Impact of leakage location and downwind storage tank on the gas dispersion in a typical chemical tank storage area

Toxic gas leakage in a tank area can have catastrophic consequences. Storage tank leakage location (particularly for high leakage) and downwind storage tanks potentially influence gas diffusion in tank areas. In this study, we developed a numerical and experimental method to investigate the impact of a high leakage location and downwind storage tank on gas diffusion based on three (1.05H, 0.90H, and 0.77H, H was the tank height, 22m) leakage field experiments on the leeward side of storage tank, which have been not conducted before. The experiments revealed an unexpected phenomenon: the maximum ground concentration first decreased and then increased with increasing leakage height. The simulations illustrated that the differences in micrometeorological conditions caused the maximum ground concentration of gas emitted from the roof to be higher than that emitted from the tank wall near the storage tank height. The downwind storage tank 1) had little influence on the entire diffusion direction but altered the local diffusion pattern; 2) reduced the maximum ground concentration (∼18.7%) and the distance from the emission source (approximately a storage tank diameter); and 3) had strong influences on the concentration, velocity, turbulence, and pressure on the leeward side. The concentration negatively correlated with the velocity, pressure, and turbulence in the middle of the two storage tanks on wind centerline. Our results can improve understanding of gas dispersion in tank areas and provide references for mitigating loss and protecting lives during emergency response processes.     

Deflagration to detonation transition in a vapour cloud explosion in open but congested space: Large scale test

The paper reviews large scale experiments with various fuels in air where successful deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) took place. This includes a recent experiment disclosed in the Buncefield R&D program, where DDT developed in the propane/air mixture. The DDT occurred in branches of deciduous trees in a premixed stagnant mixture. An internal R&D investigation programme was initiated to better understand the phenomena. A large scale experiment in an open space with ethane air mixture is presented in the paper. The premixed mixture was ignited at the edge of the congested three-dimensional rigs which consisted of vertical and horizontal pipes. After ignition, the flame accelerated in the congestion and transitioned to detonation at the end of congestion. Stable detonation propagated through the remaining open and uncongested space.The flame acceleration process leading to DDT is scale dependent. It also depends on many parameters leading to a large investigation array and, significant cost. However, such R&D efforts aimed toward a safer plant design, i.e. the prevention of occurrence of a major accident, are a small fraction of a real accident cost.     

Pool evaporation: Experimental tests at medium-scale with gasoline

Pool evaporation is a major source of flammable vapour clouds. Predicting the evaporation rate of a liquid hydrocarbon pool is therefore a key issue of dispersion modelling for safety concerns. This paper presents small- and medium-scale experiments of pool evaporation carried out with liquid hydrocarbons (pentane, heptane), hydrocarbon “gasoline-like” mixtures and gasoline. Liquid mass loss was measured and the evaporation rate deduced with its evolution in time. Other observations are highlighted, regarding the evolution of liquid temperatures, mixture compositions, and scale effects like the influence of pool length on surface evaporation rate. Comparisons with well-known correlations are then shown. The authors finally suggest a new semi-empirical correlation with a set of parameters fitted on the performed experiments.     

Robustness testing of a free-fall triboelectric separation process for plastic waste recovery

Among the separation techniques used in industries, the triboelectric separation of insulating particles using a rotary tube is an effective way employed in the waste recovery of plastic and mineral products. This process, also called free-fall triboelectric separation, is widely used for the sorting of granular mixtures resulting from industrial plastic wastes. Given that the robustness of such a separation process is an important issue, a standard procedure is used for determining the set point and for minimising the process sensitivity of sorting mixed particles of different polymers to changes in the values of some critical factors. The aim of this paper was to analyse the efficiency of the triboelectric separation process of polymers with respect to any slight variation in the values of the most significant factors. Experiments with a sample of high-density polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride plastic granules were carried out on a laboratory experimental bench. Several one-factor-at-a-time experiments, followed by two factorial designs (one composite and the other fractional), were performed based on the following experimental procedure: (1) determination of the variation limits of the input variables; (2) identification of the set point and (3) robustness testing of the process, i.e. testing whether the performance of the system remains high even when the factors vary slightly around the set point.     

石油污染土壤原位生物修复的强化实验研究

为研究添加营养物质和高效降解石油微生物对油污土壤生物修复的作用,通过分层土柱的方法,连续监测了不同条件下不同土层的含水率、石油烃含量、细菌数量及脱氢酶活性。结果表明:添加营养物质同时接种高效微生物可使降解效果明显改善,降解率比在自然条件下提高近50%,而单纯添加营养物质不接种高效微生物可使降解率比在自然条件下提高约25%。降解初期,上层土壤降解效果较好,而到中后期,中下层降解效果好于上层。微生物数量和脱氢酶活性与石油降解率之间存在良好的相关性,脱氢酶活性比微生物数量更能反映修复过程中微生物的存活状态。添加营养物质和高效降解石油微生物对油污土壤原位生物修复具有强化作用。     

Petrophysical analysis to investigate the effects of carbon dioxide storage in a subsurface saline aquifer at Ketzin, Germany (CO2SINK)

To test the injection behaviour of CO₂ into brine-saturated rock and to evaluate the dependence of geophysical properties on CO₂ injection, flow and exposure experiments with brine and CO₂ were performed on sandstone samples of the Stuttgart Formation representing potential reservoir rocks for CO₂ storage. The sandstone samples studied are generally fine-grained with porosities between 17 and 32% and permeabilities between 1 and 100 mD.Additional batch experiments were performed to predict the long-term behaviour of geological CO₂ storage. Reservoir rock samples were exposed over a period of several months to CO₂-saturated reservoir fluid in high-pressure vessels under in situ temperature and pressure conditions. Petrophysical parameters, porosity and the pore radius distribution were investigated before and after the experiments by NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) relaxation and mercury injection. Most of the NMR measurements of the tested samples showed a slight increase of porosity and a higher proportion of large pores.     

天然黄铁矿的除磷性能

除磷是控制水体富营养化的重要手段。为了考察黄铁矿的除磷特征，采用序批实验，分别研究了反应时间、初始磷浓度和干扰离子（NH4＋、NO3- 和SO24-）对黄铁矿除磷的影响。动力学表明，黄铁矿的除磷过程符合伪二级动力学模型。pH=6．5时，磷的平衡去除量为6．82mg／kg。Langmuir方程能较好描述黄铁矿除磷的吸附等温过程，其磷的饱和吸附量为11．01mg／kg。NH4＋、NO3-和SO24- 对黄铁矿除磷基本没有影响。磷的去除主要是通过铁磷沉淀和铁氧化物及氢氧化物的吸附，去除的磷主要以可被生物利用的Fe、Al-P形态存在。黄铁矿的这些除磷性能和机制对选取黄铁矿作为人工湿地填料实现同步脱氮除磷具有重要指导作用。     

全耦合活性污泥模型(FCASM3)Ⅱ:模型校验

以采用AAO污水处理工艺的德清县狮山污水处理厂作为全耦合活性污泥模型(FCASM3)校验的现场试验基地,分别进行了常规水质指标测定和进水水质特征分析等试验研究,依据现场试验结果,完成了对活性污泥系统生物去除营养物质细观机理模型FCASM3的校验工作,动态校验结果表明,FCASM3模型可以对AAO连续流工艺系统实现较准确的细观模拟,营养物质生物去除过程的动态数值模拟结果与实测结果相一致.     

Efficiency of white lupin in the removal of mercury from contaminated soils： Soil and hydroponic experiments

This study examined the ability of the white lupin to remove mercury (Hg) from a hydroponic system (Hg concentrations 0, 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 μmol/L) and from soil in pots and lysimeters (total Hg concentration (19.2 ± 1.9) mg/kg availability 0.07%, and (28.9 ± 0.4) mg/kg availability 0.09%, respectively), and investigated the accumulation and distribution of Hg in different parts of the plant. White lupin roots efficiently took up Hg, but its translocation to the harvestable parts of the plant was low. The Hg concentration in the seeds posed no risk to human health according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, but the shoots should not be used as fodder for livestock, at least when unmixed with other fodder crops. The accumulation of Hg in the hydroponically-grown plants was linear over the concentration range tested. The amount of Hg retained in the roots, relative to the shoots, was almost constant irrespective of Hg dose (90%). In the soil experiments, Hg accumulation increased with exposure time and was the greater in the lysimeter than in the pot experiments. Although Hg removal was the greater in the hydroponic system, revealing the potential of the white lupin to extract Hg, bioaccumulation was the greatest in the lysimeter-grown plants; the latter system more likely reflects the true behaviour of white lupin in the field when Hg availability is a factor that limits Hg removal. The present results suggest that the white lupin could be used in long-term soil reclamation strategies that include the goal of profitable land use in Hg-polluted areas.     

套种条件下混合螯合剂对污染土壤Cd淋滤行为的影响

为了研究螯合剂对污染土壤Cd向下迁移的影响,对采自广东省乐昌市和清远市的2种铅锌矿废水污染水稻土（分别为中性和酸性土壤）进行100 cm土柱室外淋溶试验,研究在玉米与东南景天套种系统中,在5 mmol.kg-1土的混合螯合剂[MC∶柠檬酸∶味精废液∶EDTA∶KCl（摩尔比）=10∶1∶2∶3]的强化作用下对2种污染土壤中Cd的淋滤行为的影响.结果表明,施加混合螯合剂后第2 d,混合螯合剂能明显提高2种土壤各土层淋滤液Cd浓度;施后第8 d混合螯合剂仍能继续提高中性土壤20 cm以下土层和酸性土壤60 cm以下土层淋滤液Cd的浓度,但其活化作用均已迅速下降.施后第2 d和第8 d,2种土壤各土层的套种＋MC处理的淋滤液Cd浓度均超过国家地下水质量标准（GB/T 14848-93）.施加混合螯合剂可降低中性土壤表层全Cd量.不同处理的土壤Cd均有向下层迁移的趋势,尤其是酸性土壤,在20 cm和40 cm处不同处理的全Cd量与起始值比较分别下降了40%～58%和39%～49%,经过100 d的修复即可达到土壤环境质量标准（GB 15618-1995）.上述结果表明,施用混合螯合剂对Cd污染土壤的地下水水质存在一定的潜在污染风险.