An experimental study on the burning rate of a continuously released n-heptane spill fire on an open water surface

Spill fires are common during oil product storage and transportation after a loss of containment. Since the burning fuel is moving and the fuel depth is quite shallow, the burning rate in a spill fire is different from that of a pool fire with a static burning zone. Unlike pool fires, which have been studied for decades and have well-established correlations for burning rate, research on spill fires is inadequate. In this paper, continuously released n-heptane spill fire experiments were conducted on open water surfaces with varying fuel discharge rates. The pool diameters were measured, and the spill fire burning rates were estimated based on a dynamic balance between fuel supply and combustion. The burning rates in n-heptane pool fires from the literature were reviewed and compared with the estimated burning rates in spill fires of the same dimension. The spill fire burning rate was found to be close to that in a pool fire during the initial burning phase but lower than that in a bulk burning pool fire and that in a “fuel-level-controlled” pool fire. The distinction between the burning rates of spill fires and pool fires is explained by the heat balance analysis of the fuel layer. A model for the spill fire burning rate was proposed accordingly. The results calculated with the presented model are closer to the measured data than those calculated with pool fire models.     

煤矿安全警示宣传图恐惧诉求效果研究

煤矿安全警示宣传图是普及煤矿安全知识、提升工作人员安全意识的重要途径。含有恐惧诉求效果的警示宣传图经常被作为宣传策略来说服或影响受众者的态度和行为。搜集、设计了5组有无恐惧诉求元素的煤矿安全警示宣传对比图,采用眼动试验、心率监测、调查问卷、访谈等方法研究有无恐惧诉求元素煤矿安全警示宣传图的效果差异。结果表明:被试在观看有恐惧诉求元素安全警示宣传图时,注视点较集中在含有恐惧诉求元素的兴趣区,瞳孔较大,平均心率较高;有恐惧诉求元素的安全警示图更能吸引被试的注意力,增强被试的记忆效果,但有恐惧诉求元素的安全警示宣传图在设计时要注意恐惧诉求元素区域与文字标语的配合;"漫画+文字标语"型恐惧诉求安全警示宣传图表达委婉、主题突出、言简意赅,更容易被接受。     

Numerical simulation of small-scale pool fires of LNG

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been largely indicated as a promising alternative solution for the transportation and storage of natural gas. In the case of accidental release on the ground, a pool fire scenario may occur. Despite the relevance of this accident, due to its likelihood and potential to trigger domino effects, accurate analyses addressing the characterization of pool fires of LNG are still missing.In this work, the fire dynamic simulator (FDS) has been adopted for the evaluation of the effects of the released amount of fuel and its composition (methane, ethane, and propane), on the thermal and chemical properties of small-scale LNG pool fire. More specifically, the heat release rate, the burning rate, the flame height, and thermal radiation, at different initial conditions, have been evaluated for pool having diameter smaller than 10 m. Safety distances have been calculated for all the investigated conditions, as well.Results have also been compared with data and correlations retrieved from the current literature. The equation of Thomas seems to work properly for the definition of the height over diameter ratio of the LNG pool fire for all the mixture and the investigated diameters.The addition of ethane and propane significantly affects the obtained results, especially in terms of radiative thermal radiation peaks, thus indicating the inadequacy of the commonly adopted assumption of pure methane as single, surrogate species for the LNG mixture.     

The potential for biodiversity offsetting to fund effective invasive species control

Compensating for biodiversity losses in 1 location by conserving or restoring biodiversity elsewhere (i.e., biodiversity offsetting) is being used increasingly to compensate for biodiversity losses resulting from development. We considered whether a form of biodiversity offsetting, enhancement offsetting (i.e., enhancing the quality of degraded natural habitats through intensive ecological management), can realistically secure additional funding to control biological invaders at a scale and duration that results in enhanced biodiversity outcomes. We suggest that biodiversity offsetting has the potential to enhance biodiversity values through funding of invasive species control, but it needs to meet 7 key conditions: be technically possible to reduce invasive species to levels that enhance native biodiversity; be affordable; be sufficiently large to compensate for the impact; be adaptable to accommodate new strategic and tactical developments while not compromising biodiversity outcomes; acknowledge uncertainties associated with managing pests; be based on an explicit risk assessment that identifies the cost of not achieving target outcomes; and include financial mechanisms to provide for in‐perpetuity funding. The challenge then for conservation practitioners, advocates, and policy makers is to develop frameworks that allow for durable and effective partnerships with developers to realize the full potential of enhancement offsets, which will require a shift away from traditional preservation‐focused approaches to biodiversity management. El Potencial de la Compensación de la Biodiversidad para Financiar Controles Efectivos de Especies Invasoras     

Impact of conservation areas on trophic interactions between apex predators and herbivores on coral reefs

Apex predators are declining at alarming rates due to exploitation by humans, but we have yet to fully discern the impacts of apex predator loss on ecosystem function. In a management context, it is critically important to clarify the role apex predators play in structuring populations of lower trophic levels. Thus, we examined the top‐down influence of reef sharks (an apex predator on coral reefs) and mesopredators on large‐bodied herbivores. We measured the abundance, size structure, and biomass of apex predators, mesopredators, and herbivores across fished, no‐take, and no‐entry management zones in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia. Shark abundance and mesopredator size and biomass were higher in no‐entry zones than in fished and no‐take zones, which indicates the viability of strictly enforced human exclusion areas as tools for the conservation of predator communities. Changes in predator populations due to protection in no‐entry zones did not have a discernible influence on the density, size, or biomass of different functional groups of herbivorous fishes. The lack of a relationship between predators and herbivores suggests that top‐down forces may not play a strong role in regulating large‐bodied herbivorous coral reef fish populations. Given this inconsistency with traditional ecological theories of trophic cascades, trophic structures on coral reefs may need to be reassessed to enable the establishment of appropriate and effective management regimes. El Impacto de las Áreas de Conservación sobre las Interacciones Tróficas entre los Depredadores Dominantes y los Herbívoros en los Arrecifes de Coral     

危险化学品火灾爆炸事故不安全动作分布规律研究

以我国210起典型危险化学品火灾爆炸事故为样本,对造成事故的不安全动作进行归类统计,应用云模型云发生器算法计算大类不安全动作的云模型参数值并绘制隶属云图,得出了危险化学品火灾爆炸事故中不安全动作类型和发出者分布规律及特点。结果表明:造成火源型火灾爆炸事故的违规型不安全动作平均发生次数最多,分布不均匀且不稳定,其中现场工作缺乏指导或监护发生次数最多,发出对象为监理;蓄热型火灾爆炸事故中技术型不安全动作分布表现出较大的随机性,其中物料添加不当和隐患排查不彻底发生次数最多,发出对象分别为基层人员和监理。     

基于改进TOPSIS的受灾点需求紧迫性分级研究

地震发生初期,各受灾点对物资需求的紧迫性存在差异。在应急资源有限的情况下,为提高救援效率,应急资源需要按照受灾点需求紧迫性优先级进行分配和调度。首先,构建了受灾点需求紧迫性评价指标体系,并采用博弈论方法将熵权法和层次分析法相结合,确定权重组合系数及各评价指标综合权重。其次,利用马氏距离和灰色关联分析改进TOPSIS方法,建立了受灾点应急物资需求紧迫性分级模型。最后,将模型应用于受灾点应急物资需求紧迫性分级研究,并将该评价结果与传统TOPSIS法的评价结果进行比较,结果表明,该评价方法可以科学、客观地确定权重组合系数,消除指标间相关性,使评价结果符合实际情况,表明该评价方法科学、可行、有效,能为应急救援物资配送提供有效支持和决策。     

PVC电缆火灾早期特征气体的组成分析和传感器探测

利用气体传感器对电缆绝缘过热释放的气体进行监测有望实现电气火灾早期预警,目前该技术的发展由于特征气体未得到确认而受到限制。分析了聚氯乙烯(PVC)电缆绝缘层在不同温度下释放的气体组成,并对其主要成分进行传感器测试。TG-IR和GC-MS分析表明PVC电缆绝缘层在200℃前已出现微小失重,释放出以邻苯二甲酸二辛酯(DOP)等塑化剂为主的气体。气敏测试中,商用半导体气体传感器对DOP和电缆蒸气产生较好、相似的响应性能。因此,DOP可以作为PVC电缆火灾早期的特征气体。     

氯化钠/纳米疏水二氧化硅超细干粉制备及灭火性能研究

选用氯化钠为基体制备金属火灾超细干粉灭火剂。应用反溶剂法对其改性,使纳米疏水二氧化硅吸附在氯化钠晶体表面,其中分散剂为PEG-1000。结果表明,纳米疏水二氧化硅的添加有利于细化氯化钠颗粒,但过量的添加会起反作用,最佳用量为3 wt%左右,平均粒径为2.18μm。镁片灭火实验证明超细复合干粉的灭火性能明显好于传统氯化钠灭火剂(商用D类灭火剂),纳米疏水二氧化硅最佳添加量为3 wt%,此时灭火时间仅需传统灭火剂的一半。最后利用FDS5.0模拟干粉颗粒与燃烧火焰作用过程,模拟结果表明干粉覆盖对火焰具有一定的抑制效果,并分析了复合干粉灭火机理。     

空气幕对城际铁路地下车站火灾烟气控制数值分析

为将空气幕作为城际铁路地下车站控烟措施提供理论依据,进而为地下车站防灾控烟设计提供新思路,以某典型城际铁路地下车站岛式站台层为依托,采用火灾动力学三维模拟软件FDS建立全尺寸火灾模型,对比单吹式、吹吸式空气幕布置于站台与轨行区间时楼梯及站台处温度及可见度分布规律,并分别对单吹式、吹吸式空气幕的射流风速、射流角度进行了参数优化研究。结果表明:单吹式、吹吸式空气幕均可保证火灾下楼梯区域可见度和温度的安全性要求;单吹式在射流风速为12 m/s且射流角度为10°时,吹吸式在射流风速为8 m/s时,防烟效果良好且趋于稳定;采用单吹式的最小站台危险区域较吹吸式长15 m,建议在城际铁路地下车站中选用吹吸式空气幕。