Research on different venting performance between flat and curved bursting panels

There is a noticeable discrepancy in the ability to control reduced explosion overpressure between flat bursting panels and curved bursting panels with the same static activation overpressure. Flat bursting plates were observed to leak at approximately 80% of the static activation overpressure lower than curved bursting plates. A new experimental technique is proposed in our paper. Three different vent areas of flat and curved bursting panels were tested, there was significant difference in structural stiffness between flat bursting panels and curved bursting panels, which is the reason the discrepancy in the ability to control reduced explosion overpressure. The structural stiffness of the flat bursting panels is poorer than that of the other, and a greater deformation of the flat bursting panels occurs under the same load. The membrane stress caused by the explosion overpressure therefore produces a larger value in the flat bursting panels which causes it to open prematurely. Moreover, the smaller the vent area that is, the more significant discrepancy in controlling the reduced explosion overpressure between both bursting panels is. This experimental and theoretical result in our paper provides some useful experience for the method of explosion venting.     

Inherent thermal runaway hazard evaluation method of chemical process based on fire and explosion index

Thermal runaway hazard assessment provides the basis for comparing the hazard levels of different chemical processes. To make an overall evaluation, hazard of materials and reactions should be considered. However, most existing methods didn't take the both into account simultaneously, which may lead the assessment to a deviation from the actual hazard. Therefore, an integrated approach called Inherent Thermal-runaway Hazard Index (ITHI) was developed in this paper. Similar to Dow Fire and Explosion Index(F&EI) function, thermal runaway hazard of chemical process in ITHI was the product of material factor (MF) and risk index (RI) of reaction. MF was an indicator of material thermal hazards, which can be determined by initial reaction temperature and maximum power density. RI, which was the product of probability and severity, indicated the risk of thermal runaway during the reaction stage. Time to maximum rate under adiabatic conditions and criticality classes of scenario were used to indicate the runaway probability of the chemical process. Adiabatic temperature rise and heat of the desired reaction and secondary reaction were used to determine the severity of runaway reaction. Finally, predefined hazard classification criteria was used to classify and interpret the results obtained by this method. Moreover, the method was validated by case studies.     

Effects of nitrogen and carbon dioxide on hydrogen explosion behaviors near suppression limit

By varying inert gas content, equivalence ratio and initial pressure, this study is aimed at investigating flame propagation behaviors and explosion pressure characteristics near suppression limit. For carbon dioxide, the weakest flame floating phenomenon is observed at Φ = 1.5 and the buoyant instability is enhanced when the equivalent ratio deviates to the rich and lean sides. For nitrogen, the buoyant instability decreases with increasing equivalent ratio. Both maximum explosion pressure and maximum pressure rise rate increase firstly and then decrease with the increase of equivalence ratio, and they decrease significantly with increasing content of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. For carbon dioxide, the critical suppression ratio of Φ = 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 is 7.50, 7.18, 5.74, 3.83, and 2.87. For nitrogen, the critical suppression ratio of Φ = 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 is 15.83, 11.87, 9.50, 6.33 and 4.75. Compared to nitrogen, the carbon dioxide is more effective on suppressing hydrogen explosion pressure. The adiabatic flame temperature, thermal diffusivity and mole fraction of active radicals continue to decrease with increasing content of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, which contributes to the decrease of laminar burning velocity.     

Recent application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in process safety and loss prevention: A review

In recent years, significant progress has been made to ensure that process industries are among the safest workplaces in the world. However, with the increasing complexity of existing technologies and new problems brought about by emerging technologies, a strong need still exists to study the fundamentals of process safety and predict possible scenarios. This is attained by conducting the corresponding consequence modeling and risk assessments. As a result of the continuous advancement of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools and exponentially increased computation capabilities along with better understandings of the underlying physics, CFD simulations have been applied widely in the areas of process safety and loss prevention to gain new insights, improve existing models, and assess new hazardous scenarios. In this review, 126 papers from 2010 to 2020 have been included in order to systematically categorize and summarize recent applications of CFD for fires, explosions, dispersions of flammable and toxic materials from accidental releases, incident investigations and reconstructions, and other areas of process safety. The advantages of CFD modeling are discussed and the future of CFD applications in this research area is outlined.     

铝粉爆炸无火焰泄压技术及装备研究

为有效防止粉尘爆炸泄爆引起的二次爆炸及火灾问题,基于泄压理论、消火机理,设计开发无火焰泄压装置,装置主要由消火结构、底座、爆破片及夹持机构组成,消火结构由不锈钢金属丝网组成。选择铝粉尘为测试粉尘,通过自建除尘系统试验平台进行试验研究。结果表明:无火焰泄压装置可成功阻止火焰传播,装置释放的冲击波在5 m外均小于5 kPa,除尘系统内部最大泄爆压力为0.1 MPa,装置前端火焰传播速度均大于100 m/s。     

缝洞型管道瓦斯爆炸特性数值模拟研究

为探究采空区遗煤、松散破碎岩块对瓦斯爆炸的影响,建立缝洞型管道模型,采用数值模拟与理论分析结合方法研究采空区内缝洞型管道内瓦斯爆炸的传播规律及管道长径比对瓦斯爆炸过程中速度与冲击波的影响。研究结果表明:在缝洞型结构内,随着火焰沿管道向前传播,各监测点速度逐渐变大、压力先增加后降低,而压力上升速率则表现出不规则的变化;缝洞结构加剧了火焰燃烧的剧烈程度,提高了管道内各监测点的温度峰值;在缝洞型管道内随长径比r增加,各监测点最大压力峰值以及速度大小依次降低。     

电气柜疲劳强度校核及结构优化

针对多孔闭孔型发泡硅橡胶D型空心密封条的超弹性特性,通过试验找出了密封条回弹力与压缩量之间的关系,提出了密封条满足IP X5的判别方程式,同时对方程式进行了试验验证,最后对密封条进行了阿累尼乌斯图寿命推算,为变流器柜门IP防护设计提供了重要参考。     

Validation of Bacteroidales-based microbial source tracking markers for pig fecal pollution and their application in two rivers of North China

• Pig feces is the predominant excrement produced by animal husbandry in China. • The PF, Pig-1-Bac^TaqMan, and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan MST assays showed better performance. • The pig-specific MST assays can contribute to managing the pig fecal pollution. In China, pig feces is the predominant source of excrement produced by animal husbandry. Improper use or direct discharge of pig feces can result in contamination of natural water systems. Microbial source tracking (MST) technology can identify the sources of fecal pollution in environmental water, and contribute to the management of pig fecal pollution by local environmental protection agencies. However, the accuracy of such assays can be context-dependent, and they have not been comprehensively evaluated under Chinese conditions. We aimed to compare the performance of five previously reported pig-specific MST assays (PF, Pig-Bac1^SYBR, Pig-Bac2^SYBR, Pig-1-Bac^TaqMan, and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan, which are based on Bacteroidales 16S rRNA gene markers) and apply them in two rivers of North China. We collected a total of 173 fecal samples from pigs, cows, goats, chickens, humans, and horses across China. The PF assay optimized in this study showed outstanding qualitative performance and achieved 100% specificity and sensitivity. However, the two SYBR green qPCR assays (Pig-Bac1^SYBR and Pig-Bac2^SYBR) cross-reacted with most non-pig fecal samples. In contrast, both the Pig-1-Bac^TaqMan and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan assays gave 100% specificity and sensitivity. Of these, the Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan assay showed higher reproducibility. Our results regarding the specificity of these pig-specific MST assays differ from those reported in Thailand, Japan, and America. Using the PF and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan assays, a field test comparing the levels of pig fecal pollution in rivers near a pig farm before and after comprehensive environmental pollution governance indicated that pig fecal pollution was effectively controlled at this location.     

Eco-Environmental Degradation in the Source Region of the Yellow River, Northeast Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

The Yellow River is the second longest river in China and the cradle of the Chinese civilization. The source region of the Yellow River is the most important water holding area for the Yellow River, about 49.2% of the whole runoff comes from this region. However, for the special location, it is a region with most fragile eco-environment in China as well. Eco-environmental degradation in the source region of the Yellow River has been a very serious ecological and socially economic problem. According to census data, historical documents and climatic information, during the last half century, especially the last 30 years, great changes have taken place in the eco-environment of this region. Such changes are mainly manifested in the temporal-spatial changes of water environment, deglaciation, permafrost reduction, vegetation degeneracy and desertification extent, which led to land capacity decreasing and river disconnecting. At present, desertification of the region is showing an accelerating tendency. This paper analyzes the present status of eco-environment degradation in this region supported by GIS and RS, as well as field investigation and indoor analysis, based on knowledge, multi-source data is gathered and the classification is worked out, deals with their natural and anthropogenic causes, and points out that in the last half century the desertification and environmental degradation of this region are mainly attributed to human activities under the background of regional climate changes. To halt further degradation of the environment of this region, great efforts should be made to use land resources rationally, develop advantages animal agriculture and protect the natural grassland.     

Comparative Metal Distribution in Hair of Pakistani and Libyan Population and Source Identification by Multivariate Analysis

Using nitric acid-perchloric acid wet digestion based FAAS method ten selected metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb and Zn) were determined in the scalp hair of male Pakistani and Libyan donors (n = 62), between 3–54 years age and residing in typical urban areas. The study was taken up to identify sources of metal distribution in two diverse population segments exposed to different environments. Sodium emerged with the highest mean hair concentration of 511.0 μg/g and 496.9 μg/g for Libyan and Pakistani donors respectively, followed by K, at 266.2 μg/g and 242.4 μg/g for the two donor categories. Cadmium showed the lowest mean hair concentration for both Pakistani (0.380 μg/g) and Libyan (0.530 μg/g) donors. Levels of Na, K, Pb, Cr and Cd were higher in hair of Libyan donors compared with Pakistani counterparts which showed higher comparative levels of Zn, Fe, Co, Ni and Mn. Strong metal-to-metal correlations were found between Na–K (r = 0.638) and Cd–Co (r = 0.574) for Pakistani donors, while for Libyan donors, Na–K (r = 0.680) and Fe–Mn (r = 0.624) correlations emerged as strongly significant. Only K was found to have a strong positive correlation (r = 0.611) with age for Pakistani donors while this correlation was significantly negative (r = −0.500) for Libyan donors, probably arising from individual food habits. Other metals showed no viable relationship with age. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA) of the data evidenced food, industrial emissions and automobile emissions as possible sources of metal distribution. The results of the present study are compared with those reported for subjects from other regions of the world.