Dynamic model based safety analysis of a three-phase catalytic slurry intensified continuous reactor

Safety analysis like the HAZOP (HAZard OPerability) study can be much more efficient if a dynamic model of the system under consideration is available to evaluate the consequences of hazard deviations and the efficiency of the proposed safety barriers. In this paper, a dynamic model of a three-phase catalytic slurry intensified continuous chemical reactor is used within the context of its HAZOP (HAZard OPerability) study. This reactor, the RAPTOR®, is an intensified continuous mini-reactor designed by the French company AETGROUP SAS that can replace batch or fed-batch processes in the case of highly exothermic reactions involving hazardous substances. The highly hazardous hydrogenation of o-cresol under high pressure and temperature is taken as an example of application. Deviations as a temperature increase of the cooling medium or no cooling medium flow can produce an overheating of the reactor. Thus, three possible safety barriers are evaluated by simulation: shut off the gaseous reactant feed, shut off the liquid reactant feed or stop the agitation. The more efficient actions are the stopping of the agitation and/or of the gas reactant feed. The simulation results can efficiently help the reactor design and optimisation. Safety analysis can also be one of the criteria to compare batch and intensified continuous processes.     

Employees' reactions to problematic events: a circumplex structure of five categories of responses,and the role of job satisfaction

A refined exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect (EVLN) typology (Farrell, 1983) was examined. It was argued that the category of voice responses, that is, attempts to improve the situation, should be divided into two forms: considerate voice and aggressive voice. Considerate voice consists of attempts to solve the problem taking into account one's own concerns as well as those of the organization, and aggressive voice consists of efforts to win, without consideration for the concerns of the organization. In line with Farrell (1983), all categories of behavioral responses were assumed to differ on two dimensions, namely, destructive–constructive and active–passive. It was assumed that the responses can be ordered in a circumplex structure. Factor analyses of data from 233 teachers and maternity nurses demonstrated the empirical separability of the five categories of behavioral responses and supported the two‐dimensional structure of the model. Job satisfaction, especially satisfaction with supervision, seemed to promote considerate voice and loyalty (that was relabeled as patience), and suppress exit, aggressive voice, and neglect. Furthermore, the correlations between job satisfaction and the five responses provided additional support for the circumplex structure of the refined model. The pattern of responses runs in the following order: considerate voice, aggressive voice, exit, neglect, patience. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

盐蚀环境下微生物矿化岩土材料的冻融特性研究

基于MICP技术将松散砂粒改良成微生物矿化岩土材料,通过室内冻融循环实验,研究矿化材料在4种不同的冻融环境中的表观形貌、质量损失率、饱和含水率、无侧限抗压强度随冻融循环周期的变化规律,以及利用NMR测试手段分析材料的孔隙变化。结果表明:随着冻融周期增加,在4种冻融液中矿化材料均伴随剥落现象,无侧限抗压强度均呈逐渐减小趋势,质量的损失和饱和含水率的增加严重影响了材料的抗冻性能,且在5%Na₂SO₄溶液中矿化材料的粉化速度较快,质量损失最大,劣化速度最快,NMR图谱中弛豫时间大于200 ms的未冻水含量在冻融过程变化最大,是造成样本质量的损失和强度的破坏的主要原因;在去离子水溶液中样本的抗冻能力也较弱,次于Na₂SO₄溶液;在3%NaCl溶液和混合溶液中由于NaCl的存在降低材料的凝固点,使得材料的抗冻能力延长,此研究为微生物矿化岩土材料在寒冷地区的工程应用提供基础实验依据。     

Alarming decline of freshwater trigger species in western Mediterranean key biodiversity areas

Theidentification of key biodiversity areas (KBA) was initiated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2004 to overcome taxonomic biases in the selection of important areas for conservation, including freshwater ecosystems. Since then, several KBAs have been identified mainly based on the presence of trigger species (i.e., species that trigger either the vulnerability and or the irreplaceability criterion and thus identify a site as a KBA). However, to our knowledge, many of these KBAs have not been validated. Therefore, classical surveys of the taxa used to identify freshwater KBAs (fishes, molluscs, odonates, and aquatic plants) were conducted in Douro (Iberian Peninsula) and Sebou (Morocco) River basins in the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. Environmental DNA analyses were undertaken in the Moroccan KBAs. There was a mismatch between the supposed and actual presence of trigger species. None of the trigger species were found in 43% and 50% of all KBAs surveyed in the Douro and Sebou basins, respectively. Shortcomings of freshwater KBA identification relate to flawed or lack of distribution data for trigger species. This situation results from a misleading initial identification of KBAs based on poor (or even inaccurate) ecological information or due to increased human disturbance between initial KBA identification and the present. To improve identification of future freshwater KBAs, we suggest selecting trigger species with a more conservative approach; use of local expert knowledge and digital data (to assess habitat quality, species distribution, and potential threats); consideration of the subcatchment when delineating KBAs boundaries; thoughtful consideration of terrestrial special areas for conservation limits; and periodic field validation.     

Streamwise velocity profiles in coastal currents

The ability to model marine currents can be a powerful device for many planning activities, for which the knowledge of the velocity field is of pivotal importance, such as the evaluation of current-induced loading on maritime structures or the diffusion and dispersion of polluted flow discharges. Observations of time-averaged velocity profiles, taken with a vessel mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler during a monitoring survey program in the seas of Southern Italy, are analysed in this paper. The measurements were taken under non-breaking conditions, offshore the surf zone, with the aim of reproducing the vertical trends of the streamwise velocity by means of standard theoretical laws. To evaluate also the possible influence of stratification on the current velocity profile shape, together with velocity measurements water temperature and salinity were also measured at the same time and locations, by means of a CTD recorder. The examined surveys referred to different time periods and sites, to guarantee a general validity of deductions. On the basis of the experiments, we verified the actual existence of a log-layer and concluded that the upper limit of the region in which the log law is applicable extends well beyond the inner region. Moreover, the deviations of the measured velocity from the logarithmic profiles above the height of the log layer is consistent with the effects of stratification. The parameters of the log law were estimated, depending on both flow dynamics and stratification in the target area. As a second step, in the most superficial and stratified layer, the velocity profiles were modelled by means of a power law, which fitted the measured data well. According to previous studies, the power law parameters result Reynolds number dependent by means of a new proposed formulation. Finally, the bottom stress and the bottom drag coefficient were investigated.     

Supralittoral amphipod abundances across habitats on Mediterranean temperate beaches

Community complexity and abiotic conditions are key components of environmental heterogeneity that affect the abundance and distribution of species. In this study we evaluated how environmental conditions affect abundances of supralittoral amphipods (Talitridae) in four habitats (sandy beach, rivermouth, wrack and lakeshore), along the Italian peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. All samplings covered a 12 month period, and used the same sampling methodology thereby enabling comparison of abundances and species composition and richness. Four species (Talitrus saltator (Montagu, 1808), Orchestia gammarellus (Pallas, 1766), O. montagui Audouin 1826, O. cf. cavimana Heller 1865) were collected in the different habitats, but most species were found or were abundant in only one of the four habitats. Abundances of talitrids (numbers per sampling hour) differed significantly among the habitats with highest abundances found in the wrack and on the riverbank in proximity to an estuary, and lowest abundances observed on four sandy beach sites. Environmental conditions (temperature, moisture, substrate penetrability) differed among the habitats and were associated with some of the among-site variability in abundances. Our findings demonstrate that talitrids thrive better in some supralittoral habitats than others, and that some habitats could be considered to be “hotspots” of talitrid ecology and biodiversity.     

Chemical profile of Festuca arundinacea extract showing allelochemical activity

The allelopathic potential of fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb.) was investigated under field and laboratory conditions. In the field, incorporation of fescue aboveground biomass into the soil provided an effective weed control as it significantly reduced both the number and the dry weight of all weed species. The effect on weeds was species specific. The reduction of the most abundant species, Picris echioides, with respect to the number of individuals and their dry weight was 67 and 45%. Fescue aboveground biomass, harvested immediately before soil incorporation, was utilized in a bioassay-oriented fractionation, aimed at identifying the compounds in the toxic extracts of the plant. While phytotoxic activity was detected for the n-butanol fraction, no activity was found for the aqueous one. Germination of an indicator species, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), was reduced by 33% at the higher extract concentration of 20 mg/mL, owing to the increase of the number of abnormal seedlings. The LC/MS profile of the extract revealed the presence of two alkaloids, seven flavonol glycosides, and two flavonol aglyca. Quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside, and kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside were reported in fescue for the first time.     

Generalists and specialists along a latitudinal transect: patterns of thermal adaptation in six species of damselflies

Tropical organisms colonizing temperate environments face reduced average temperatures and dramatic thermal fluctuations. Theoretical models postulate that thermal specialization should be favored either when little environmental variation is experienced within generations or when among-generation variation is small relative to within-generation variation. To test these predictions, we studied six temperate species of damselflies differing in latitudinal distribution. We developed a computer model simulating how organisms experience environmental variation (accounting for diapause and voltinism) and performed a laboratory experiment assaying thermal sensitivities of growth rates. The computer model showed opposing latitudinal trends in among- and within-generation thermal variability: within-generation thermal variability decreased toward higher latitudes, whereas relative levels of among-generation thermal variability peaked at midlatitudes (where a shift in voltinism occurred). The growth experiment showed that low-latitude species were more thermally generalized than mid- and high-latitude species, supporting the prediction that generalists are favored under high levels of within-generation variation. Northern species had steeper, near-exponential reaction norms suggestive of thermal specialization. However, they had strikingly high thermal optima and grew very slowly over most of the thermal range they are expected to experience in the field. This observation is at present difficult to explain. These results highlight the importance of considering interactions between life history and environmental variation when deriving expectations of thermal adaptation.     

三峡水库香溪河库湾冬季甲藻水华生消机理初探

2010年1—2月在香溪河库湾上、中、下游各选取1个监测点对水体环境因子及藻类进行监测,对水温、营养盐含量等进行分析,探讨香溪河库湾冬季甲藻水华的生消机理. 结果表明:2010年冬季,香溪河库湾末端暴发了甲藻水华,持续44 d,优势藻种为拟多甲藻(Peridiniopsis sp.),最高细胞密度达到11.8×106 L-1;适宜的水温、充足的营养盐以及良好的光照、弱分层水体是香溪河库湾冬季甲藻水华暴发的主要原因;Zmix/Zeu〔Zmix(混合层深度)与Zeu(真光层深度)之比〕在2~3之间时有利于甲藻生长;库湾中下游因水体掺混强烈而在冬季未暴发水华;后期水体分层状态的加强及Zmix/Zeu的减小是甲藻水华消失的主要原因.