Multiple pool fires: Occurrence,simulation, modeling and management

When two or more pool fires burn in such close proximity of one another that they can influence each other, they are termed ‘multiple pool fires’ (MPF). The characteristics and the structure of MPFs are significantly different from that of stand-alone pool fires. Even though MPFs have known to occur fairly often in chemical process industries, much lesser work has been done towards simulation, modeling and control of MPFs as compared to stand-alone pool fires.This paper is perhaps the first-ever attempt at surveying the MPF state-of-the-art. It recounts MPF accidents and catalogs the controlled experiments that have been done to understand the mechanism and impact of MPFs. Attempts to model MPFs have been assessed and possible ways to manage MPFs have been touched upon.     

A study of the probability distribution of pool fire extinguishing times using water mist

Water mist, a replacement for Halon gaseous agents in fire fighting, has been studied for decades. However, the fire-extinguishing reliability of water mist is debated. For example, there are significant differences in extinguishing times between tests conducted under the same conditions, and water mists have difficulty extinguishing small fires. To date, no study of the probability distribution of extinguishing times has been reported. In this study a statistical analysis of the extinguishing time distribution of pool fires extinguished using water mist is presented. The fire sources were circular/square stainless steel pans with gasoline, diesel, ethanol or daqing RP-3 as fuel. Two types of extinguishing scenarios were observed. In one situation, the fire was extinguished via a blow off process, when the flames had not yet been suppressed. Flame cooling is the primary fire extinguishing mechanism; the mass loss rate and combustion heat of the fuel are two key factors. In the other situation, the fire was initially suppressed and subsequently extinguished after a long suppression stage. Surface cooling is the primary fire extinguishing mechanism; the flash point of the fuel is the key factor.     

基于ELPI的南京城区大气可吸入颗粒物现状分析

采用电称低压冲击器(ELPI)对南京城区可吸入颗粒物粒径分布和质量浓度进行连续在线测量,得到了南京城区大气可吸入颗粒物的日变化特征,表明其呈现双峰、双谷分布,夜间高,白天低,上午高,下午低;结合气象参数,研究了大气可吸入颗粒物浓度变化与气象因子的相关性;此外,对可吸入颗粒物粒径分布特征也进行了研究,可以看出,南京地区可吸入颗粒物的主要成分是细颗粒(PM2.5),粒径在0.028～2.31μm的颗粒物占可吸入颗粒物的98%～99%。     

电导率温度校正计算方法的改进

通过实验，用分段函数较精确的表示出温度校正系数与温度的关系，对现行电导率温度校正公式进行了改进，可以简化测量过程，提高计算精度。     

Brominated-chlorinated diphenyl ethers formed by thermolysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers at low temperatures

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) used mainly as additives in different kinds of plastic material. Various PBDEs are found in all environmental compartments as well as in tissue and blood serum of animals and humans due to their persistence and tendency to bioaccumulate. Emission of PBDEs into the environment can occur during recycling of PBDE-containing plastic material or during their uncontrolled or insufficient combustion as e.g. in accidental fires or landfill fires. Under these circumstances, PBDEs can also function as precursor molecules for the formation of polybrominated dibenzodioxins (PBDDs) and dibenzofurans (PBDFs). In this study, we qualitatively investigated the reaction of two PBDE congeners, 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromo diphenyl ether (BDE 47) and 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexabromo diphenyl ether (BDE 153), as well as hexabromobenzene (HBB), a flame retardant used in the past, when exposed to temperatures between 250 °C and 500 °C. The formed reaction products were analysed by high resolution gas chromatography–low resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC-LRMS). Among others brominated–chlorinated diphenyl ethers were formed by chlorodebromination of the PBDEs. In addition, thermolysis of BDE 47 and BDE 153 in the presence of tetrachloromethane as model substance for an organic chlorine source was studied. Thermal treatment of HBB resulted in the formation of brominated–chlorinated benzenes.     

Mapping probability of fire occurrence in San Jacinto Mountains,California, USA

An ecological data base for the San Jacinto Mountains, California, USA, was used to construct a probability model of wildland fire occurrence. The model incorporates both environmental and human factors, including vegetation, temperature, precipitation, human structures, and transportation. Spatial autocorrelation was examined for both fire activity and vegetation to determine the specification of neighborhood effects in the model. Parameters were estimated using stepwise logistic regressions. Among the explanatory variables, the variable that represents the neighborhood effects of spatial processes is shown to be of great importance in the distribution of wildland fires. An important implication of this result is that the management of wildland fires must take into consideration neighborhood effects in addition to environmental and human factors. The distribution of fire occurrence probability is more accurately mapped when the model incorporates the spatial term of neighborhood effects. The map of fire occurrence probability is useful for designing large-scale management strategies of wildfire prevention.     

一种计算粒子电迁移率的新模型

近几年来,粒子电迁移率引起了更多学者的注意。因为它是表征带电粒子在电场中运动的重要参数之一。在这方面,人们已作了大量的研究工作,提出了一些计算粒子电迁移率的理论和半经验模型。基于前人的研究,本文提出了一种计算粒子电迁移率的新模型,并用前人的实验结果和本研究的实验结果对此模型进行了检验。计算结果和实验数据很吻合。就某种意义上讲,此模型是对以前模型的扩展和改进,它可广泛应用于溶胶的研究和工业应用。     

森林火灾旋涡机理初探

作者在热风洞中模拟森林火灾发生的环境条件，在可燃物中设置一突出的圆柱形钝体，发现在有风燃烧火焰流向钝体下游时，紧贴不可燃的壁面，存在两个剧烈燃烧的驻涡，并且涡可以一定的频率脱落，从现象上看与冷流体流动中的卡门涡街有相似的地方，也有完全不同之处。高温燃烧气体新构成的涡的存在，易使下游可燃物点燃，从而加速火蔓延速度。     

火灾烟气伤害机理和伤害模型

建筑物发生火灾时，燃烧产生的烟气对人构成主要威胁。本文分析火灾烟气的伤害机理，提出烟气伤害指数概念及其计算方法，探讨它在材料防火性能评价和建筑物火灾安全评价方面的应用可能性。     

Conservation Threat of Increasing Fire Frequencies in the Western Ghats, India

Abstract:  The acceleration of processes such as forest fragmentation and forest fires in landscapes under intense human pressures makes it imperative to quantify and understand the effects of these processes on the conservation of biodiversity in these landscapes. We combined information from remote-sensing imagery and ground maps of all fires in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (MWLS) in the Western Ghats of India over 14 years (1989–2002). These spatial data on fire occurrence were integrated with maps of vegetation types found in the MWLS to examine fire conditions in each. We calculated the average fire-return interval for each of the vegetation types individually and for the MWLS as a whole. Using vegetation data from the larger Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the entire Western Ghats region, we conservatively estimated fire-frequency information for these larger regions. Because the MWLS does not contain tropical evergreen or montane forests, we were unable to estimate fire conditions in these forest types, which represent 31% of all Western Ghats vegetation cover. For the MWLS, all vegetation types had average fire-return intervals of <7 years, and the sanctuary as a whole had a fire-return interval of 3.3 years. Compared with a 13-year MWLS fire data set from 1909–1921, this represents a threefold increase in fire frequency over the last 80 years. We estimated average fire-return intervals of roughly 5 years for both the larger Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the entire Western Ghats region. Given other recent reports, the estimated fire frequencies for the Western Ghats forests outside protected reserves are conservative. We conclude that the current fire regime of the Western Ghats poses a severe and persistent conservation threat to forests both within and outside protected reserves.