0.320时,隔振半径为0;随比值增加到0.820左右,隔振半径增加到约0.680 m。桩间距的增加可使其隔振效果变差,隔振半径随桩间距与波长比值增加而降低,当比值达到0.300~0.430时,隔振半径长度降为0。振源距离增加可使得排桩隔振效果增强,而隔振半径随振源距与波长比值增加而增加,当比值在0.165~0.305的范围内时,隔振半径为0;随比值增加到0.808左右,隔振半径的长度增加到约0.512 m。     

液化烃球罐的安全分析

从材料选择、结构设计、制造和现场组焊、安全附件和运行管理等方面对液态烃球罐的安全性进行了分析,提出了保障液化烃球罐安全运行的具体措施。