Bhopal disaster—a personal experience

Bhopal Gas Tragedy was the worst industrial accident in the world where several thousand persons lost their lives. It occurred at the Union Carbide plant located inside the city of Bhopal and close to the railway station, at midnight of December 2-3, 1984 due to the leakage of MIC gas which took the local sleeping and floating population unawares.

This paper describes the experience of a transit passenger who reached the Bhopal Railway Station by train at about the same time when the deadly gas leakage occurred.     

The unfolding of Bhopal disaster

As an employee of Union Carbide India at the Bhopal plant, I know how the disaster happened. The merciless cost-cutting severely affecting materials of construction, maintenance, training, manpower and morale resulted in the disaster that was waiting to happen. Significant differences between the West Virginia, USA plant and the Bhopal, India plant show the callous disregard of the corporation for the people of the developing countries. The narrative below, if given a proper thought by the management and governments, should help in significantly reducing industrial accidents.     

The Bhopal gas tragedy—A perspective

We, the then Mayor and Chief of Police of Bhopal, were the two people on whom the responsibility of handling the world's worst industrial disaster fell unceremoniously on the cold night of December 2–3, 1984 when 41 tons of MIC gas was released from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. With the company initially in denial mode about the release and then calling it a ‘tear-gas’ type and providing no information on antidote, and with the limited means of evacuation, handling of medical emergency affecting hundreds of thousand, identification and disposal of the thousands of dead, it was probably the most challenging task faced by a duo in peace time. The local people, the medical community, the railway staff, the NGOs, were all very helpful. We narrate the happening and the handling of the consequences and the spot decisions that had to be made with the hope that no such accident happens anywhere.     

Measurement and relationship between critical tube diameter and critical energy for direct blast initiation of gaseous detonations

For the explosion safety assessment in industrial setting, detonation dynamic parameters provide important information on the sensitivity and conditions whereby detonations can be favorably occurred. In this study, new measurement of the critical tube diameter and the critical energy for direct initiation of a detonation is reported for a number of hydrocarbon–oxygen mixtures. The simultaneous experimental measurement carried out in this work allows the investigation of the direct scaling between these two dynamic parameter quantities of gaseous detonations. Using the new set of data, this paper also assesses the validity of an existing semi-empirical initiation model, namely, the surface energy model by Lee, and a simplified work done model. Both phenomenological models provide a general relationship between the two dynamic detonation parameters and comparison shows a good agreement between the theoretical results and the experimental measurement. The scaling of critical tube diameter with detonation cell size in this study also confirms the results in the previous literature.     

影响毒性物质扩散的参数敏感性分析

毒性物质泄漏可能引发严重的环境污染或人员伤亡,分析毒性物质扩散规律及主要影响因素,对环境保护、应急救援和风险评估具有重大意义。选择了氯化氢、氨气、液溴3种有毒物质作为模拟对象,对影响毒性物质扩散的主要参数进行敏感性分析计算,分析了参数值的变化对扩散距离的影响程度。结果表明,参数的影响与泄漏物质自身性质有关,物质的沸点是影响扩散的主要因素之一。     

深层圆弧形滑坡作用下长输埋地输气管道响应分析

针对影响长输埋地管道安全运行的山体滑坡问题,基于深层圆弧形滑坡理论和有限元方法,建立了在深层圆弧形滑坡作用下的管道计算模型,对管道的受力进行了数值模拟。对土壤密度、管道壁厚、管道内压以及土抗剪强度进行了参数敏感性分析,研究了各参数对发生滑坡时管道所受最大应力的影响规律。结果表明:当滑坡规模、滑坡角度增大时,管道所受Von Mises值会随之增大;随土壤密度的增加,管道所受的应力也会增加;在滑坡多发区,应设计大壁厚的管道,以增加管道安全性;应确保管道内压小于10MPa,当内压突增时应有紧急预案;土抗剪强度对在深层圆弧形滑坡作用下管道所受应力的影响明显小于其他3个敏感参数。该研究工作为山体滑坡区的安全管道设计提供了一定的参考,对确保滑坡区埋地管道的安全运营有重要意义。     

Optimal feed profile for a second order reaction in a semi-batch reactor under safety constraints: Experimental study

Maximising the yield of the second order reaction (2-butanol+propionic anhydride) by manipulating the inlet flow rate is considered for an isothermal semi-batch process. First a procedure for the determination of the kinetic parameters using coupled spectroscopic and calorimetric methods is presented. Then an optimisation of the reaction system is performed numerically and verified experimentally. Constraints on the amount of heat produced and on the temperature attainable in the case of cooling failure are imposed for safety consideration.     

影响断层活化的破碎带特征参数敏感性分析

为研究破碎带对断层活化的影响,选取破碎带宽度、岩石内摩擦角、粘结系数及抗拉强度作为破碎带的特征参数,采用FLAC3D模拟工作面推进对断层的影响,借助正交表确定模拟方案,通过对正交试验结果进行方差分析,以此研究影响断层活化的破碎带特征参数敏感性。结果表明:破碎带特征参数对断层活化的敏感性主次顺序为破碎带宽度﹥岩石内摩擦角﹥岩石粘结系数﹥岩石抗拉强度,且断层破碎带宽度越大,岩石内摩擦角越小,断层活化可能性也就越高,而岩石粘结系数与抗拉强度对断层活化影响较小。     

Comments on explosion problems for hydrogen safety

The future widespread use of hydrogen as an energy carrier brings in safety issues that have to be addressed before public acceptance can be achieved. The prediction of the consequences of a major accident release of hydrogen into the atmosphere or the contamination of high-pressure hydrogen storage facilities by air entrainment requires a good knowledge of the explosion parameters of hydrogen–air mixtures. The present paper reviews and comments on the current knowledge of dynamic parameters of hydrogen detonation for hazard assessment. The major problem that remains to be resolved involves the understanding of the effect of turbulence on the cellular detonation structure, the propagation of high-speed deflagrations and the transition from deflagration to detonations. It is recommended that future research should be aimed towards experiments that permit the quantitative understanding of the mechanisms of high-speed turbulent combustion rather towards large-scale tests in complex geometries where minimal quantitative information of fundamental significance could be extracted. In spite of its wide flammability and sensitivity to ignition and detonation initiation, it is felt that hydrogen can be produced, stored and handled safely with the appropriate considerations in the design of the hydrogen facilities.     

落石冲击作用下架设油气管道响应分析

针对影响油气管道安全运营的落石冲击问题,基于弹塑性力学、Cowper-Symonds本构模型和有限元方法,建立了球形落石冲击油气管道的计算模型,对管道动态响应过程进行了数值模拟。对冲击速度、落石半径、管道内压力和落石冲击位置进行了参数敏感性分析,研究了各参数对管道冲击变形的影响规律。结果表明:落石的冲击能量主要用于管道塑性变形;冲击过程中,落石与管道的接触区域由初始的椭圆斑逐渐变成了椭圆环;管道塑性变形随着冲击速度和落石半径的增大而增大,随内压和落石偏移度的增大而减小。该研究工作为油气管道的安全评价及防护工程的设计提供了参考依据,对保障油气安全运输具有重要的工程意义。     

Modeling of the venting of an untempered system under runaway conditions

The prediction of the consequences of a runaway reaction in terms of temperature and pressure evolution in a reactor requires the knowledge of the reaction kinetics, thermodynamics and fluid dynamics inside the vessel during venting. Such phenomena and their interaction are complex and yet to be fully understood, especially reactions where the pressure generation is totally or partially due to the production of permanent gases (gassy or hybrid systems). Moreover, these phenomena cannot be easily determined by laboratory scale experiments. In this paper, a dynamic model developed to simulate the behavior of an untempered reacting mixture during venting is presented. The model provides the temperature, pressure and mass inventory profiles before and during venting. A sensitivity study of the model was performed. This modeling work provides some insight regarding the interpretation of the data obtained from untempered system venting experiments. The outcome of this work contribute to improving the design of emergency relief systems for hybrid and gassy systems, where significant progress is still to be made in the experimental and modeling areas.     

考虑滚动阻抗的线性接触模型离散元宏细观参数敏感性研究

为克服无黏性土的离散元研究中未考虑颗粒间抗转动作用的缺陷,基于抗转动线性接触模型开展一系列排水固结三轴压缩模拟试验,结合随机森林算法详细探讨抗转动线性接触模型中各细观参数(有效模量、刚度比、摩擦系数、抗转动系数)与试样的宏观参数(初始弹性模量、泊松比、峰值强度)间的关系.结果表明:颗粒有效模量的提高会使试样的初始弹性模...     

桑木粉尘最低着火温度的试验研究

为了解桑木粉尘着火敏感性以保证安全生产,采用标准Godbert-Greenwald恒温炉和热板测试装置系统地研究粉尘粒径、粉尘云浓度、喷粉压力、堆积厚度对粉尘最低着火温度的影响。结果表明:测试条件下,粉尘粒径从80减小到140目时,粉尘云最低着火温度从480℃降至450℃;粉尘云质量浓度从212 g/m³增加到1 696 g/m³时,粉尘云最低着火温度从490℃到470℃;喷粉压力从0.02 MPa增加到0.1 MPa时,粉尘云最低着火温度从500 ℃到485 ℃。堆积厚度为5 mm,粉尘粒径从80目减小到140目时,粉尘层最低着火温度从360 ℃到325 ℃;粉尘粒径为100目,堆积厚度从1 mm增加到7 mm时,粉尘层最低着火温度从390 ℃降至340 ℃。在同一粒径范围内,桑木粉尘云最低着火温度比粉尘层最低着火温度高120 ℃。因此,木材加工企业在防爆电气设备选型时,应参考相应木粉尘最低着火温度值,同时应在生产中采取措施避免粉尘堆积。