Accuracy improvement in evaluation of gas explosion overpressures in congestions with safety gaps

This paper reports a comparison of simulations and published data from experiments carried out by TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory on geometric configurations that involved safety gaps of various separation distances. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based software – FLACS is utilized to conduct the numerical simulations. In the majority of cases, good agreement is found between the simulated results and those obtained by experiment in both the donor and acceptor modules. However, a large discrepancy in the overpressures in the acceptor module is seen when the size of the separation gap approaches one or two times of the module size. A Data-dump technique is used in this study to reset the turbulence length scale for these cases with different separation distances, five sets of explosion scenarios are then numerically simulated and the overpressures are compared with experimentally measured explosion overpressures. The overall results indicate that the software with the Data-dump technique is still an extremely effective tool when it comes to the evaluation of gas explosion overpressures in areas with large separation gaps.     

冰雪道路环境对驾驶人视觉感知特性的影响

为预防冰雪道路环境中驾驶人因视觉感知错误引发交通事故,研究了冰雪道路环境对驾驶人视觉感知特性的影响,选择8名熟练驾驶人作为试验样本,且每2人一组,采用跟车调查的方法采集驾驶人对于自身感知车速和前导车车距的视觉感知信息,并利用非接触车速仪检测2辆跟驰行驶试验车的实际车速与车距,对冰雪条件与非冰雪条件下驾驶人的视觉感知信息进行分析对比。研究结果表明,在冰雪环境中驾驶人视觉感知车速比非冰雪环境中低5%～14%;但当2辆跟驰车辆前后车间距在50 m内时,驾驶人在冰雪环境与在非冰雪环境中行驶时,其视觉感知的车距无显著性差异。     

易燃易爆危险品道路运输火灾事故应急区域的确定方法

从消防监管的角度给出了道路运输易燃易爆危险品的火灾危险性分级标准,分析了典型泄漏事故后果场景和常见的泄漏规模类型.介绍了美国消防协会NFPA471、应急响应手册ERG2008危险品运输事故初期区域的确定方法,并提出了基于影响半径的危险品道路运输火灾事故现场应急区域和人员疏散范围的确定方法.提出对于易燃易爆危险品道路运输事故应急区域的确定,在初期可优先采用ERG 2008提供的初期隔离距离与防护距离进行先期处置,然后根据运输危险品的类型、运输量和影响区人员总数进行定量评估分析,以确定适当的应急区域范围.依据运输道路场所环境和事故场景特点,快速而合理的确定事故应急隔离区和疏散区,可较科学地应对突发性灾难事故,采取快速应急响应措施,优化消防警力配备.该文研究提出的方法和研究结论,可为危险品道路运输消防应急力量优化调度,现场指挥员采取有效措施开展抢险救援行动提供技术支持,有利于现场事故应急处置和人员快速安全疏散.     

LNG接收站选址安全距离研究

天然气作为一种清洁、优质能源在我国得到越来越广泛的应用,液化天然气(LNG)接收站的发展有助于解决我国能源紧张问题,促进能源供应多元化,但随之而来的安全问题也引起企业和社会的高度重视。对LNG接收站工艺做了简单介绍,分析其存在的危险有害因素,并对LNG接收站选址时的安全距离进行较深入的研究。参考了国内外主要规范,对规范要求的安全距离及采用挪威船级社Phast 6.6软件进行事故模拟确定的安全距离进行对比分析,事故模拟考虑了可燃气体扩散及火灾热辐射的影响范围。通过研究,对LNG接收站选址时与周边环境应保持的安全距离有更深入的认识。     

新一代实效性远程安全培训公共服务体系研究

本研究采用重点调查、对比分析的方法。对面授培训方法和传统远程培训技术进行了剖析,指出了他们存在的缺陷和问题,并提出了新一代远程培训核心技术应用方案。该方案顺应了当前安全培训工作中所面临的全覆盖、长效性、经常性、系统性、反复性、低成本、实效性等要求,解决了资源紧缺、形式主义、监管不易等主要问题。本方案经南通等部分地区试点推行,效果显著。     

Motorcyclist perception response time in stopping sight distance situations

One of the most effective engineering measures is the provision of an exclusive motorcycle lane that separates motorcycles from other mixed traffic to reduce traffic congestion and motorcycle crashes. Even though the existing exclusive motorcycle lanes in Malaysia reduced the incidents of motorcycle crashes with other vehicles, the design of this special motorcycle lane was based on a cross reference between a bicycle track and a highway. Thus, a suitable design guide is yet to be developed for the geometrical design of a proper and safer exclusive motorcycle lane. Safe stopping sight distance (SSD) has been recognized as a criterion for road design and should be taken into account. Motorcyclist perception response time (PRT) is the time from detection object until the rider reduces motorcycle speed in braking action is an essential component of motorcycle SSD. Two road experiments were conducted to obtain empirical values of motorcycle PRT to expected and unexpected objects. In the expected condition, 89 motorcyclists applied brake as quickly as possible following activation of a light beside the road. In the unexpected condition, 16 riders responded by braking in response to an obstacle that appeared suddenly in their lane. The mean PRT to expected and unexpected object is 0.71 s and 1.25 s respectively. The 85th percentile PRT to unexpected object is 2.12 s. This study found that most riders are capable of responding to an unexpected object along the roadway in 2.5 s or less. Therefore, PRT of 2.5 s is an appropriate value for motorcycle lane geometric design.     

基于GPS/RFID组合定位的缆机塔机防碰撞系统研究

为了防止水电工程项目中大型施工设备之间发生碰撞现象,应用GPS和RFID组合定位技术对施工设备进行实时定位,并根据设备间不同的相对运动情况,考虑设备运行过程中需满足的安全距离,建立了施工设备防碰撞的模型。实验结果表明,采用这种施工设备防碰撞系统能够及时准确的对施工设备之间的碰撞现象进行预警,确保设备的安全运行,具有较高的可靠性。     

Does the choice of climate baseline matter in ecological niche modelling?

Ecological niche models (ENMs) have multiple applications in ecology, evolution and conservation planning. They relate the known locations of a species to characteristics of its environment (usually climate) over its geographical range. Most ENMs are trained using standard 30-year (1961-1990) or 50-year (1951-2000) baselines to represent current climate conditions. Species occurrence records used as input to the models, however, are frequently collected from time periods that differ from those from which the climate is derived. Since climate variability can be significant within and outside baselines, and the distributions of some plants and animals (e.g., annual plants, insects) can adjust to environmental conditions on much shorter time scales, this mismatch between collection records and climatic baselines may affect the utility and accuracy of model outputs. We investigated how the choice of baseline periods influenced modelling efforts, anticipating that climate baselines derived from the same temporal period as the species records would yield improved ENMs. Ten simulated species’ distributions were modelled using an ENM (Maxent) for (a) occurrences and climates within the same temporal period, based on eighteen 10-year baselines within the 20th century and (b) all available samples and climate baselines from 1951-2000 and 1961-1990. Each model was projected onto all the available 10-year climate scenarios and compared to the models trained on the corresponding scenario. We show that temporal mismatches of species occurrences and climate baselines can result in significantly poorer distribution models. Such temporal mismatch may be unavoidable for many studies, but we emphasize here the need to match the time range of samples and climate data whenever possible.     

The spatial scale of organic chemicals in multimedia fate modeling. Recent developments and significance for chemical assessment

In the last years, the spatial range (SR) or characteristic travel distance (CTD) of organic chemicals has found increasing scientific interest as an indicator of the long-range transport (LRT) potential and, in combination with persistence, as a kind of 'hazard' indicator on the exposure level. This development coincides with European debates about more effective and more preventive approaches to the chemicals assessment, and about an international, legally-binding instrument for the phase out of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Persistence and LRT potential are important issues in these debates. Here, the development of the concept of assessing the spatial scale from early ideas in the 1970s and 1980s to recent studies in the field of multimedia fate and transport modeling is summarized. Different approaches to the modeling of environmental transport (advective and dispersive) and different methods for quantifying the SR or CTD are compared. Relationships between SR or CTD and different persistence measures are analyzed. Comparison of these relationships shows that conclusions for chemical assessment should be based on an evaluation of different persistence and spatial scale measures. The use of SR or CTD and persistence as hazard indicators in the chemicals assessment is illustrated.     

Tapping the leakages: Methane losses, mitigation options and policy issues for Russian long distance gas transmission pipelines

The Russian natural gas industry is the world's largest producer and transporter of natural gas. This paper aims to characterize the methane emissions from Russian natural gas transmission operations, to explain projects to reduce these emissions, and to characterize the role of emissions reduction within the context of current GHG policy. It draws on the most recent independent measurements at all parts of the Russian long distance transport system made by the Wuppertal Institute in 2003 and combines these results with the findings from the US Natural Gas STAR Program on GHG mitigation options and economics.With this background the paper concludes that the methane emissions from the Russian natural gas long distance network are approximately 0.6% of the natural gas delivered. Mitigating these emissions can create new revenue streams for the operator in the form of reduced costs, increased gas throughput and sales, and earned carbon credits. Specific emissions sources that have cost-effective mitigation solutions are also opportunities for outside investment for the Joint Implementation Kyoto Protocol flexibility mechanism or other carbon markets.