Exposure and effects assessment of persistent organohalogen contaminants in arctic wildlife and fish

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) encompass an array of anthropogenic organic and elemental substances and their degradation and metabolic byproducts that have been found in the tissues of exposed animals, especially POPs categorized as organohalogen contaminants (OHCs). OHCs have been of concern in the circumpolar arctic for decades. For example, as a consequence of bioaccumulation and in some cases biomagnification of legacy (e.g., chlorinated PCBs, DDTs and CHLs) and emerging (e.g., brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and in particular polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA) found in Arctic biota and humans. Of high concern are the potential biological effects of these contaminants in exposed Arctic wildlife and fish. As concluded in the last review in 2004 for the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) on the effects of POPs in Arctic wildlife, prior to 1997, biological effects data were minimal and insufficient at any level of biological organization. The present review summarizes recent studies on biological effects in relation to OHC exposure, and attempts to assess known tissue/body compartment concentration data in the context of possible threshold levels of effects to evaluate the risks. This review concentrates mainly on post-2002, new OHC effects data in Arctic wildlife and fish, and is largely based on recently available effects data for populations of several top trophic level species, including seabirds (e.g., glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus)), polar bears (Ursus maritimus), polar (Arctic) fox (Vulpes lagopus), and Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus), as well as semi-captive studies on sled dogs (Canis familiaris). Regardless, there remains a dearth of data on true contaminant exposure, cause-effect relationships with respect to these contaminant exposures in Arctic wildlife and fish. Indications of exposure effects are largely based on correlations between biomarker endpoints (e.g., biochemical processes related to the immune and endocrine system, pathological changes in tissues and reproduction and development) and tissue residue levels of OHCs (e.g., PCBs, DDTs, CHLs, PBDEs and in a few cases perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorinated sulfonates (PFSAs)). Some exceptions include semi-field studies on comparative contaminant effects of control and exposed cohorts of captive Greenland sled dogs, and performance studies mimicking environmentally relevant PCB concentrations in Arctic charr. Recent tissue concentrations in several arctic marine mammal species and populations exceed a general threshold level of concern of 1 part-per-million (ppm), but a clear evidence of a POP/OHC-related stress in these populations remains to be confirmed. There remains minimal evidence that OHCs are having widespread effects on the health of Arctic organisms, with the possible exception of East Greenland and Svalbard polar bears and Svalbard glaucous gulls. However, the true (if any real) effects of POPs in Arctic wildlife have to be put into the context of other environmental, ecological and physiological stressors (both anthropogenic and natural) that render an overall complex picture. For instance, seasonal changes in food intake and corresponding cycles of fattening and emaciation seen in Arctic animals can modify contaminant tissue distribution and toxicokinetics (contaminant deposition, metabolism and depuration). Also, other factors, including impact of climate change (seasonal ice and temperature changes, and connection to food web changes, nutrition, etc. in exposed biota), disease, species invasion and the connection to disease resistance will impact toxicant exposure. Overall, further research and better understanding of POP/OHC impact on animal performance in Arctic biota are recommended. Regardless, it could be argued that Arctic wildlife and fish at the highest potential risk of POP/OHC exposure and mediated effects are East Greenland, Svalbard and (West and South) Hudson Bay polar bears, Alaskan and Northern Norway killer whales, several species of gulls and other seabirds from the Svalbard area, Northern Norway, East Greenland, the Kara Sea and/or the Canadian central high Arctic, East Greenland ringed seal and a few populations of Arctic charr and Greenland shark.     

Fire Spread and Flame Length in Large-Scale Tunnel Fires

An analysis of fire spread during four large-scale fire tests that were performed in the Runehamar tunnel in Norway is presented. The fire loads consisted of mock-ups simulating a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) trailer. The fire spread downstream of the HGV trailer mock-ups was studied, both to large targets with the same type of commodities as used in the trailer mock-up for each tests, and to small pieces of wood and plastic poles placed at different distances from the fire. The purpose was to determine a critical distance for fire spread between HGV trailers for different heat release rate histories. The time to ignition of a second object and fire spreading distances were estimated from post-visual observations and temperature measurements. Correlations for flame length were developed from the experimental results. Since the average temperature of the cross-section often is used to estimate fire spread, results from a model for the average temperature were compared with the measured temperatures.     

浅谈阻燃电缆的应用和发展

文章论述了阻燃电缆的重要性和阻燃机理，介绍了阻燃电缆最新技术和发展趋势，提出了相关规范的修改建议。     

Corrosion of concrete sewers--the kinetics of hydrogen sulfide oxidation

The widespread occurrence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the environment has attracted considerable attention, leading to concerns about the extent and magnitude of wildlife and human exposure. In this work, we focus on the occurrence and fate of PBDEs in a Norwegian air-plant-herbivore-carnivore system. Specifically, we have analysed for PBDEs in moss, livers from various terrestrial herbivores (moose, grouse, and European roe deer) and, for the first time, livers from the top predator lynx. The samples were collected from different sites and time periods (1990-2004) to identify possible spatial and temporal trends in contaminant levels and patterns. The general finding was that PBDEs were found in all (biotic) samples, although at lower concentrations than previously observed in mammals from the marine environment. The PBDE levels in the herbivores ranged from less than 0.5 ng/g lipid weight to 9.4 ng/g lipid weight as the highest. The median PBDE concentration in lynx was approximately one order of magnitude higher than in the herbivores. In the lynx samples there was a predominance of BDE-153 whereas BDE-47 and 99 dominated in the herbivores. This probably reflects different bioaccumulation properties or metabolic transformation processes of the BDE-congeners, and food choice. Levels of PBDEs in both moss and herbivores showed a general decline towards the northern parts of Norway. No clear temporal trends were observed. The PBDE levels observed in this study were low and are probably of limited toxicological significance.     

Extinction condition of counterflow spray diffusion flame with polydisperse water spray

The effect of polydisperse water droplet size distribution on the burning behavior and extinction condition of counterflow spray diffusion flame was investigated experimentally in this study. N-heptane as liquid fuel spray and nitrogen as a carrier gas were introduced from the lower duct while water spray and oxidizer consisting of oxygen and nitrogen was issued from the upper duct. The burning behavior of spray flame for different fuel droplet size with and without water spray was observed and the extinction condition of counterflow spray diffusion flame was characterized by oxygen concentration at extinction. The results show that the minimum value of oxygen concentration at extinction for counterflow spray diffusion flame with water spray is similar to the extinction condition without water spray for higher mean droplet diameter of water. The minimum value of oxygen concentration at extinction shifts to the smaller fuel droplet size when decreasing the water droplet size. For fuel droplet size higher than 48 μm, the optimum of water droplet size for suppressing counterflow spray diffusion flame was smaller than gaseous flame. The explanation of optimum water droplet size based on the coupled effect of Stokes number and vaporization Damköhler number can be used for prediction of the effectiveness of water droplet on the suppression of counterflow spray diffusion flame.     

某330MW燃煤机组层火焰丧失保护动作原因分析

针对某电厂330 MW燃煤机组因燃烧不稳,触发层火焰丧失,锅炉MFT动作进行分析,提出主要问题和防范措施,避免同类事件再次发生,有一定参考价值。     

基于图像处理的管道瓦斯爆炸火焰传播速度特征

为研究瓦斯/空气预混气体爆炸火焰传播速度特征,利用瓦斯爆炸实验系统开展了9.5%体积分数下的瓦斯爆炸实验,通过高速摄影系统拍摄了爆炸火焰传播图像;分析提出了利用图像相关系数法计算瓦斯爆炸火焰传播速度的基本原理和方法,计算分析了9.5%体积分数瓦斯爆炸全过程中的火焰传播速度动态变化规律。结果表明：爆炸火焰处于加速、减速、反向传播,再加速、减速直至熄灭的过程,火焰不断震荡。进一步地对爆炸火焰进行了细化分析,通过对预处理图像进行横向和纵向的等分,计算视窗中不同部分的火焰传播速度,并与按整体计算的速度进行对比验证。利用该方法可以计算瓦斯爆炸火焰充满整个管道时的传播速度,为研究瓦斯或者其他气体爆炸火焰传播规律提供了一种新途径。     

大口径长药室平衡炮发射装药多点点火特性

针对大口径长药室平衡炮内药量大,轴向点传火距离长,点传火条件复杂等问题,对设计的多点点传火结构建立了两相流计算模型。控制点火位置发火的数目,得到了几种传火管内的火药流动过程和燃气释放规律。对同一规格的传火管在相同装药量下,分别采用单点点火、两点点火及多点点火三种方式点火,对所得到的点传火时间、点传火压力及空隙率等反应点传火特性的特征量进行了对比。结合大口径平衡炮多点点火试验结果,验证了多点点火技术的计算结果。结果表明,单点点火和两点点火在3.3 ms左右仍有火药仍未点燃并出现明显堆积现象,而多点点火在2.43 ms时火药已经接近全部燃完,且各特征量分布较为均匀。为此,在大口径长药室平衡炮以及其它一些装药量大的大口径火炮中采用多点点火技术可以有效改善传火时间,增加点传火安全性,抑制火药堆积。     

商业厨房的安全设计与实践

根据澳门商业厨房的特点,提出商业厨房的安全设计措施。合理地布置厨房内的燃气设施,选用配置熄火保护装置的燃具,建立可靠的联动系统及高效的油烟制控系统,以保证厨房场所的安全。     

一种X光幕枪炮口初速测量装置

枪炮发射时,枪炮口常常产生大量的炮口烟焰,电磁发射过程中还会产生大量的等离子体团,所以普通的弹丸测速方法不能直接在后效区内进行初速测量.为了有效克服枪炮口的强烈火焰环境,准确捕捉弹丸过靶信号,提出了使用X射线光幕靶在后效区内测弹丸飞离炮口瞬时速度的系统方案,阐述测速系统的结构图,并且给出测速系统各个模块的设计原理和功能,通过室内靶道实验,X射线可以有效的穿透炮口烟焰,捕捉弹丸过靶信号,验证实验系统具有可行性.