This paper describes the results from a series of fire tests that were carried out to measure the effect of defects in thermal protection systems on fire engulfed propane pressure vessels.
In North America thermal protection is used to protect dangerous goods rail tank-cars from accidental fire impingement. They are designed so that a tank-car will not rupture for 100 min in a defined engulfing fire, or 30 min in a defined torching fire. One common system includes a 13 mm blanket of high-temperature ceramic fibre thermal insulation covered with a 3 mm steel jacket. Recent inspections have shown that some tanks have significant defects in these thermal protection systems. This work was done to establish what levels of defect are acceptable from a safety standpoint.
The tests were conducted using 1890 l (500 US gallon) ASME code propane pressure vessels (commonly called tanks in the propane industry). The defects tested covered 8% and 15% of the tank surface. The tanks were 25% engulfed in a fire that simulated a hydrocarbon pool fire with an effective blackbody temperature of 870 °C.
The fire testing showed that even relatively small defects can result in tank rupture if the defect area is engulfed in a severe fire, and the defect area is not wetted by liquid from the inside. A wall failure prediction technique based on uniaxial high-temperature stress rupture test data has been developed and agrees well with the observed failure times. 相似文献
The process of eutrophication in form of intense plant growth has been observed in some lakes and water streams at the Plitvice
Lakes National Park in central Croatia. Here we investigate whether this phenomenon is a consequence of anthropogenic pollution
or due to naturally produced organic matter in the lakes. We applied chemical analysis of water at two springs and four lakes
(nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), trace elements) and measurements of surface lake sediments (mineral and organic
fraction analyses, trace elements) in four different lakes/five sites. The chemical composition of water does not indicate
recent anthropogenic pollution of water because the concentrations of most trace elements are below detection limits. The
concentrations of DOC and nutrients are slightly higher in the area of increased eutrophication-plant growth. Also the content
of organic matter in the sediment is at the highest level in areas with highest C/N ratio indicating that the organic fraction of this sediment is mainly of terrestrial origin. There is no significant difference
among the trace element concentration in the upper segment of all cores, deposited approximately during last 50 years when
higher anthropogenic influence is expected due to development and touristic activity, and the lower part of the cores, corresponding
to the period approximately 100–200 years before present. The content of trace elements and organic matter in sediments decreases
from the uppermost lake downstream. According to our results there is no indication of recent anthropogenic pollution in water
and sediment. Higher concentrations of DOC in water as well as phosphorus and some other elements in the lake sediment can
be a consequence of input of natural organic matter to the lake water. 相似文献
The distribution and impacts of different nitrogen pollutants are inextricably linked. To understand the problem fully, the interactions between the different pollutants need to be taken into account. This is particularly important when it comes to abatement techniques, since measures to reduce emissions of one nitrogen pollutant can often lead to an increase in another. This project represents a step towards greater understanding of these issues by linking together new and existing nitrogen flux models into a larger framework. The modelling framework has been constructed and some of the nitrogen flows between fields, farms and the atmosphere have been modelled for a UK study area for typical farm management scenarios. 相似文献
Dissolved nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrate (NO3-), and ammonium (NH4+) concentrations in an agricultural field drain were intensively measured over the period of field nitrogen (N) fertilisation and for several weeks thereafter. Supersaturations of dissolved N2O were observed in field drain waters throughout the study. On entry to an open drainage ditch, concentrations of dissolved N2O rapidly decreased and a total N2O-N emission via this pathway of 13.2 g over the period of study (45 days) was calculated. This compared with a predicted emission of the order of 300 g, based on measured losses of NO3- and NH4+ in the field drainage water, and the default IPCC emission factor of 0.01 kg N2O-N per kg Nentering rivers and estuaries. In contrast to widespread evidence of a clear relationship between the amount of N applied to agricultural land and subsequent direct N2O emission from the soil surface, the relationship between the amount of N2O in soil drainage waters and the amount of N applied was poor. We conclude that the complexity, both spatially and temporally, of the processes ultimately responsible for the amount of N2O in agricultural drainage waters make a straightforward relationship between N2O concentration and N application rate unlikely in all but the simplest of systems. 相似文献
The results from three long-term field manipulation studies of the impacts of increased nitrogen deposition (0–120 kg N ha?1 yr?1) on lowland and upland heathlands in the UK were compared, to test if common responses are observed. Consistent increases in Calluna foliar N content and decreases in litter C:N ratios were found across all sites, while increases in N leaching were not observed at any site over the range 0–80 kg ha?1 yr?1. However, the response of Calluna biomass did vary between sites, possibly reflecting site differences in nutrient status and management histories. Five versions of a simulation model of heathland responses to N were developed, each reflecting different assumptions about the fate and turnover of soil N. Model outputs supported the deduction from mass balance calculations at two of the field sites that N additions have resulted in an increase in immobilisation; the latter was needed to prevent the model overestimating measured N leaching. However, this version of the model significantly underestimated Calluna biomass. Model versions, which included uptake of organic N by Callunaand re-mobilisation of N from the soil organic store provided some improvement in the fit between modelled and field biomass data, but re-mobilisation also led to an overestimation of N leaching. Quantification of these processes and their response to increased N deposition are therefore critical to interpreting experimental data and predicting the long-term impacts of atmospheric deposition on heathlands and moorlands. 相似文献