Analysis of underlying causes of investigated loss of containment incidents in Dutch Seveso plants using the Storybuilder method

In the Netherlands there are around 400 “Seveso” sites that fall under the Dutch Major Hazards Decree (BRZO) 1999. Between 2006 and 2010 the Dutch Labour Inspectorate's Directorate for Major Hazard Control completed investigations of 118 loss of containment incidents involving hazardous substances from this group. On the basis of investigation reports the incidents were entered in a tailor-made tool called Storybuilder developed for the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment for identifying the dominant patterns of technical safety barrier failures, barrier task failures and underlying management causes associated with the resulting loss of control events. The model is a bow-tie structure with six lines of defence, three on either side of the central loss of containment event. In the first line of defence, failures in the safety barriers leading to loss of control events were primarily equipment condition failures, pre start-up and safeguarding failures and process deviations such as pressure and flow failures. These deviations, which should have been recovered while still within the safe envelope of operation, were missed primarily because of inadequate indication signals that the deviations have occurred. Through failures of subsequent lines of defence they are developing into serious incidents. Overall, task failures are principally failures to provide adequate technical safety barriers and failures to operate provided barriers appropriately. Underlying management delivery failures were mainly found in equipment specifications and provisions, procedures and competence. The competence delivery system is especially important for identifying equipment condition, equipment isolation for maintenance, pre-start-up status and process deviations. Human errors associated with operating barriers were identified in fifty per cent of cases, were mostly mistakes and feature primarily in failure to prevent deviations and subsequently recover them. Loss of control associated with loss of containment was primarily due to the containment being bypassed (72% of incidents) and less to material strength failures (28%). Transfer pipework, connections in process plant and relief valves are the most frequent release points and the dominant release material is extremely flammable. It is concluded that the analysis of a large number of incidents in Storybuilder can support the quantification of underlying causes and provide evidence of where the weak points exist in major hazard control in the prevention of major accidents.     

Quantitative assessment in safety reports of the consequences from the detonation of solid explosives

Safety reports are mandatory documents in member states of European Union whenever any threshold limits of amounts of either stored or processed hazardous substances are exceeded. After a short introduction to EU Seveso Directives on major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances and to the transposition and implementation by member states, with a brief comment on last 2012/18/EU Directive (also known as Seveso III directive), the paper focuses on drafting of safety reports for industrial activities involving solid explosives. Specifically, the quantitative assessment of consequences from detonation is tackled respect to the side-on overpressure and the debris production. Both direct and inverse problems are illustrated to determine respectively the overpressure value at a given distance, and the explosive amount that allows respecting the regulations. Their solution is based on either analytic or numerical techniques and being based on recent scientific publications on the matter either evaluates or zeroes nonlinear algebraic equations. The availability of these equations avoids grounding the consequences assessment on diagrams and nomograms that otherwise would lead to interpretation and usage errors besides avoiding the automatic solution of the inverse problem. The paper focuses also on details such as embankment, crater, munitions, rocket propellant, building structure, and wall material that, at different levels, play a role in the assessment of detonation consequences. A discussion on debris formation, the available literature, and the evaluation of the impact probability of fragments on both fixed and moving targets closes the paper.     

扬沸火灾发生时间预测模型的建立与应用分析

原油储罐扬沸火灾由池火灾发展而成,是一种危害性极大的事故.准确预测扬沸事故发生的时间,是扬沸机理研究中的难题之一.现有扬沸时间计算的通用模型由于没有考虑油品的粘性作用,计算结果误差较大.把扬沸火灾简化为无内热源的非稳态传热问题,在此基础上进行传热分析,进而推导出扬沸事故时间计算模型.设定了6组不同尺寸和不同充装水平的原油储罐池火灾,利用推导模型计算出了相应的扬沸事故发生时间.将计算结果与通用模型计算结果以及实验结果进行对比:该模型的准确性由于通用模型,计算结果与实验值误差较小,较为合理.研究结果对于扬沸火灾事故下消防人员的灭火救援的安全保障具有重要意义.     

The impact of implementation of the requirements of Standard No. OHSAS 18001:2007 to reduce the number of injuries at work and financial costs in the Republic of Croatia

This article contains the results of research into the impact of implementation of the requirements mentioned in Standard No. OHSAS 18001:2007 to reduce the number of injuries at work and the financial costs incurred in this way. The study was conducted on a determined sample by a written questionnaire survey method in the Republic of Croatia. The objective of the empirical research is to determine the impact of implementation of the requirements of Standard No. OHSAS 18001:2007 to reduce the number of injuries at work and financial costs in Croatia in business organizations that implement these requirements. To provide a broader picture, the research included the collection and analysis of data on the impact of the Standard No. OHSAS 18001:2007 on accidents and fatalities at work. Research findings are based on the analysis of performed statistical data where correlation and regression analysis has been applied.     

广州市秋季PM2.5中重金属的污染水平与化学形态分析

采用消解法和连续提取法分析了广州市秋季PM_2.5样品中10种重金属元素的总量和化学形态,对广州市PM_2.5中重金属的污染水平和生物有效性进行了评价.结果表明,广州市PM_2.5和重金属污染非常严重,其中PM_2.5日浓度高达0.083 3～0.190 0 mg·m^-3,为1997年美国EPA相应标准的1.3～2.9倍.PM_2.5中Cd、Pb、Zn、Cu和Mo的富集因子K>10,是典型的污染元素;而Ni、Mn、Co和Fe的K值为1～10,除部分来自人为活动外,主要还是自然作用来源.化学形态分析结果显示,超过80％的Al和Fe分布在有机质、氧化物与硫化物结合态和残渣态,而大部分Zn、Pb、Cd 和Cu分布在可溶态、可交换态、碳酸盐态、可氧化态和可还原态.生物有效性系数(K)分析结果说明,PM_2.5中重金属的生物有效性相对强弱顺序为：Cd>Zn>Pb>Cu>Mn>Mo>Co>Ni>Fe>Al.其中Cd、Zn和Pb的K>0.8,为生物可利用性元素;Cu、Mn、Mo、Co和Ni的K值在0.5左右,为潜在生物可利用性元素;Fe和Al的K<0.2,为生物不可利用性元素.     

钙钛矿LaMnO3负载贵金属在催化氧化碳烟中的作用

采用共沉淀法制备钙钛矿LaMnO₃,并用浸渍法在LaMnO₃上负载不同的贵金属得到系列催化剂.利用程序升温氧化反应对催化剂催化氧化碳烟的性能进行了测试.程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)、BET、XRD、SEM和FT-IR等表征手段对催化剂进行了表征.结果表明,当Pd的负载量在0.5%时,催化剂Pd/LaMnO₃的催化性能最好,和单独的LaMnO₃相比,最高燃烧速率温度降低了40℃.当负载量较小和较多时,碳烟起燃温度反而会比LaMnO₃高.在5种贵金属负载的催化剂中,其中Pd催化性能最好,依次为Au、Ru、Pt和 Rh.TPR测试表明贵金属的负载有助于钙钛矿中Mn⁴⁺的还原,对高温时Mn³⁺的还原作用不大.XRD衍射角向低角度出现了少许偏移,显示负载在表面的贵金属部分进入钙钛矿LaMnO₃的晶格结构中,使其晶粒增大;BET和SEM结果表明催化剂在反应后出现了轻微团聚现象.IR图谱显示反应前后,主要特征红外吸收带没有明显变化, 表明催化剂具有较好的结构稳定性.适量的贵金属在钙钛矿LaMnO₃上负载,能够有效地提高催化燃烧碳烟的活性.     

路域土壤重金属含量空间变异的影响因子

以纵向岭谷区景洪-思茅段公路沿线为研究区,通过公路不同地点样线布设,对不同土地类型、地形和公路距离下的98个样点进行了野外植被和环境因子调查及土壤采样,在土壤表层0～20cm重金属全量分析的基础上对影响其分布的环境因子做了相关分析,得出研究区路域土壤重金属污染的空间分异特征及其主要的影响因子.研究结果表明,公路沿线不同土地利用类型下土壤重金属元素的含量存在较大的差异,但不同类型下含量的变化趋势较为一致,草地重金属污染最为严重,而次生林,原始林重金属含量较低;土壤养分也受土地利用类型影响,但相关分析表明,除了pH值、总钾、总磷和重金属关系较为密切外,研究区其它土壤养分和重金属之间的含量相关不显著.重金属元素含量之间相关性显著,表明该段道路重金属污染具有同源性,即来自道路.距公路的距离对重金属含量影响较大,农田土壤重金属含量随距离公路增加逐渐降低,而自然土壤中,变化趋势呈波动趋势.进一步对自然土壤中重金属的影响因子做了分析,结果表明,地形影响重金属的含量垂直分异,而典范对应分析也显示研究区距离、地形、土地覆被和土壤特性共同作用于土壤污染的空间变异.影响程度为距离＞土地覆被＞地形＞土壤.     

利用QSAR模型探讨分类条件下金属离子性质与酵母吸附容量之间的关系

在金属离子分类基础上(按金属离子的软硬性质),以啤酒工业废酵母对10种金属离子(Pb2 ,Ag ,Cr3 ,Cu2 ,Zn2 ,Cd2 ,Co2 ,Sr2 ,Ni2 、or Cs )的Langmuir理论饱和吸附容量qmax为QSAR(Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships)模型的活性参数,以金属离子的22种物理化学性质作为QSAR模型的结构参数,利用QSAR方法建立了分类条件下离子性质与酵母生物吸附容量之间的定量关系.金属的离子性质与吸附容量之间的线性回归分析结果表明,对金属离子进行适当分类可以改善拟合效果对于含有软离子的金属离子,共价指数X2mr是22种变量中预测效果最好的离子性质.离子的X2mr数值越大,离子与细胞的共价结合程度越高,吸附量越大.对于不含软离子的金属离子,极化力Z2/r、第一水解常数|log KOH|和电离势IP是qmax预测中最有价值的3个离子结构参数.(似)极化力的多种表征形式Z/r,Z/r2,Z/AR2,Z/AR也可以用于预测qmax.但考虑了金属离子的价层电子数、离子有效电荷和离子半径的极化力参数Z*2/r,却难以解释酵母吸附金属离子的亲和力顺序.该研究为预测金属离子的生物吸附容量、研究重金属离子-微生物的相互作用提供了新的思路和方法     

石油生物脱硫技术研究进展

生物脱硫技术由于具有条件温和、能耗低等优势受到人们关注。对生物脱硫新型微生物的筛选方向、生物脱硫技术中脱硫菌生长以及脱硫限制、传质限制等因素及其近期研究进展等方面进行了介绍,以期促进生物脱硫技术的研究深度。     

从垃圾焚烧飞灰中回收金属研究进展

焚烧处理已成为我国大城市生活垃圾处理的主要方式之一,焚烧飞灰属于危险废物,其处理处置与利用已成为焚烧厂面临的主要问题。飞灰中含有大量的金属,如将其回收利用不仅可以缓解我国金属资源短缺的问题,而且可使飞灰由危险废物转化为惰性固体废物而加以利用。介绍从飞灰中回收金属国内外研究现状并分析了现有工艺存在的问题,建议采用水洗预处理结合酸碱两步浸取,辅之以溶剂选择萃取的方法从一次飞灰中选择性回收Pb、Cu和Zn。