Dynamic failure assessment of an ammonia storage unit: A case study

Chemical Process Industries usually contain a diverse inventory of hazardous chemicals and complex systems required to perform process operations such as storage, separation, reaction, compression etc. The complex interactions between the equipment make them vulnerable to catastrophic accidents. Risk and failure assessment provide engineers with an intuitive tool for decision making in the operation of such plants. Abnormal events and near-miss situations occur regularly during the operation of a system. Accident Sequence Precursors (ASP) can be used to demonstrate the real-time operating condition of a plant. Dynamic Failure Assessment (DFA) methodology is based on Bayesian statistical methods incorporates ASP data to revise the generic failure probabilities of the systems during its operational lifetime.In this paper, DFA methodology is applied on an ammonia storage unit in a specialized chemical industry. Ammonia is stored in cold storage tanks as liquefied gas at atmospheric pressure. These tanks are susceptible to failures due to various abnormal conditions arising due process failures.Tank failures due to three such abnormal conditions are considered. Variation of the failure probability of the safety systems is demonstrated. The authors use ASP data collected from plant specific sources and safety expert judgement. The failure probabilities of some safety systems concerned show considerable deviation from the generic values. The method helps to locate the components which have undergone more degradation over the period and hence must be paid attention to. In addition, a Bayesian predictive model has been used to predict the number of abnormal events in the next time interval. The user-friendly and intuitive nature of the tool makes it appropriate for application in safety assessment reports in process industries.     

Operational risk assessment: A case of the Bhopal disaster

Accidental releases of hazardous chemicals from process facilities can cause catastrophic consequences. The Bhopal disaster resulting from a combination of inherently unsafe designs and poorly managed operations is a well-known case. Effective risk modeling approaches that provide early warnings are helpful to prevent and control such rare but catastrophic events. Probability estimation of these events is a constant challenge due to the scarcity of directly relevant data. Therefore, precursor-based methods that adopt the Bayesian theorem to update prior judgments on event probabilities using empirical data have been proposed. The updated probabilities are then integrated with consequences of varying severity to produce the risk profile.This paper proposes an operational risk assessment framework, in which a precursor-based Bayesian network approach is used for probability estimation, and loss functions are applied for consequence assessment. The estimated risk profile can be updated continuously given real-time operational data. As process facilities operate, this method integrates a failure-updating mechanism with potential consequences to generate a real-time operational risk profile. The real time risk profile is valuable in activating accident prevention and control strategies. The approach is applied to the Bhopal accident to demonstrate its applicability and effectiveness.     

公元1600年秘鲁Huaynaputina火山喷发与长江中下游地区的气候异常

公元1600年秘鲁Huaynaputina火山喷发是过去1 000年全球最大规模的火山喷发之一。考察了此次火山喷发在中国长江中下游地区的可能气候效应。经查阅中国历史文献，在《见闻杂记》、《袁宏道集》和明清地方志中发现了有价值的资料。此次火山喷发在长江中下游地区的气候效应可能表现得比较复杂。结合《见闻杂记》和明清地方志，发现1601年长江下游地区夏季降雪，异常寒冷；结合《袁宏道集》和明清地方志，发现1602年年初至春季长江中下游地区异常多雪和寒冷，这些气候异常与欧洲历史文献和北半球树轮序列等比较一致。另外，结合《见闻杂记》和明清地方志，还发现1601年秋季长江下游部分地区异常炎热。上述气候异常未必都能完全归因于Huaynaputina喷发，但Huaynaputina喷发应该是其中的一个重要原因。〖     

常熟定点形变对江苏及南黄海中强震映震能力及预报效能分析

采用地形变前兆特征研究中的多种方法,利用常熟台定点形变观测资料,对自1985 年以来发生在江苏省及南黄海海域的中强地震进行了研究及观测手段的映震能力检验,得出:(1) 常熟地倾斜对其周围200 km 范围内MS≥4-5 地震有较好的中、短期前兆异常显示;(2) 归纳总结各分析方法判别获得的异常表明,常熟地倾斜单台信度较高,具有较强的映震能力。     

浙江嵊州地震前SD-3型自动测氡仪记录的临震异常特征研究

通过对安装在宁波台ＺＫ０３ 井上的ＳＤ－ ３ 型自动测氡仪记录的１９９８ 年３ 月～８ 月整点值曲线图的分析,发现在距离该井８０ 多公里的嵊州等地先后发生的３－３ 级和４－５ 级地方震前,具有明显的、非常相似的临震前兆异常。主要特征为震前十几天开始出现整点测值向下突跳,数天后再出现频繁的整点测值向上突跳的形式,并以正异常为主。这是继该仪器在１９９６ 年长江口以东南黄海海域发生的ＭＳ６．１ 地震前记录到临震异常后,又记到的临震异常。笔者认为前兆数字观测仪器将在地震临震预报研究中发挥重要作用。     

前兆异常与地震相关性研究—— 一个值得广大地震学者重视的问题

简要介绍了前兆异常与地震相关性定量分析方法,并列举了在进行这方面研究中目前存在的薄弱环节和困难,以期引起广大地震分析预报人员的重视。     

浙北地震空区探讨

分析探讨了浙江鄞县４２级地震及历史上浙北中强震前的地震空区现象,认为孕震空区可能是浙北中等及中强震的中期前兆,并提出浙北孕震空区的特征及判别方法。     

聊古一井地下流体场源兆异常特征及震情预测检验

聊古一井由于其所处的特殊构造部位、良好的水文地质条件、井孔条件和连续可靠的观测,获得了一批有价值的实际地震观测资料,该井水化学组分的异常变化对其周围500 km范围内的5级以上地震具有良好的映震能力。在对聊古一井自1981-01投测以来观测到的水化学地震前兆异常进行综合分析的基础上,探讨了聊古一井水化学异常变化的场源兆特征及异常形成的物理力学机制和地震预报意义。利用上述研究结果,对聊古一井气体总量2003-05~2003-10出现的低值异常变化进行了分析和震情预测,取得较好的效果。     

气候异常与中国小麦白粉病灾害流行关系的研究

分析了厄尔尼诺事件与我国冬小麦白粉病发病面积的相关关系。结果表明：在厄尔尼诺出现的起始年，冬小麦白粉病发病面积相对较小；在厄尔诺起始年至下一个厄尔诺起始年前的前一年，冬小麦白粉病发病面积趋势逐年增大，并在下一个厄尔尼诺起始年前一年达到最大值；在连续出现厄尔尼诺的年份，冬小麦白粉病发生面积逐年降低。厄尔尼诺事件通过引发主要麦区的诱水、温度异常来影响小麦白粉病的流行程度。造成厄尔尼诺年我国小麦白粉病发病面向相对较低的原因，与厄尔尼诺起始年前的冬半年寒潮活动加强造成冬小麦冻害严重，大大降低了小麦白粉菌的越冬基数及春季干旱不利于小麦白粉菌的侵染有关。     

基于大气成分观测网的山西省近地面O3体积分数分布特征

利用山西省6个大气成分观测站2019年3月至2020年2月的反应性气体O₃、NO、NO₂和NO_x连续观测资料以及同期气象资料,采用统计分析和后向轨迹分析等方法,对山西近地面O₃体积分数变化特征及影响因素进行了对比研究.结果表明,6个站的O₃体积分数一般在4~9月较高,10月至翌年3月较低,研究期内山西南部的晋城和临汾2站的O₃日最大8h体积分数滑动平均值φ（MDA8O₃）超标最严重,其次是北部的五台山、朔州和大同3站,中部的太原站O₃污染较轻.对比城市站和高山站发现,两类站点的O₃体积分数季节变化虽都表现为：夏季 > 春季 > 秋季 > 冬季,但前者主要受前体物NO_x光化学反应的影响,后者的NO_x并不是产生高体积分数O₃的主要来源;两类站点的O₃日变化谱型截然相反,城市站O₃小时平均体积分数的峰谷值分别出现在15：00和06：00,而高山站分别出现在20：00和10：00,分别比城市站滞后了约5 h;此外城市站的O₃日振幅明显大于高山站.就城市站而言,相较日照时数、降水量和总云量,气温对O₃体积分数的影响更为显著;白天的NO₂体积分数直接影响O₃的日振幅大小,尽管太原站O₃的光化学生成潜力也较高,由于被高体积分数的NO滴定消耗,O₃体积分数为城市站中最低;各城市站高体积分数的O₃对应低体积分数的NO_x,低NO_x以NO₂为主,高NO_x的贡献则主要来自NO,在较高NO_x体积分数时,O₃基本上完全被消耗.影响全部站点O₃体积分数升高的地面风主要来自东南、南和西南方向,特定的风速条件将导致站点O₃体积分数增加.站点地理位置不同会引起大气污染物输送作用的差异,而来自华北平原和汾渭平原高浓度O₃的水平输送很可能是造成山西各站点O₃体积分数升高的共同原因.