A violent,episodic vapour cloud explosion assessment: Deflagration-to-detonation transition

A large vapour cloud explosion (VCE) followed by a fire is one of the most dangerous and high consequence events that can occur in petrochemical facilities. The current process of safety practice in the industry in VCE assessment is to assume that all VCEs are deflagration. This assumption has been considered for nearly three decades. In recent years, major fire and VCE incidents in fuel storage depots gained considerable attention in extreme high explosion overpressure due to the transition from Deflagration to Detonation (DDT). Though the possibility of DDTs is lower than deflagrations, they have been identified in some of the most recent large-scale VCE incidents, including Buncefield (UK), 2005, San Juan explosion (US), 2009, and IOCL Jaipur (India), 2009 event. Such an incident established the need to understand not only VCE but also the importance of avoiding the escalation of minor incidents into much more devastating consequences.Despite decades of research, understanding of the fundamental physical mechanisms and governing factors of deflagration-to detonation transition (DDT) transition remains mostly elusive. An extreme multi-scale, multi-physics nature of this process uncertainly makes DDT one of the “Grand Challenge” problems of typical physics, and any significant developments toward its assured insistence would require revolutionary step forward in experiments, theory, and numerical modelling. Under certain circumstances, nevertheless, it is possible for DDT to occur, and this can be followed by a propagating detonation that quickly consumes the remaining detonable cloud. In a detonable cloud, a detonation creates the worst accident that can happen. Because detonation overpressures are much higher than those in a deflagration and continue through the entire detonable cloud, the damage from a DDT event is more severe. The consideration of detonation in hazard and risk assessment would identify new escalation potentials and recognize critical buildings impacted. This knowledge will allow more effective management of this hazard.The main conclusion from this paper is that detonations did occur in Jaipur accident at least part of the VCE accidents. The vapour cloud explosion could not have been caused by a deflagration alone, given the widespread occurrence of high overpressures and directional indicators in open uncongested areas containing the cloud. Additionally, the major incident has left many safety issues behind, which must be repeatedly addressed. It reveals that adequate safety measures were either underestimated or not accounted for seriously. This article highlights the aftermath of the IOCL Jaipur incident and addresses challenges put forward by it.     

Scientific Gear as a Vector for Non-Native Species at Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents

The fauna of deep-sea hydrothermal vents are among the most isolated and inaccessible biological communities on Earth. Most vent sites can only be visited by subsea vehicles, which can and do move freely among these communities. Researchers assume individuals of the regionally homogeneous vent fauna are killed by the change in hydrostatic pressure the animals experience when the subsea vehicles, which collected them, rise to the surface. After an Alvin dive, we found 38 apparently healthy individuals of a vent limpet in a sample from a hydrothermally inactive area. Prompted by our identification of these specimens as Lepetodrilus gordensis, a species restricted to vents 635 km to the south of our dive site, we tested whether they were from a novel population or were contaminants from the dive made 36 h earlier. The 16S gene sequences, morphology, sex ratio, bacterial colonies, and stable isotopes uniformly indicated the specimens came from the previous dive. We cleaned the sampler, but assumed pressure changes would kill any organisms we did not remove and that the faunas of the 2 areas were nearly identical and disease-free. Our failure to completely clean the gear on the subsea vehicle meant we could have introduced the species and any diseases it carried to a novel location. Our findings suggest that the nearly inaccessible biological communities at deep-sea vents may be vulnerable to anthropogenic alteration, despite their extreme physical conditions.     

隧道火灾集中排烟模式下的排烟效率研究

排烟效率是衡量集中排烟火灾通风方案排烟效果的重要指标。为合理分析排烟效率的变化特性,结合某隧道集中排烟系统设计,借助CFD技术,对设置有排烟道的隧道进行了火灾烟气控制的模拟分析,研究了排烟阀开启个数、开口面积和设置间距对双向排烟和单向排烟两种集中排烟模式下不同排烟阀设置方案中总排烟效率和各个排烟阀的排烟效率的影响。结果表明,集中排烟模式可有效将火灾烟气排出隧道。当排烟阀对称开启时,双向排烟模式下,减少排烟阀开启个数,单个排烟阀的排烟效率升高,但总排烟效率降低;当开口面积较小时,增大面积,总排烟效率升高明显,继续增大开口面积时总排烟效率升高效果减弱;增大间距有利于隧道排烟。单向排烟模式下,当排烟阀开启个数较多或开口面积较大时,距离风机最远的排烟阀排烟效率降低,并出现烟流流出排烟道的现象,排烟阀失效,可考虑在非排烟侧开启少量排烟阀,增大间距,使总排烟效率升高。     

High levels of natural radioactivity in biota from deep-sea hydrothermal vents: a preliminary communication

Hydrothermal deep-sea vent fauna is naturally exposed to a peculiar environment enriched in potentially toxic species such as sulphides, heavy metals and natural radionuclides. It is now well established that some of the organisms present in such an environment accumulate metals during their lifespan. Though only few radionuclide measurements are available, it seems likely that hydrothermal vent communities are exposed to high natural radiation doses. Various archived biological samples collected on the East Pacific Rise and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in 1996, 2001 and 2002 were analysed by ICP-MS in order to determine their uranium contents (²³⁸U, ²³⁵U and ²³⁴U). In addition ²¹⁰Po–Pb were determined in 2 samples collected in 2002. Vent organisms are characterized by high U, and Po–Pb levels compared to what is generally encountered in organisms from outside hydrothermal vent ecosystems. Though the number of data is low, the results reveal various trends in relation to the site, the location within the mixing zone and/or the organisms' trophic regime.     

Safety lessons and reflections following incinerator vent commissioning in a chemical plant; a case study of a complex socio-technical system

In a bulk chemical plant producing resins, a flashback from an incinerator through the vent system into the reactor hall occurred during commissioning of a newly installed vent header system. The original design of the vent header system was seriously flawed not being in line with current practice. Subsequently the vent header was re-designed into a rich/lean vent header system. This paper explores the reasons behind a number of incidents and near misses that occurred during both the commissioning of a vent header system and its recommissioning following system re-design. Furthermore, it reflects on some broader implications for approaches to safety around what can be recognised as complex socio-technical systems.     

Buncefield: A violent, episodic vapour cloud explosion

Damage caused by the 2005 Buncefield explosion indicates pressures in excess of 2000 mbar over all of the area covered by the vapour cloud. Such high overpressures are normally associated with high (super-sonic) rates of flame spread. On the other hand, evidence from witnesses, building damage analysis and CCTV cameras all suggest the average rate of progress of the explosion flame front was only around 150 m/s.The high overpressures in the cloud and low average rate of flame advance can be reconciled if the rate of flame advance was episodic, with periods of very rapid combustion being punctuated by pauses when the flame advanced very slowly. The widespread high overpressures were caused by the rapid phases of combustion; the low average speed of advance was caused by the pauses.Mechanisms of flame spread through radiative ignition of particulates ahead of the flame front provide possible explanations for such unusual episodic behaviour.The first part of this paper reviews a wide range of empirical evidence on average flame speed and rate of blast pressure increase.The second part explores the theoretical consequences of forward radiation and how the new theory might be developed into a practical means of assessment.     

饮食业油烟污染与处理技术研究

分析了油烟中的主要污染物成分，介绍了油烟对人体健康的几种危害，并对现有的五种处理技术：惯性分离、过滤分离、洗涤去除、静电沉积、复合技术进行了详尽的分析比较，列举了一些应用实例。     

半地下有轨电车车站火灾自然排烟模式研究

为确定半地下有轨电车车站火灾情况下自然排烟模式的排烟效果,以某城市有轨电车典型车站为研究对象,采用数值模拟法建立全尺寸模型进行计算,研究半地下有轨电车车站在列车火灾情况下采用自然排烟模式时,车站空间内温度分布、排烟口与楼扶梯口流速等特征参数演化特征,分析半地下有轨电车车站火灾发生时,采用自然排烟模式的气流流场、烟气运动...     

海上平台冷放空系统二氧化碳灭火释放量的设计

海上固定平台在设计采用冷放空取代火炬放空时,需要考虑到冷放空口发生火情时使用二氧化碳灭火的设计用量.笔者根据有关灭火规范进行了分析计算,并结合实例提出合理的操作程序,以达到有效地减少设计用量的目的,同时指出海上平台应用冷放空系统在设计和操作上应注意的问题.