Sustainability assessment of entire forest value chains: Integrating stakeholder perspectives and indicators in decision support tools

The optimization of value chains is an important process to promote sustainable development, since value chains are closely linked to the satisfaction of human needs and combine different driving forces for environmental change. This article presents a methodological approach for the participatory development of value-chain wide sustainability indicator sets and their integration into a decision support tool in the specific case study of the chain “construction and refurbishment with wood”. There are numerous indicator sets for sustainable development of forests and sustainable forestry available at different levels, ranging from local, regional and national to global scale assessments. Some efforts were also made to integrate later production stages of forest value chains (such as wood processing) in the assessment scope (e.g. for chain-of-custody certification). However, no indicator set has so far been available covering environmental, social and economic aspects for the entire value chain of building with timber. This gap was closed through applied sustainability research in the project “Holzwende 2020: Sustainable future markets for wood in the building sector”.     

基于云模型的灭火救援作战方案优选方法研究

为了解决灭火救援作战方案优选中存在的模糊性和随机性问题,提出基于云模型的优选方法。首先,根据消防部队灭火救援作战的目标和特点,确定作战方案优选指标集;其次,通过专家咨询建立优选指标的权重云,采用指标近似法确定优选指标的评价云;最后,依据云的算数运算规则对各灭火救援作战方案进行评价,从而确定最佳方案。实例表明:该方法实现作战方案优选中定性语言和定量评价之间的转化,优选结果客观可行、符合人的思维方式,便于灭火救援指挥人员进行决策指挥。     

圆柱形无约束气云爆炸高温效应研究

为了分析无约束可燃气云爆炸产生的高温伤害效应,建立了相应的数学模型,利用有限体积的离散方法,对无约束空间内甲烷浓度10％、高径比为1的圆柱形可燃气云爆炸的瞬态温度场进行了数值研究。研究结果表明,圆柱形可燃气云爆炸的温度场呈不对称性分布,靠近地面处足最危险区域,高温可能达到的最大怪直高度和最大水平距离分别约为圆柱体高的2倍和半径的3．2倍。对数值模拟结果的数据进行多项式拟合,得到了圆柱形可燃气云爆炸场最高温度随水平距离、初温及参与爆炸气云质量的函数关系式,给可燃气云爆炸灾害的预测及防护提供了科学依据。     

基于云化物元耦合模型的岩质高边坡工程爆破施工安全风险评估

针对岩质高边坡工程爆破施工安全风险评估过程中存在模糊性与随机性的特点,提出采用云模型改进传统物元理论,采用物元法和云模型相耦合的评估模型来处理评估中的不确定性问题.该云化物元耦合模型方法采用云模型的数字特征值代替物元基本元中的特征量值,通过云模型的相关算法来计算风险评估指标的云关联度;同时,采用基于改进CRITIC的客...     

Lower explosion limit of the vented gases from Li-ion batteries thermal runaway in high temperature condition

The thermal runaway of lithium-ion battery (or Li-ion battery, LIB) results in scrap of battery and fire, with the toxic and flammable gases generated. In this work, a self-made device was to collect gases from LIB thermal runaway, when the batteries were under different states of charge (SOC), temperatures of the environment and powers of external heating. Three samples of the collected gases were analyzed to get the results of the composition and content by chromatography-mass spectrometry system (GC-MS). The lower explosion limits (LELs) of the gases was tested by FRTA explosion limit instrument. And then the LEL of three analyzed samples whose composition and content were known by GC-MS were calculated via theoretical formulas. The calculated LELs were compared with those of the instrument test. The errors of the two results of three samples are 2.1%, 1.9%, and 0.4%. The Le Chatelier Formula and empirical formula provide a way to evaluate the LEL of the battery runaway gas more quickly.     

Industrial system for mitigation of vapor cloud explosions

The oil industry operates installations and processes with important quantities of flammable substances within a wide range of pressures and temperatures. A particular hazard for this type of installations is an accidental release of a large quantity of flammable material resulting in a devastating vapor cloud explosion.Extensive research was conducted to assess the efficiency of chemicals for inhibition of flames. Especially alkali metal compounds (especially carbonates and bicarbonates of sodium and potassium) have shown to be one of the more efficient flame inhibitor species.In this paper, the principles of flame inhibition by alkali metal compounds are briefly explained. Based on these principles, a practical implementation of an industrial system for chemical inhibition of vapor cloud explosions is discussed. This implementation is based on the use of dry powders of carbonates and bicarbonates of sodium and potassium as flame inhibitor species.The efficiency of the final design of the inhibition system was tested and confirmed on a very large scale in Vapor Cloud Explosion tests in California (US) in September 2016. Several projects in TOTAL were identified in which the VCE inhibition technology is implemented (new cracker units in Daesan (South-Korea) and in Port Arthur (United States)).     

Applications of dust explosion hazard and disaster prevention technology

Powdered materials are widely used in industrial processes, chemical processing, and nanoscience. Because most flammable powders and chemicals are not pure substances, their flammability and self-heating characteristics cannot be accurately identified using safety data sheets. Therefore, site staff can easily underestimate the risks they pose. Flammable dust accidents are frequent and force industrial process managers to pay attention to the characteristics of flammable powders and create inherently safer designs.This study verified that although the flammable powders used by petrochemical plants have been tested, some powders have different minimum ignition energies (MIEs) before and after drying, whereas some of the powders are released of flammable gases. These hazard characteristics are usually neglected, leading to the neglect of preventive parameters for fires and explosions, such as dust particle size specified by NFPA-654, MIE, the minimum ignition temperature of the dust cloud, the minimum ignition temperature of the dust layer, and limiting oxygen concentration. Unless these parameters are fully integrated into process hazard analysis and process safety management, the risks cannot be fully identified, and the reliability of process hazard analysis cannot be improved to facilitate the development of appropriate countermeasures. Preventing the underestimation of process risk severity due to the fire and explosion parameters of unknown flammable dusts and overestimation of existing safety measures is crucial for effective accident prevention.     

Altitudinal Distribution of Meltwater and Its Effects on Glacio‐Hydrology in Glacierized Catchments,Central Asia

In glacierized catchments, elevation is correlated with meltwater through its association with temperature, precipitation, and glacier hypsometry. The revelation of the altitudinal distribution of meltwater, unattended and not fully understood in previous work, might provide a better understanding of climate change impacts on glacio‐hydrology. Here, critical zone approach was defined and applied in 12 glacierized catchments of the Tien Shan–Pamir–Karakorum Mountains, Central Asia using manually calibrated glacier‐enhanced Soil and Water Assessment Tool model over 1966–2005. The critical zone, a sequence of elevation bands with above‐average snow and glacier melt, contributes maximum meltwater to total runoff. The critical zone shared 37%–95% (average = 80%) of meltwater contributions to total runoff, although its size was only 13%–30% of the total elevational relief. The critical zone controlled 76% and 82% variability in relative changes of glacier area and total runoff at the catchment scale, respectively. The increase in temperature was identified as the dominant driver for variations in total runoff in all catchments except Vakhsh and Yurungkash, where precipitation change remained dominant. Overall, glacier hypsometry limited the first‐order control of meltwater distributions on glacio‐hydrology. It is concluded that critical zone approach can interpret the proxy role of elevation to affect water availability under climate and glacier area change in glacierized catchments.     

Impact of Cloud on Net Ecosystem CO2 Exchange of Alpine Meadow in Tibetan Plateau

Meteorological elements and CO2 fluxes over alpine meadow ecosystem were observed continuously from 2004 to 2005in Damxung Alpine Meadow Flux Station,China Flux Network.Based on the eddy covariance CO2 fluxes and meteorological data obtained,the relationships among the CO2 fluxes,the cloud amount,and the meteorological factors in alpine meadow ecosystem were explored and analyzed.Some conclusions can be drawn from the discussion with previous researches as following:(1)the cloud amount can affect the net ecosystem CO2 exchange(NEE)of alpine meadow on Tibetan Plateau;(2)the soil temperature sensitive to the cloud amount,is a major environmental controlling factor for NEE,and closely relates to the maximum of NEE.In the morning period with large cloud amount,the NEE reaches its maximum when the clearness index ranges from 0.5 to 0.7; yet in the afternoon it comes to the maximum with the index from 0.2 to 0.35.The span of soil temperature covers from 12 to 15℃ as the NEE at its highest;(3)the scatterplots between NEE and photosynthetic available radiation(PAR)was a significant inverse triangle in the clear day,two different kinds of concave curves in the cloudy day,and strongly convergent rectangular hyperbola in the overcast day.These differences were controlled by the changes of light radiation and soil temperature.     

问题驱动教学法在环境法课程中的应用

在问题驱动教学法下,在自主学习中提出问题、解决问题是重点,进行学习效果评价、形成反馈信息是总结提高阶段,每一个环节都必须统筹安排、合理兼顾。环境法课程教学活动中合理采用问题驱动教学法不仅充分体现了学生为主体、老师为主导的现代教育思想,而且极大地调动了学生的积极性和创造性,也为提高学生的实践能力和创新能力营造了良好的氛围。