A study of the blast wave shape from elongated VCEs

Elongated congestion patterns are common at chemical processing and petroleum refining facilities due to the arrangement of processing units. The accidental vapor cloud explosion (VCE) which occurred at the Buncefield, UK facility involved an elongated congested volume formed by the trees and undergrowth along the site boundary. Although elongated congested volumes are common, there have been few evaluations reported for the blast loads produced by elongated VCEs. Standard VCE blast load prediction techniques do not directly consider the impact of this congested volume geometry versus a more compact geometry.This paper discusses an evaluation performed to characterize the blast loads from elongated VCEs and to identify some significant differences in the resulting blast wave shape versus those predicted by well-known VCE blast load methodologies (e.g., BST and TNO MEM). The standard blast curves are based on an assumption that the portion of the flammable gas cloud participating in the VCE is hemispherical and located at grade level. The results of this evaluation showed that the blast wave shape for an elongated VCE in the near-field along the long-axis direction is similar to that for an acoustic wave generated in hemispherical VCEs with a low flame speed. Like an acoustic wave, an elongated VCE blast wave has a very quick transition from the positive phase peak pressure to the negative phase peak pressure, relative to the positive phase duration. The magnitude of the applied negative pressure on a building face depends strongly on the transition time between the positive and negative phase peak pressures, and this applied negative phase can be important to structural response under certain conditions. The main purpose of this evaluation was to extend previous work in order to investigate how an elongated VCE geometry impacts the resultant blast wave shape in the near-field. The influence of the normalized flame travel distance and the flame speed on the blast wave shape was examined. Deflagration and deflagration-to-detonation transition regimes were also identified for unconfined elongated VCEs as a function of the normalized flame travel distance and flame speed attained at a specified flame travel distance.     

Competition, predation and coexistence in a three trophic system

Simple ecological models that mostly operate with population densities using continuous variables, explain quite well the behavior of real populations. In this work we propose and discuss the continuous dynamics of a system of three species, which belongs to the well-known family of Lotka–Volterra models. In particular, the proposed model includes direct effects such as predation and competition among species, and indirect effects such as refuge. The model is proposed to explain recent studies about a group of crustacean (amphipods of genus Hyallela) found in all the plain streams and shallow lakes of the American continent. The studied system includes three compartments: algae, a strictly herbivore amphipod and an omnivore (herbivore and carnivore) one. The analysis of the model shows that there are stable extinction equilibria throughout all the parameters’ space. There are also equilibria with stable coexistence of the three species and two interesting binary equilibria: one with stable coexistence of algae and herbivore and other with coexistence between algae and omnivore amphipods. The presence of Allee effect in the algae growth and the existence of refuge for the herbivore amphipod (prey) determine a bottom-up control.     

Modelling crayfish population dynamics using catch data: A size-structured model

In this study we explore a rather unique time series (1979–2002) of catch data of the crayfish Astacus astacus in Lake Steinsfjorden (SE Norway) in combination with temperature data and data on Canadian pondweed Elodea canadensis coverage. In 1977, E. canadensis was for the first time observed in the lake. Over the following years, the plant established dense covers over large parts of the shallow areas, excluding the crayfish from these areas and causing a sudden drop in population size. A size-structured model with bi-stability including a range of observed stage-specific life-cycle attributes (e.g. growth, fecundity, fertility, sex-ratio), population specific parameters and density-dependant (shelters, cannibalism, unspecified predators, competition between individuals, catch, number of traps) as well as density independent factors (temperature and Elodea coverage) were constructed to evaluate the various drivers for the population dynamics, and as a predictive tool for assessing the effects of future changes. Our model revealed that the decline primarily was due to density-dependant effect of the Elodea expansion with reduced number of hides and thus increased risk for predation and cannibalism, but also that temperature played an important role related to recruitment. The model should be relevant for crayfish stock management in general, and by demonstrating the major role of temperature, it is also relevant for predicting population responses under a changing climate. The model should also be applicable to other crustaceans and species with discrete growth and late maturation.     

Trends in seabird breeding populations across the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is an iconic ecosystem, known globally for its rich marine biodiversity that includes many thousands of tropical breeding seabirds. Despite indications of localized declines in some seabird species from as early as the mid-1990s, trends in seabird populations across the reef have never been quantified. With a long history of human impact and ongoing environmental change, seabirds are likely sentinels in this important ecosystem. Using 4 decades of monitoring data, we estimated site-specific trends for 9 seabird species from 32 islands and cays across the reef. Trends varied markedly among species and sites, but probable declines occurred at 45% of the 86 species-by-site combinations analyzed compared with increases at 14%. For 5 species, we combined site-specific trends into a multisite trend in scaled abundance, which revealed probable declines of Common Noddy (Anous stolidus), Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus), and Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra), but no long-term changes in the 2 most widely distributed species, Greater Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii) and Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster). For Brown Booby, long-term stability largely resulted from increases at a single large colony on East Fairfax Island that offset declines at most other sites. Although growth of the Brown Booby population on East Fairfax points to the likely success of habitat restoration on the island, it also highlights a general vulnerability wherein large numbers of some species are concentrated at a small number of key sites. Identifying drivers of variation in population change across species and sites while ensuring long-term protection of key sites will be essential to securing the future of seabirds on the reef.     

松花江水质因子分析及动态变化

松花江的水质一直受到各方的关注,尤其是在80年代末到90年代初.大多数的研究都关注重金属、有机有毒污染物等主要污染物的源、汇、归宿以及生态效应.然而,这些研究通常只考虑一个或几个独立的水质指标,多个指标的联合效应则很少研究.文章在监测数据的基础上,对松花江水质运用因子分析方法进行了研究.利用因子分析方法可以综合地考虑每个监测断面上的各个监测指标在不同水文期的变化.分析结果表明,松花江的主要污染物是来自非点源的氮源污染物,且其水质在不同的水文期是不同的.这一结果也表明,因子分析方法在分析水质动态变化上是综合有效的.     

Intercomparison of Numerical Urban Dispersion Models – Part I: Street Canyon and Single Building Configurations

Microscale Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models havebecome an efficient and common simulation tool forassessment and prediction of air quality in urban areas.The proper validation of such a model is a crucialprerequisite for its practical application. Within theframework of the European research network TRAPOS a workinggroup on computational fluid dynamics modelling wasestablished and model intercomparison exercises werelaunched. Different Computational Fluid Dynamics Codes wereapplied for simulating the wind flow and pollutantconcentration patterns in several test cases. The aim ofthe present model intercomparison is (1) to assess andallocate the source of differences that appear whendifferent CFD codes using the same turbulence model areapplied to well defined test cases and (2) to improve theknowledge base for model development and application.Throughout the series of model applications coveringmanifold urban configurations, the overall agreementbetween the various models and experimental data is fair.In spite of quantitative differences between the variousnumerical results, the models are capable of reproducingthe flow patterns and dispersion characteristics observedin urban areas but they show significant differences forthe turbulent kinetic energy field that controls thedispersion of pollutants.     

On the integrated modelling of coastal changes

This paper introduces a possible approach to integrated modelling of coastal change, focusing on coastal land use and cover change. Some of the mostimportant open issues in the context of integrated modelling of coastal change are introduced. The paper focuses on methdological aspects. Specific reference is made to Physiographic Unit Modelling as an approach to better handle spatial variability and ‘morphogenesis’, and as a way to focus on coastal change mechanisms instead of absolute coastal dynamics for achieving an important simplification of the problem. The application is briefly discussed with reference to a ‘minimal model’. The methodological structure introduced is considered particularly suitable to represent, according to a variable degree of simplification, the integrative dynamics between resources and uses of the resources.     

硝基苯水溶液的超声波降解动力学

以硝基苯为唯一底物，选择超声功率200W，400W，600W，800W，研究了超声降解硝基苯水溶液的动力学，实验证明，硝基苯超声降解属假一级动力学反应，同时得到了不同超声功率下的降解速率常数，以及速率常数与超声功率的线性相关关系和含有超声功率的动力学方程，采用色质分析，确定了硝基苯降解产物中含有邻硝基酚和对硝基酚。     

尾叶桉营养元素动态和循环分析

在福建平和天马林场，对尾叶桉生长过程中营养元素的动态变化进行了为期5a的研究。结果表明，尾叶桉平均每年胸径增长2.46cm，树高增长2.50m，枝，叶，干（干村和干皮）和根中5种主要营养元素的总量（N＋P＋K＋Ca Mg)分别为17.11gKg^-1，33．38gKg^-1，9．66gKg^-1和12．75gKg^-1，平均每年吸收5种主要营养元素量338．31kghm^-2a^-1,平均每年纯吸收5种主要营养元素量188．21hm^-2a^-1，平均每年归还5种主要营养元素量150．10hm^-2a^-1，平均循环率为44．37％。表4参6     

机动车加油过程中气液两相流动特性的CFD数值模拟

随着环保法规的不断完善,机动车加油过程中所产生的油气排放污染问题越来越受到重视.国外自20世纪90年代中后期开始采用数值模拟手段对机动车的加油过程进行研究,而国内迄今尚处于空白阶段.对机动车加油过程所涉及的＂加油枪喷嘴＋加油管＋油箱＋回气管＂物理体系进行适当简化,采用商业计算流体动力学（CFD）软件Fluent中提供的VOF气液两相流模型和RNG k-ε湍流模型,在基于Gambit软件确定网格划分方案和进行适当的边界条件设置后,建立了合理可行的加油过程气液两相流动CFD数值模拟模型,讨论了加油速度对油箱内气相空间静压力的影响,揭示了汽油在加油管内的回流现象.结果表明,加油枪的流量越大,油箱内气相空间的静压总体上也逐渐增大;同时油箱内气相空间的静压总体上可以划分为3个较为明显的阶段.而当加油流量较大时,往往会引起汽油在加油管油帽段内回流,从而使得加油枪过早跳枪.本研究为国内自主开展机动车加油以及油气排放污染控制技术和设备方面的研究开发奠定了一定基础.