Ontology-based computer aid for the automation of HAZOP studies

Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) studies are conducted to identify and assess potential hazards which originate from processes, equipment, and process plants. These studies are human-centered processes that are time and labor-intensive. Also, extensive expertise and experience in the field of process safety engineering are required. There have been several attempts by different research groups to (semi-)automate HAZOP studies in the past. Within this research, a knowledge-based framework for the automatic generation of HAZOP worksheets was developed. Compared to other approaches, the focus is on representing semantic relationships between HAZOP relevant concepts under consideration of the degree of abstraction. In the course of this, expert knowledge from the process and plant safety (PPS) domain is embedded within the ontological model. Based on that, a reasoning algorithm based on semantic reasoners is developed to identify hazards and operability issues in a HAZOP similar manner. An advantage of the proposed method is that by modeling causal relationships between HAZOP concepts, automatically generated but meaningless scenarios can be avoided. The results of the enhanced causation model are high quality extended HAZOP worksheets. The developed methodology is applied within a case study that involves a hexane storage tank. The quality and quantity of the automatically generated results agree with the original worksheets. Thus the ontology-based reasoning algorithm is well-suited to identify hazardous scenarios and operability issues. Node-based analyses involving multiple process units can also be carried out by a slight adjustment of the method. The presented method can help to support HAZOP study participants and non-experts in conducting HAZOP studies.     

Discrimination and bias in the vegan ideal

The vegan ideal is entailed by arguments for ethical veganism based on traditional moral theory (rights and/or utilitarianism) extended to animals. The most ideal lifestyle would abjure the use of animals or their products for food since animals suffer and have rights not to be killed. The ideal is discriminatory because the arguments presuppose a male physiological norm that gives a privileged position to adult, middle-class males living in industrialized countries. Women, children, the aged, and others have substantially different nutritional requirements and would bear a greater burden on vegetarian and vegan diets with respect to health and economic risks, than do these males. The poor and many persons in Third World nations live in circumstances that make the obligatory adoption of such diets, where they are not already a matter of sheer necessity, even more risky.Traditional moral theorists (such as Evelyn Pluhar and Gary Varner whose essays appear in this issue) argue that those who are at risk would beexcused from a duty to attain the virtue associated with ethical vegan lifestyles. The routine excuse of nearly everyone in the world besides adult, middle-class males in industrialized countries suggests bias in the perspective from which traditional arguments for animal rights and (utilitarian) animal welfare are formulated.     

A hybrid approach for environmental impact evaluation of design options

The strengthened environmental regulatory requirements and general awareness of the need for environmental conservation worldwide, design for environment has become a key design criterion in new product development processes. Due to their resources-consuming attribute and the prerequisite expert knowledge in environmental sciences for the impacts interpretations, the existing forms of product-oriented environmental impact assessment methods are impractical to be adopted by product designers in small-and-medium enterprises. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a generally accepted quantitative approach to assess a product’s environmental impact. However, a full LCA study often requires a considerable amount of data and therefore, it is regarded as not a handy tool for product design evaluations particularly at the initial design stage. This leads to our intention to develop an immediately applicable approach for decision-makers to evaluate the design options. The proposed approach integrates Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Theory, with Evidential Reasoning (ER) to support the environmental impact evaluations of design options. A case study is carried out to demonstrate its applicability to prioritize the environmental impact of various design options. A symmetrical triangular distribution is introduced for calculating the expected utility and for testing the sensitivity of results.     

城乡建设用地增减挂钩政策观察与思考

中国城乡建设用地利用目前存在着城市建设用地指标紧缺、农村建设用地低效利用和城乡建设用地"双增"严重占用耕地等问题。城乡建设用地增减挂钩政策推动下的城乡建设用地置换有望成为破解该问题的综合路径。但是,政策在执行过程中出现了错位现象,产生了较为严重的社会问题,影响了中国城乡土地资源的可持续利用。在总结了政策的提出与实施历程之后,运用文献分析与规划经验相结合的方法,提出了政策执行错位的症结与根源:①"挂钩"政策缺少科学理论支撑导致实践存在盲目性;②土地财政阻碍城乡土地市场一体化损伤农民利益;③保障体系不完善使政府行为公平性、"挂钩"质量与农村权益保障难以落实;④综合评估滞后使"挂钩"实施面临重大风险。在此基础上,"挂钩"研究的重点在于:①构建支撑城乡建设用地置换的理论与评价体系;②构建支撑城乡建设用地置换的城乡统一土地市场体系;③构建支撑城乡建设用地置换的实施保障体系;④构建支撑城乡建设用地置换的项目实施风险评估体系。     

不完备信息下基于案例推理的城市火灾应急决策方法研究

城市火灾发生突然,现场情况复杂,信息难以获取,为解决城市火灾中由于部分现场信息不完备造成的火灾扑救决策困难问题,利用案例推理方法,通过研究目标情景与源情景的结构相似度和全局相似度,找到与目标情景相似的情景,并根据以往相似情景的演化过程和解决措施,找到解决当前问题的思路和方法。研究结果表明:该方法可以较快地从案例情景库中找到相似的情景及相关解决措施,从而给目标情景决策提供参考和借鉴。     

基于案例推理的化工园区应急资源需求预测

为确定化工园区突发事故的应急资源需求,提出了一种基于案例推理的化工园区应急资源需求预测方法。该方法主要由三部分组成:(1)基于案例推理的模型构建;(2)化工园区事故的案例描述;(3)基于人工神经网络的案例适应。最后,以石化园区火灾爆炸事故的应急资源需求预测验证该方法的有效性。研究表明,该方法可以实时地对化工园区应急资源需求进行预测,为化工园区的应急资源储备和配置提供支持。     

基于模糊层次分析法和证据推理的铁路应急预案评价研究

为解决铁路应急预案评价中存在的不确定性问题,提出基于证据推理的应急预案评价方法,从完整性、可操作性、针对性、协作性和可持续性5个维度构建应急预案评价指标体系;采用模糊层次分析法对指标权重进行计算,并通过证据推理对专家的评价数据进行证据合成,得到各预案评价等级分布;将各预案评价等级分布与评价效用结合,最终得到各预案评价排序。结果表明:实例分析表明,提出的评价方法对于处理不确定多属性的评价问题具有较强的可行性和适用性。     

环境污染应急处置技术的CBR-MADM两步筛选法模型

突发环境污染事件进行应急处置时,需要在历史案例库和处置技术库的基础上通过筛选模型筛选出最适宜的应急处置技术.其中筛选的效率和准确性是构建技术筛选模型的首要因素,目前尚无较为满意的解决方案.本文结合案例推理技术(CBR)和模糊多属性群决策模型(MADM)的优势,建立了环境污染应急处置技术的CBR-MADM两步筛选法模型:第1步,先利用基于熵权G1法的CBR推理从案例库中匹配案例,再从相似度最高的几个案例中提取应急处置技术作为备选技术;第2步,利用MADM对备选技术进行筛选和决策.CBR-MADM两步筛选法既充分利用了历史处置经验,又极大地提高了应急处置技术的筛选速度和效率.将该方法应用于2012年底山西长治浊漳河苯胺泄漏污染事件中,成功筛选出“投加混凝剂-活性炭坝拦截”技术,同实际情况吻合,验证了其适用性和可行性.     

道路交通环境中驾驶疲劳的生成模型研究

为预防由驾驶疲劳引起的交通事故,有必要研究在道路、交通和环境的综合影响下驾驶疲劳的生成机理。基于生理、心理学中的经典理论,借鉴国内外相关的研究成果,采用理论推理的方法对驾驶疲劳生成过程中驾驶员唤醒水平的变化规律及其影响因素进行分析。在此基础上建立了驾驶疲劳的生成模型,并将模型应用于工程实际。通过驾驶员唤醒水平的变化,指出驾驶疲劳的生成时刻,及其对驾驶时间的规定和道路、景观设计的影响。该模型以唤醒水平为核心,描述驾驶疲劳生成过程中驾驶员唤醒水平的变化规律,强调道路交通环境对驾驶员唤醒水平的影响。     

基于模糊规则推理的商业综合体火灾情景构建方法研究

为了提高商业综合体火灾扑救效率,在分析描述情景结构组成的基础上,设计了商业综合体火灾情景分层网络模型,将复杂的商业综合体火灾化为层次清晰的模型。引入了模糊规则推理理论,分析了商业综合体火灾情景构建的流程,运用模糊推理理论的合成推理规则方法对商业综合体火灾进行情景规则的推理建立,并构建火灾情景发展网络链路图,实现火灾情景状态发展可视化。