Smoke Movement in a Sloping Subway Tunnel Under Longitudinal Ventilation with Blockage

Critical velocity and smoke back-layering length are two of the determining parameters to the fire risk assessment of subway tunnel. These two parameters of a sloping subway tunnel with train blockage were investigated both experimentally and numerically in this paper. To address the influences of slope, the slopes of 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15% in downhill subway tunnel were studied and the height (H) of the tunnel was replaced by the inclined tunnel height (\( H/\cos \theta \)). The train model with a dimension of 2 m (length) × 0.3 m (width) × 0.38 m (height) was also chosen in simulations and experiments for the tunnel blockage. Thenceforward, 30 reduced-scale experimental and 150 numerical scenarios were analyzed to predict the critical velocity and smoke back-layering length in various sloping subway tunnels. Six different heat release rates including 5.58, 11.17, 16.67, 22.35, 27.94, and 33.52 kW were considered in the experiments and five different heat release rates including 2.79, 5.58, 8.38, 11.17 and 16.67 kW were considered in the simulations. Based on the comparison in the horizontal tunnel, numerical results were quite consistent with the experiments. The results showed that train blockage influenced the smoke back-layering length, and the critical velocity increases with the tunnel slope. Finally, empirical models were developed to predict the critical velocity and smoke back-layering length in a sloping subway tunnel with train blockage.     

Numerical Simulation of Fire Exposed Façades Using LEPIR II Testing Facility

The fire behavior of external wall insulation system on façades is assessed during LEPIR II testing. This facility involves a 600 kg wood crib fire in a 30 m³ lower compartment of a two levels high concrete structure. External flames develop in front of the façade from the fire compartment through windows with dimensions 1?×?1.5 m (W?×?H). In order to predict the fire exposure of a façade during the test, CFD simulations were carried out with the computational fluid dynamics code Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) for two full-scale experiments. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of FDS to reproduce quantitative results in terms of gas temperatures and heat fluxes close to the tested façade. This is an important step before the fire performances of any insulation system can be predicted by numerical tools. A good repeatability was observed in terms of measured gas temperatures for experiments. Maximum heat release rate of the fire, close to 5 MW, was achieved after 5 min of test. When experimental results were compared with numerical calculations, good agreement was found for every quantity. The most critical zone on the facade is located above the fire room and is directly impacted by external flame outgoing from the fire compartment. Temperatures up to 500°C were observed in this zone. For the thermocouples located up to the second level opening, these probes were not located directly in the flames, but rather in the hot gases above the fire plume. The maximum temperature achieved was thus close to 400°C. The proposed model gives correct thermal loads and flames shape near the façade during calibration tests and can be used for further evaluation of combustible material on façade.     

Measurement and three-dimensional simulation of flow in a rectangular detention tank

There are two main ways to obtain better knowledge of the hydraulics of ponds, namely measurements and simulations. In this study, the applicability of using three-dimensional simulations as an engineering tool in stormwater pond design was investigated. To do this, three-dimensional simulations were compared with measurements of flow pattern and residence time in a large physical model of a detention tank (13 × 9 × 1 m). The agreement between measurements and simulations concerning both flow pattern and residence time distribution curves was found to be good for high flow rates.     

北京市延庆地区水泉沟村车道沟泥石流发育特征及动力学研究

本文以北京市延庆地区水泉沟村车道沟泥石流沟为研究对象,通过泥石流精细调查及资料统计,研究该泥石流发育特征和形成条件,在分析流域内松散堆积物补给特征的基础上,综合研究了该泥石流的动力学特征,进而开展泥石流危险区预测评价,提出相应的防治措施建议。研究结果表明:该泥石流沟内可参与泥石流活动的松散堆积物动储量为20.79×10⁴m³,分为冲洪积、残坡积、人工堆积和崩滑塌等4种补给来源,其中人工堆积所占比重最大;经动力学分析,洪峰流量值在10年一遇的降雨条件下为17.03m³/s,20年一遇的降雨条件下为19.21m³/s,50年一遇的降雨条件下为22.10m³/s,100年一遇的降雨条件下为24.28m³/s,一次固体冲出总量分别为0.55×10⁴m³、0.63×10⁴m³、0.72×10⁴m³、0.79×10⁴m³,属于小型泥石流,最大危险区面积为0.2763km2。通过评价分析,该泥石流沟仍存在爆发小型泥石流的可能性,将对下游车道沟村以及行车和行人的生命财产安全造成威胁。研究成果可为延庆地区该类泥石流单沟预警模型研究和灾害防治提供科学依据。     

Flame Heights and Heat Transfer in Façade System Ventilation Cavities

The design of buildings using multilayer constructions poses a challenge for fire safety and needs to be understood. Narrow air gaps and cavities are common in many constructions, e.g. ventilated façade systems. In these construction systems flames can enter the cavities and fire can spread on the interior surfaces of the cavities. An experimental program was performed to investigate the influence of the cavity width on the flame heights, the fire driven upward flow and the incident heat fluxes to the inner surfaces of the cavity. The experimental setup consisted of two parallel facing non-combustible plates (0.8 × 1.8 m) and a propane gas burner placed at one of the inner surfaces. The cavity width between the plates ranged from 0.02 m to 0.1 m and the burner heat release rate was varied from 16.5 kW to 40.4 kW per m of the burner length. At least three repeated tests were performed for each scenario. In addition, tests with a single plate were performed. The flame heights did not significantly change for Q′/W < 300 kW/m² (where Q′ is the heat release rate per unit length of the burner and W is the cavity width). For higher Q′/W ratios flame extensions up to 2.2 times were observed. When the distance between the plates was reduced or the heat release rate was increased, the incident heat fluxes to the inner surface increased along the entire height of the test setup. The results can be used for analysing methodologies for predicting heat transfer and fire spread in narrow air cavities.     

Study on Installation of Wire Netting with Intumescent Coating at Openings of Buildings to Reduce Fire Spread by Radiation

This study focuses on a new device that can reduce radiation heat at the openings of buildings. Intumescent coating is sprayed on wire netting affixed to the open spaces in the external wall of a building to reduce radiation heat and fire spread. This study uses a 1.2 m × 1.2 m × 1.2 m furnace to conduct fire-resistance tests according to the ISO 834-1 standard (the standard 1 h temperature rise curve and the furnace pressure). The study variables include wire netting with different mesh numbers (mesh widths) and wire netting with different coating thicknesses. The results from six sets of fire tests show that under the same coating thickness, less radiation heat is generated for a larger mesh number (i.e., smaller mesh width). Under the same mesh number for the wire netting, less radiation heat is generated for a larger coating thickness. At distances of 50 cm, 100 cm, and 150 cm from a fire source with a temperature of 945°C, the radiation heat calculated based on the theory is 6.9 W/cm². This study proves that the radiation heat can be dropped to 0.48 W/cm² with the installation of intumescent-coated wire netting, and that this type of netting can effectively prevent fire spreading by radiation.     

Optimum depth of grout curtain around pumped storage power cavern based on geological conditions

The main objective of this work was to study the design rationale for the optimum grout curtain around the power cavern of the Rudbar Lorestan pumped storage power plant. This grout curtain will prevent water inflow into the power cavern after Rudbar Dam is impounded. This study was based on a combination of geotechnical investigations, geological investigations, and numerical modeling. The power cavern is located in the Dalan Formation, which consists of limestones and dolomite limestones. Geological features such as faults and major joints in limestones as well as the close proximity of the power cavern to the downstream reservoir increase the hazard associated with water inflow from the reservoir into the power cavern. Because of this close proximity, accurately estimating the water inflow into the cavern is an essential task. Three exploratory boreholes were drilled near the power cavern, and permeability tests (Lugeon tests) were conducted in all boreholes. Records at the boreholes were employed as the main source of data for seepage calculations, and it was determined that the permeability of the limestones is approximately 1.25 × 10^?3 m/s. This study used a finite element model to estimate groundwater inflow into the power cavern after the downstream reservoir is impounded. Results show that without a grout curtain, water would seep into the cavern at a rate of about 0.8–1 m³/s, which would make it difficult to operate the power plant. Accounting for geological conditions such as the Rudbar Fault and fractured limestones, as well as the limitations on construction, a grout curtain was designed. The design calls for a curtain that is about 50 m from the power cavern and extends from 1,735 m.a.s.l. to 10 m below the cavern. Modeling the effect of the grout curtain around the cavern with the finite element method showed that the seepage would decrease to a low rate of 0.1 m³/s with the installation of the curtain.     

The Use of Positive Pressure Ventilation Fans During Firefighting Operations in Underground Stations: An Experimental Study

Positive pressure ventilation (PPV) fans are widely used by the fire service during firefighting operations in buildings. Fans are positioned to create a flow through the enclosure. This flow can remove the smoke after the fire or affect the direction of the smoke to support firefighting operations. In subway stations, it is less common to use PPV fans. Here, 106 full-scale tests with up to four fans have been performed in a training building that represents a subway station. The fans were used as extraction fans. The generated flow through the subway station has been measured. The critical velocity for a hypothetical tunnel (W × H: 3.17 × 4.15 m) attached to the subway station has been calculated as 2.37 m/s. Reaching the critical velocity has been used as criterion for ‘success’. All combinations with four fans exceed this velocity, supporting the idea that the fans could be used to facilitate a firefighting operation. The location of the fans was varied. Combinations with three fans on the platform and one at the top of the staircase performed better than combinations with two fans on the platform, one on the landing and one at the top of the staircase. There is an optimum value for the distance between the fans on the platform and the first step of the staircase. This value depends on the angle of inclination of the fans. The fans were not capable of creating a flow that exceeded the critical velocity in the station itself (L × W × H: 60 × 7.15 × 4.53 m). However, a velocity of 2.40 m/s corresponds to a flow rate that will limit the backlayering distance in the station to 15 m. This was only achieved by tests with four fans (three on the platform and one at the top of the staircase).     

Geohydrological properties of selected badland sediments in Saskatchewan,Canada

Geological and seasonal weather variations govern the geohydrological properties of the Avonlea badlands in Saskatchewan, Canada. Three surface sediments exhibiting distinct lithologic variations were found: a steeply sloped and fissured sandstone; a mildly sloped and popcorn-textured mudrock; and a flat and eroded pediment. The fines content increased from the dry to the wet state, with contents of 17–33 % seen for sandstone, 4–98 % for mudrock, and 21–42 % for pediment. The water adsorption capacity was found to be highest for mudrock (w _l = 96 % and w _p = 47 %), followed by sandstone (w _l = 39 % and w _p = 31 %), and then by pediment (w _l = 31 % and w _p = 23 %). The soil water characteristic curves of sandstone and mudrock showed bimodal distributions with a low air entry value (6 and 9 kPa) pertaining to drainage through cracks and a high air entry value (160 and 92 kPa) associated with flow through the soil matrix. The pediment presented a unimodal soil water characteristic curve with a single matrix air entry value of 4 kPa. The saturated hydraulic conductivities for sandstone, mudrock, and pediment were measured as 8.5 × 10^?6, 4.0 × 10^?8, and 1.8 × 10^?5 m/s, respectively.     

Study on swelling properties of an expansive soil deposit in Saskatchewan, Canada

The main objective of this paper was to study the swelling properties of Regina clay. The deposit comprises a topsoil (surface to 0.3 m depth), an expansive clay (0.3–8 m), and a bottom till (8–9 m). High liquid limit (70 ± 15 %) and plastic limit (33 ± 4 %) indicated high water retention and adsorption capacity for the clay. Irrespective of the cover type (vegetation and cracked road), the field water content in summer closely matched the plastic limit. The clay was characterized by medium-to-high swelling that was best predicted by SP = 0.16 (I _p)^1.188. The soil had 51 % clay minerals including smectite (32 %), illite (7 %), kaolinite (5 %), and chlorite (3 %). With a CEC of 40 cmol(+)/kg, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ were found to be the main exchangeable cations: the specific surface area was 50 m²/g. The SP and P _s for a 1.2 m deep sample measured 12 % and 260 kPa, respectively, and the estimated surface heave of 180 mm gradually diminished to 3.6 m depth. These values matched well with consistency-based correlations.     

Aerodynamic modeling of the Yigong gigantic rock slide-debris avalanche,Tibet, China

On the April 9 of 2000, a gigantic rapid rock slide-debris avalanche occurred in Bomi, Tibet. Some 280–300 × 10⁶ m³ of material travelled 10 km within 10 min and dammed the Yigong River, forming a 2.9 × 10⁹ m3 barrier lake. Wind tunnel testing was undertaken to determine the aerodynamic parameters involved, from the initial rock slide-fall to its point of impact. The paper reports the numerical analyses undertaken and discusses the significance of the air-cushion effect. It is concluded that Yigong rapid rock slide-debris avalanche “flew” in the air for about 12.9 s from its detachment from the source to its collision with the floor of the Zamunong gully at 3,317 m asl. The velocity of the avalanche mass at the point of detachment was some 81.8 m/s and the collision velocity approximately 117 m/s.     

北京市延庆区石窑村南地沟泥石流特征及发展趋势预测

本文以北京市延庆区石窑村南地沟泥石流为研究对象,通过野外调查与GIS统计分析,研究该流域降雨条件、地形地貌和沟道条件、物源条件等形成条件特征,针对流域内松散堆积物转换,开展了流域分区特征分析;通过14个因子分析,建立了该泥石流的发育阶段识别模型,对其发展趋势进行了预测;利用单沟泥石流堆积区公式开展了最大危险区预测研究,提出相应的防治措施建议。研究表明:石窑村南地沟泥石流内松散堆积物动储量达18.36×10~4 m~3,物源类型划分为冲洪积物源、残坡积物源、人工堆积物源和崩滑塌物源4种,其中残坡积所占比重最大。该泥石流属于暴雨-沟谷型-支沟群发型、中易发泥石流,泥石流发展阶段处于发育期,最大危险区面积为0.413 km~2,对沟口堆积区的石窑村及村民的生命财产安全造成威胁,建议采用局部物源平整与疏理排导渠相结合的综合治理措施。本文为该区地质灾害防治提供基础依据。     

Towards a hydrodynamic modelling framework appropriate for applications in urban flood assessment and mitigation using heterogeneous computing

We present a new hydrodynamic modelling framework capable of fully exploiting modern graphics and central processing units (GPUs and CPUs) from any of the mainstream vendors, to be used in the design and assessment of sustainable drainage systems. A finite-volume Godunov-type scheme is combined with the HLLC Riemann solver to create a robust numerical model which correctly addresses wetting and drying and transient flow conditions, and is suitable for application to a wide range of flood simulations. The software is tested with a three day flood event in Carlisle during 2005, at resolutions from 25 m to 2 m. Run-times are significantly reduced without compromising numerical accuracy. Excellent agreement is found between the simulation results and a comprehensive post-event survey. Changes in sensitivity to Manning's n are examined at different resolutions, with changes to the floodplain found to have little influence at 2 m resolution.     

Ballistic behavior of plain and reinforced concrete slabs under high velocity impact

This work presents a numerical simulation of ballistic penetration and high velocity impact behavior of plain and reinforced concrete slabs. In this paper, we focus on the comparison of the performance of the plain and reinforced concrete slabs of unconfined compressive strength 41 MPa under ballistic impact. The concrete slab has dimensions of 675 mm × 675 mm × 200 mm, and is meshed with 8-node hexahedron solid elements in the impact and outer zones. The ogive-nosed projectile is considered as rigid element that has a mass of 0.386 kg and a length of 152 mm. The applied velocities vary between 540 and 731 m/s. 6 mm of steel reinforcement bars were used in the reinforced concrete slabs. The constitutive material modeling of the concrete and steel reinforcement bars was performed using the Johnson-Holmquist-2 damage and the Johnson-Cook plasticity material models, respectively. The analysis was conducted using the commercial finite element package Abaqus/Explicit. Damage diameters and residual velocities obtained by the numerical model were compared with the experimental results and effect of steel reinforcement and projectile diameter were studies. The validation showed good agreement between the numerical and experimental results. The added steel reinforcements to the concrete samples were found efficient in terms of ballistic resistance comparing to the plain concrete sample.     

Numerical Studies on Thermally-Induced Air Flow in Sloping Tunnels with Experimental Scale Modelling Justifications

Study of smoke movement or air flow due to fire in sloping tunnels is important in designing smoke control systems. In contrast to a horizontal tunnel, there is an acceleration along the longitudinal axis due to smoke buoyancy. This phenomenon together with thermal radiation would lead to a complicated heat transfer mechanism of the ceiling jet in sloping tunnels. In the present work, thermally induced air flow arising from fire in sloping tunnels was studied via numerical simulations using the Computational Fluid Dynamics code FLUENT. Prior to the application of FLUENT in simulating the air flow under different conditions, scale model experiments were carried out and the results were compared with simulation results, to establish the reliability of FLUENT in simulating fires in sloping tunnels. For this purpose, a tunnel section model of length 3 m, width 0.8 m and height 1 m was constructed, with a 1.5 kW electrical heating source to model fire. Hot air movement pattern driven by the electric heater was studied with the tunnel inclined at 0°, 10°, 20° and 30° to the horizontal. Four cases of the same configuration as the scale tunnel experiments were simulated using FLUENT, with predicted results agreeing well with experimental results. Having established the suitability of FLUENT in simulating air flow due to fire in sloping tunnels, numerical simulations were carried out to study air flow in sloping tunnels with different scenarios, that is, for tunnels with different gradients and with fire located at different positions in the tunnel. Macroscopic number on heat transfer, including the Rayleigh number Ra, the average and local Nusselt number Nu_ave for sloping tunnels were also studied from the measured results. The correlation between Nu_ave and Ra, which shows the effect of hydrodynamic properties on relative dominance of heat transfer in tunnel fire, was also discussed.     

Environmental advantages through producing energy from grape stalk pellets instead of wood pellets and other sources

The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the environmental impact of the heat of grape stalk pellets with that of wood pellets and other sources, using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The study was carried out using the ISO 14040/44 series standard. The inventory analysis and, subsequently, the impact analysis were performed using the software SimaPro8.4.0. The method chosen for this environmental impact assessment was CML-IA baseline. The results show that heat from grape stalk pellets is more environmentally friendly than heat from wood pellets for 7 out of 11 impact categories, including marine aquatic ecotoxicity, which is considered the most important impact category. A global reduction of 1.6 × 10⁴ or 1.14 × 10⁶ or 1.9 × 10⁶ tonne of CO₂ eq emissions could be achieved if the global potential production of grape stalk pellets replaced wood pellets or light fuel oil or hard coal briquettes, respectively, contributing to the achievement of the EU’s objectives.     

Effect of ammonium on the hydraulic conductivity of geosynthetic clay liners

Hydraulic conductivity and swell index tests were conducted on a conventional geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) containing sodium-bentonite (Na-B) using 5, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 mM ammonium acetate (NH₄OAc) solutions to investigate how NH₄⁺ accumulation in leachates in bioreactor and recirculation landfills may affect GCLs. Control tests were conducted with deionized (DI) water. Swell index of the Na-B was 27.7 mL/2 g in 5 mM NH₄⁺ solution and decreased to 5.0 mL/2 g in 1000 mM NH₄⁺ solution, whereas the swell index of Na-B in DI water was 28.0 mL/2 g. Hydraulic conductivity of the Na-B GCL to 5, 50, and 100 mM NH₄⁺ was low, ranging from 1.6–5.9 × 10^?11 m/s, which is comparable to the hydraulic conductivity to DI water (2.1 × 10^?11 m/s). Hydraulic conductivities of the Na-B GCL permeated with 500 and 1000 mM NH₄⁺ solutions were much higher (e.g., 1.6–5.2 × 10^?6 m/s) due to suppression of osmotic swelling. NH₄⁺ replaced native Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ in the exchange complex of the Na-B during permeation with all NH₄⁺ solutions, with the NH₄⁺ fraction in the exchange complex increasing from 0.24 to 0.83 as the NH₄⁺ concentration increased from 5 to 1000 mM. A Na-B GCL specimen permeated with 1000 mM NH₄⁺ solution to chemical equilibrium was subsequently permeated with DI water. Permeation with the NH₄⁺ converted the Na-B to “NH₄-bentonite” with more than 80% of the exchange complex occupied by NH₄⁺. Hydraulic conductivity of this GCL specimen decreased from 5.9 × 10^?6 m/s to 2.9 × 10^?11 m/s during permeation with DI water, indicating that “NH₄-bentonite” can swell and have low hydraulic conductivity, and that the impact of more concentrated NH₄⁺ solutions on swelling and hydraulic conductivity is reversible.     

Full scale experimental and numerical studies on effect of ventilation in an enclosure diesel pool fire

The compartment fires have been studied through full-scale experiments, which were conducted in a compartment of size 4 m × 4 m × 4 m with a door of size 2 m (height) × 1 m (width). Four different experiments were performed, in which the width of the door was varied. The diesel fuel pan of 60 cm diameter was placed in the center of compartment. The maximum heat release rates measured were 502, 564, 446 and 124 kW for Exp. 1, Exp. 2, Exp. 3 and Exp. 4 respectively. The average hot gas temperature in Exp. 1, Exp. 2, Exp. 3 and Exp. 4 were found to be 266, 328, 314, and 174 °C respectively. In Exp. 3, highest heat flux was found to be 13.6 kW at ceiling. Further, the numerical simulations were performed for Exp. 1 and Exp. 2 experimental condition using Fire Dynamics Simulator incorporating different mesh sizes.     

Hydraulische Modellierung und die Ermittlung des repräsentativen Elementarvolumens (REV) im Kluftgestein

The objective of the following study is the development of a method for the evaluation of the hydraulic conductivity and the representative elementary volume (REV) in fractured rock aquifers, which can be used for the hydraulic modelling of large-scale fractured systems. Two-dimensional stochastic discrete fracture networks were simulated for the evaluation of hydraulic conductivity. Due to the strongly variable fracture density in the considered area, a sensitivity study was performed which examined three various fracture densities according to their hydraulic properties. The flow behaviour in the discrete fracture networks is described with the cubic law. The hydraulic modelling in the fractured rock showed that an REV could not be determined for all discrete fracture networks. With one exception, an REV with a size of 10 m × 10 m could be determined for discrete fracture networks with a medium (P₂₁ = 13.1 m^–1) and high fracture density (P₂₁ = 16.9 m^–1). In contrast, no REV could be found for discrete fracture networks with a low fracture density (P₂₁ = 5.1 m^–1).