Comprehensive framework for underground pipeline management with reliability and cost factors using Monte Carlo simulation

A reliability model for underground pipeline management that can quantify the trade-off between risk reduction and increased maintenance costs in various underground piping management scenarios can be useful for many pipeline-maintenance decision-makers. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive framework for analyzing underground pipeline management options. Pipeline reliability is calculated using time-dependent and independent limit state functions with a probabilistic model and a deterministic model about the frequency of a failure occurrence event. The proposed framework includes the target reliability, consequences, and cost model, and has the advantage that it can be intuitively utilized for piping management decision-making. We conducted several case studies using a Monte Carlo simulation on pipelines in industrial complexes in Korea.     

A simulator study of driving behavior and mental workload in mixed-use arterial road environments

Objectives: Mixed-use urban environments, such as arterial roads with adjacent commercial land uses, represent crash locations with the highest risk. These locations are often characterized by high volumes of motor vehicle traffic, on-street parking, and interactions with multiple road user groups such as pedestrians, cyclists, and public transportation. The objective of this study was to investigate previously identified crash risk factors for mixed-use urban environments and assess how parking occupancy, center medians, and cyclist volume influence performance and workload in a driving simulator study.

Methods: Thirty participants were recruited for the study. Participants completed 6 drives that presented different combinations of cyclist volume, median condition, and parking occupancy. Incorporated into the simulator drives was a secondary peripheral detection task (PDT) designed to measure mental workload. Participants provided subjective assessments of workload using the Rating Scale Mental Effort (RSME).

Results: Mean lateral lane position was found to significantly vary across the 3 independent variables of parking occupancy, cyclist volume, and median conditions. No significant changes were identified for mean speed across the conditions. Subjective and objective measures of workload identified changes due to the presence of cyclists with slower reaction times for the PDT task when cyclists were present.

Conclusion: The findings provide insight into the interaction of road design elements in mixed-use urban road environments and demonstrate that increasingly complex environments increase driver demand. This has important road design implications for mixed-use arterial roads, which are often characterized by complex interactions between multiple road user groups.     

Design for occupational safety and health of workers in construction in developing countries: a study of architects in Nigeria

Purpose. Design for safety (DfS) of workers is amongst the prominent ways of tackling poor occupational safety and health performance in construction. However, in developing countries there is extremely limited research on DfS. This study thus makes an important contribution to the subject of DfS in developing countries by specifically examining the awareness and practice of DfS amongst architects within the construction sector of Nigeria. Materials and methods. A survey of architects, yielding 161 valid responses, was conducted. Results. While there is high awareness of the concept of DfS, the actual practice is low. Additionally, although there is high interest in DfS training, the engagement in DfS training is low. Significantly, awareness of DfS, training and education related to DfS, and membership of a design professional body have very limited bearing on the practice of DfS by architects. Conclusions. The findings are thus symptomatic of the prevalence of influential DfS implementation barriers within the construction sector. Industry stakeholders should seek to raise the profile of DfS practice within the sector. Furthermore, similar empirical studies in the construction sector of other developing countries would be useful in shedding light on the status of DfS in these countries.     

How to foster agroecological innovations? A comparison of participatory design methods

Facing contemporary environmental crisis implies fostering agroecological innovations that take into account local ecological regulations and rely on multiple stakeholders' innovation capacities. This paper draws on two fields of literature that remain unconnected so far: participatory approaches and design sciences. It proposes an analysis grid to support a reflexive analysis of cases of implementation of three participatory design methods: ComMod (Companion Modelling for concerted management of natural resources), Forage Rummy (simulation-based board game for designing farming systems) and KCP (collective design workshops to foster innovation). This analysis highlights key features of the methods in view of agroecological innovation challenges, focusing on knowledge management and organisation for exploration.     

Application of human factors evaluation in engineering design and safe operation of dense phase ethylene treaters

Ethylene treaters are widely used in the petrochemical industry to remove impurities from ethylene feedstock imported from pipeline networks or storage caverns. The safety concerns of dense phase ethylene treaters due to the reactive and highly flammable nature of ethylene are well known and studied. Under certain conditions, ethylene may self-polymerize and decompose violently with heat release. Under other conditions, ethylene will auto-refrigerate, generating cold liquids that may cause potential brittle fracture hazards. Therefore, dense phase ethylene treaters present design challenges with the unique combination of high temperature decomposition and cold temperature brittle fracture hazards.Due to these safety concerns, it is important to select the appropriate engineering design options for dense phase ethylene treaters and the associated regeneration facilities. Totally automated treater regeneration systems add complexity and instrument maintenance requirements while manually operated systems rely heavily on operator training and procedures. Unfortunately, little or no information or design guidance is available from published research findings in the literature on the evaluation and risk assessment of current industrial design options and practices for dense phase ethylene treaters.This paper presents a systematic risk assessment method to evaluate the engineering design and safe operation options for dense phase ethylene treaters. The proposed risk assessment method integrates human factors task analysis into the traditional HAZOP, LOPA and fault tree analysis to allow evaluation of automated, manual and hybrid approaches with a goal of selecting and optimizing design options to ensure plant safety. This approach provides a realistic assessment of the operational risk and allows identification of fit-for-purpose risk reduction. Applying this systematic risk assessment approach, a simpler and more cost effective design solution can be justified, thereby avoiding the need for a high integrity protective system.     

精神熵分析法的提出及应用

随着机械、电子器件可靠性的不断提高,系统的安全性越来越取决于人的行为。当人处于不良的精神状态,就可能做出本人意愿之外的失误,从而导致事故的发生。因此,针对人的无意识失误进行分析并提出改进措施,可以提高系统的安全水平,降低事故风险。本文提出的精神熵分析方法,以安全学原理、心理学、安全人机工程学为基础提出六个评价指标,结合熵权法的计算原理。通过班组人员岗前自评的形式,员工给出六项指标的分数,并计算自己的最终得分,以此来评估员工在岗时的精神状态。管理者依据一定原则对低分项进行询问,发现问题并提出解决办法,最终降低并控制无意识失误导致的事故风险。     

基于均匀设计的类Fenton's体系去除污染土壤中蒽和芘的研究

分别以乳酸、L-酒石酸、柠檬酸为助剂,将其添加至类Fenton's体系中去除污染土壤中的蒽和芘等多环芳烃.结果发现,以柠檬酸为助剂时,多环芳烃的去除率为83.75%.同时,以均匀实验设计法考察了H2O2用量、Fe SO4用量、反应温度、反应时间、水土比、柠檬酸用量和多环芳烃染毒浓度对多环芳烃去除率的影响.实验数据和结果经DPS(Data Processing Station)软件处理后得到多环芳烃去除率与各反应因素之间的回归方程,经随机验证实验和计算结果对比表明,该回归方程的拟合误差低于5%,具有精确的预报性.     

浅谈提升高硫煤机组FGD可靠性之措施

针对高硫煤机组FGD的技术特点,从设计源头介绍了如何提升高硫煤机组FGD可靠性的措施,并佐以工程实例。