Temperature profile across the combustion zone propagating through an iron particle cloud

Knowledge of the mechanism of combustion zone propagation during dust explosion is of great importance to prevent damage caused by accidental dust explosions. In this study, the temperature profile across the combustion zone propagating through an iron particle cloud is measured experimentally by a thermocouple to elucidate the propagation mechanism. The measured temperature starts to increase slowly at a position about 5 mm ahead of the leading edge of the combustion zone, increases quickly at a position about 3 mm ahead of the leading edge, reaches a maximum value near the end of the combustion zone, and then decreases. As the iron particle concentration increases, the maximum temperature increases at lower concentration, takes a maximum value, and then decreases at higher concentration. The relation between the propagation velocity of the combustion zone and the maximum temperature is also examined. It is found that the propagation velocity has a linear relationship with the maximum temperature. This result suggests that the conductive heat transfer is dominant in the propagation process of the combustion zone through an iron particle cloud.     

Minimum Ignition Temperature of layer and cloud dust mixtures

The prevention of dust explosions is still a challenge for the process industry. Ignition, in particular, is a phenomenon that is still not completely understood. As a consequence, safety conditions pertaining to ignition suppression are rarely identified to an adequate level. It is well known that, in general, the ignition attitude of a dust depends on several factors, such as the nature of the chemical, the particle size, moisture content, etc., but there is still a lack of knowledge on the effect of the single variables.This paper has the aim of providing data on the Minimum Ignition Temperatures of dust mixtures obtained from a mixing of a combustible dust (flour, lactose, sucrose, sulphur) and an inert dust (limestone, extinguishing powders) as well as from the mixing of two different combustible dusts. Various mixtures with different weight ratios have been tested in a Godbert Greenwald (GG) furnace and on a hot plate in order to measure the effect of mixture composition on the Minimum Ignition Temperature (MIT_L) of the layer and on the Minimum Ignition Temperature (MIT_C) of the cloud. In order to further verify the effects of inert dust particle size, inerts sieved to different size ranges have been tested separately. Generally, both MIT_L and MIT_C increase as the inert content is increased. MIT_C is poorly affected by inert particle size when limestone is used. The MIT_L of pure flour is higher than the MIT_L of mixtures containing up to 40% of 32–75 μm of limestone. This was probably due to the behaviour of pure flour during the test, which demonstrated strong tendency to produce char, cracks in the layer and detachment from the hot plate.     

Thermal radiation from vapour cloud explosions

The current study estimates the radiation flux emitted from hot extended gas clouds characteristic of vapour cloud explosions along with the corresponding level of irradiance posed on particles suspended in the unburnt part of the cloud ahead of an advancing flame front. The data presented permits an assessment of the plausibility of combustion initiation by such particles due to forward thermal radiation. The thermal radiation will depend on the emissivity of the burned volume, which relates to the concentration of gaseous and particulate combustion products. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out to account for variations in the equivalence ratio, mixture pressure and radiative heat losses. The spatial distribution of irradiance ahead of the flame front has been computed by introducing appropriate geometrical factors to explore the impact of cloud size. Using fuel rich ethylene-air mixtures it has been shown that high flame emissivities can be achieved at path lengths of order 1 m even in the presence of very low soot volume fractions. The emissivity of gas-soot mixtures will hence be mainly determined by the soot concentration and to a lesser extent by the mixture temperature. Our analysis suggests that the role of forward thermal radiation as a contributing factor to flame propagation in large scale vapour cloud explosions can not currently be ruled out.     

Heterogeneous uptake of nitrogen dioxide on Chinese mineral dust

Mineral dust is one of the major aerosols in the atmosphere. To assess its impact on trace atmospheric gases, in this work we present a laboratory study of the effect of temperature on the heterogeneous reaction of NO₂ on the surface of ambient Chinese dust over the temperature range from 258 to 313 K. The results suggest that nitrogen dioxide could mainly be adsorbed on these types of Chinese mineral dust reversibly with little temperature dependence. Similar to a previous study on NO₂ uptake on mineral aerosols, the uptake coefficients are mainly on the order of 10^− 6 for the Chinese dust, when BET areas are taken into account. HONO was observed as a product, and its formation and decomposition on Chinese mineral dust during the uptake processes were also studied. The complete dataset from this study was compiled with previous literature determinations. Atmospheric implications of the heterogeneous reaction between NO₂ and mineral dust are also discussed, in an effort to understand this important heterogeneous process.     

Experimental study on the impact of temperature on the dissipation process of supersaturated total dissolved gas

Water temperature not only affects the solubility of gas in water but can also be an important factor in the dissipation process of supersaturated total dissolved gas （TDG）. The quantitative relationship between the dissipation process and temperature has not been previously described. This relationship affects the accurate evaluation of the dissipation process and the subsequent biological effects. This article experimentally investigates the impact of temperature on supersaturated TDG dissipation in static and turbulent conditions. The results show that the supersaturated TDG dissipation coefficient increases with the temperature and turbulence intensity. The quantitative relationship was verified by straight flume experiments. This study enhances our understanding of the dissipation of supersaturated TDG. Furthermore, it provides a scientific foundation for the accurate prediction of the dissipation process of supersaturated TDG in the downstream area and the negative imp）acts of high dam projects on aquatic ecosystems.     

Knudsen cell and smog chamber study of the heterogeneous uptake of sulfur dioxide on Chinese mineral dust

The heterogeneous uptake processes of sulfur dioxide on two types of Chinese mineral dust（Inner Mongolia desert dust and Xinjiang sierozem） were investigated using both Knudsen cell and smog chamber system. The temperature dependence of the uptake coefficients was studied over a range from 253 to 313 K using the Knudsen cell reactor, the initial uptake coefficients decreased with the increasing of temperature for these two mineral dust samples, whereas the steady state uptake coefficients of the Xinjiang sierozem increased with the temperature increasing, and these temperature dependence functions were obtained for the first time. In the smog chamber experiments at room temperature, the steady state uptake coefficients of SO2 decreased evidently with the increasing of sulfur dioxide initial concentration from 1.72 × 1012 to 6.15 × 1012mol/cm3. Humid air had effect on the steady state uptake coefficients of SO2 onto Inner Mongolia desert dust.Consequences about the understanding of the uptake processes onto mineral dust samples and the environmental implication were also discussed.     

Changes in the cell size of the diatom Cylindrotheca closterium in a hyperhaline pond

Cell length of the diatom Cylindrotheca closterium (Ehr.) Reimann & Lewin was investigated on a fortnightly basis from January to April 2000 in a hyperhaline pond (Sardinia, Mediterranean Sea) and relationships, with changes in temperature, salinity, and nitrite concentrations were assessed using single and multiple regression analyses. Results of our study indicate that C. closterium cell size was inversely related to temperature changes, but that salinity and nitrite concentrations may have a major idiosyncratic effect on cell size variability.     

CHEMICAL MEASUREMENT OF MEAN TEMPERATURE

Mean temperature is employed universally as an index to the energy status of the environment, and to indicate probable reaction rates of physical and biological processes in nature. A versatile chemical method of temperature integration, based on the temperature dependence of sucrose hydrolysis, has been tested in central Pennsylvania. The chemical technique (after Pallmann) permits economical mass sampling of air, water, and soil temperatures in situations where conventional methods are too expensive or otherwise unsatisfactory. Short-wave radiation effects are negligible since the sensing elements are transparent. Repeatability is excellent: in field tests duplicate sensors yield the same mean temperature ± 0.02°C. Non-linearity of sensor response has been resolved, and the data can be related directly to measurements obtained in standard climatological networks. The technique can be used to good advantage in a variety of hydrological investigations, including evaporation, consumptive-use, and them pollution studies.     

Design of unsurfaced roads constructed with large-size shredded rubber tires: a case study

Stockpiles of scrap tires are serious fire hazard, public health hazard, and an environmental burden. The construction of road embankments, using tire shreds as a lightweight fill, can consume large quantities of scrap tires and has certain engineering benefits. All the previous research focused on small size tire shreds (3–6 in. size) in terms of its use in civil engineering applications and determination of the engineering/environmental properties. This research specifically focuses on large size tire shreds (12 in. size) and its direct comparison with the other sizes of the tire shreds to develop mechanistic-empirical practical design model and so that the use of tire shreds in road bases could be used on regular basis with enhanced reliability instead of on an empirical basis. The research also examines the potential environmental implications of the use of shredded rubber tires and the comparison of the short-term results with other long-term monitoring studies.     

加氨脱除SO_2过程的铵盐回收研究

论述了加入NH_3的热化学脱除硫过程,以及湿度、NH_3/SO_2摩尔比、温度对铵盐回收率的影响规律。从中发现当湿度大于17％RH、NH_3/SO_2摩尔比大于2时,对铵盐回收率影响不大。然而气体的对铵盐回收率影响甚大,当温度高于54℃时用电收尘器收集时铵盐回收率低于10％;温度在30℃左右时,铵盐回收率高达90％以上。解决了热化学干法脱硫的铵盐回收难点。