Experimental and numerical analysis of the influence of cable tray arrangements on the resulting mass loss rate and fire spreading

In the context of industrial buildings and power plants, electrical installations and cable trays represent a main fuel load and a potential initial fire source due to possible short circuits or comparable malfunction. Furthermore, a fire can spread from one tray to additional trays mounted above and/or horizontally on one tray. Because of the high significance of cable fires, several research projects have been carried out, investigating the fire behaviour of cables from small‐scale tests, eg, the cone calorimeter, up to large‐scale tests, analysing complete cable tray constructions. The goal of the work presented in this paper is the extension of the knowledge regarding the influence of geometrical parameters like the packing density and tray distance on the burning behaviour and fire spread of cable tray installations. The results are considered, together with test results from the literature, to quantify the main physical parameters describing the burning behaviour. In a next step, the general applicability of these parameters as input data for the parametrization of the source term of numerical simulations is shown. The test results show that the burning behaviour and the fire spreading highly depend on the cable arrangement of the cables on the cable tray, in combination with other boundary conditions. By applying the results as input for a fire simulation, the mass loss rate is considered appropriately.     

Eine allgemeine Berechnungsmethode für Wärmeübertragerschaltungen

A general method for calculating any heat exchanger network is presented. As heat exchanger networks can be considered as coupled heat exchangers, that are supplied in a predetermined order, it is convenient to consider even a single heat exchanger with complicated flow patterns as a network composed of several ideally-supplied, coupled devices. The advantage of this method lies in its higher accuracy and the use of a simpler calculation formula for an ideal device model. These advantages far outweigh the disadvantages of the arduous iterative type of calculation used to establish the temperature between ideal devices. The presented method allows, for the first time, without using the iterative method, a calculation of heat exchanger networks based upon the principle of coupled matrix equations. These equations are for any given heat exchanger network simply allocated parameters, and therefore this method is especially suited for the calculation of any network modification. For the application of this method is no special software necessary. The solution of the model equations is obtained very easy and clear with mathematical standard software, e.g. Mathcad or Maple.     

A distributed adverse drug reaction detection system using intelligent agents with a fuzzy recognition‐primed decision model

Discovering unknown adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in postmarketing surveillance as early as possible is highly desirable. Nevertheless, current postmarketing surveillance methods largely rely on spontaneous reports that suffer from serious underreporting, latency, and inconsistent reporting. Thus these methods are not ideal for rapidly identifying rare ADRs. The multiagent systems paradigm is an emerging and effective approach to tackling distributed problems, especially when data sources and knowledge are geographically located in different places and coordination and collaboration are necessary for decision making. In this article, we propose an active, multiagent framework for early detection of ADRs by utilizing electronic patient data distributed across many different sources and locations. In this framework, intelligent agents assist a team of experts based on the well‐known human decision‐making model called Recognition‐Primed Decision (RPD). We generalize the RPD model to a fuzzy RPD model and utilize fuzzy logic technology to not only represent, interpret, and compute imprecise and subjective cues that are commonly encountered in the ADR problem but also to retrieve prior experiences by evaluating the extent of matching between the current situation and a past experience. We describe our preliminary multiagent system design and illustrate its potential benefits for assisting expert teams in early detection of previously unknown ADRs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 827–845, 2007.     

Combination of coating and heat treatment processes

For a proper use of coated tools and components excellent coating properties as well as excellent substrate properties of the coating/substrate composite are necessary. A well known example is the load support of hard steel substrates for thin wear resistant coatings. Therefore coating processes must be combined with heat treatment processes of the substrates, whereby several practical processing constraints like order and compatibility of the applied treatment procedures must be considered. The combination of CVD-coating plus laser beam hardening is an example of a post coating heat treatment. Applications may be possible for large forming tools made of high alloyed tool steels, which nowadays are usually through hardened after CVD-coating. Laser beam hardening offers the possibility, to harden only the highly loaded edges of the tools. The advantages of this combination are short process time, less distortion and compressive residual stresses in the substrate surface. CVD-coatings can endure laser beam hardening with suitable parameters. The influence of CVD TiN-coated steel substrates and laser beam hardening parameters on microstructures and properties of coating/substrate compounds have been investigated. Special attention was paid to overlapping hardening zones, which may occur at the start and end points of a laser hardened track. In summary, the combination of coating and heat treatment processes show a high potential to produce coating/substrate compounds with excellent coating properties as well as excellent substrate properties.     

阿维斯塔波莱瑞特厂炉卷轧机新技术

阿维斯塔波莱瑞特厂正在进行一个现代化改造项目，以提高炉卷轧机的生产能力，达到年产100万吨。但是，由于在阿维斯塔波莱瑞特厂炉卷轧机上的现有技术已达到极限，只有通过对轧机及自动化系统进行现代化的改造才有可能提高和增强轧机的利用率和易维护性。