The effect of gas and oil well blowout emissions on livestock in Alberta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, B.E.

1992-01-01

Poisoning caused by emissions from sour gas well or oil well blowouts is not acute because the gases are diluted by the atmosphere before they reach livestock. Exposure may last a month or more and may produce a syndrome indistinguishable from common disorders of flu, malaise, mood change, and in the case of animals, lack of production or decreased production. Little information is available on the composition of releases from well blowouts, which may change due to concurrent reactions with oxygen and photodecomposition. Effects on livestock observed to results from sour gas plant emissions (mostly sulfur dioxide) include runny eyes in cattle, loss of production, diarrhea and abortion. Blowout emissions may contain oxidant gases as well as hydrogen sulfides. These products irritate mucous membranes, and can lead to pink eye. Respiratory problems may include upper respiratory tract infections, and may produce susceptibility to secondary pneumonia. Abortion, infertility and congenital effects are areas of concern. It is considered unlikely that hydrogen sulfide can cause such effects, however carbon disulfide and carbonyl sulfide, both present in sour gas blowouts, are known to have effects on the fetus. Effects on production and performance are unknown, and it is postulated that amounts of sulfur deposition are insufficient to cause nutrient deficiencies. Psychological reactions are suggested to explain some of the adverse effects of exposure to sour gas. 1 ref

Development of an automatic subsea blowout preventer stack control system using PLC based SCADA.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Baoping; Liu, Yonghong; Liu, Zengkai; Wang, Fei; Tian, Xiaojie; Zhang, Yanzhen

2012-01-01

An extremely reliable remote control system for subsea blowout preventer stack is developed based on the off-the-shelf triple modular redundancy system. To meet a high reliability requirement, various redundancy techniques such as controller redundancy, bus redundancy and network redundancy are used to design the system hardware architecture. The control logic, human-machine interface graphical design and redundant databases are developed by using the off-the-shelf software. A series of experiments were performed in laboratory to test the subsea blowout preventer stack control system. The results showed that the tested subsea blowout preventer functions could be executed successfully. For the faults of programmable logic controllers, discrete input groups and analog input groups, the control system could give correct alarms in the human-machine interface. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flow and sediment transport dynamics in a slot and cauldron blowout and over a foredune, Mason Bay, Stewart Island (Rakiura), NZ

Science.gov (United States)

Hesp, Patrick A.; Hilton, Michael; Konlecher, Teresa

2017-10-01

This study is the first to simultaneously compare flow and sediment transport through a blowout and over an adjacent foredune, and the first study of flow within a highly sinuous, slot and cauldron blowout. Flow across the foredune transect is similar to that observed in other studies and is primarily modulated by across-dune vegetation density differences. Flow within the blowout is highly complex and exhibits pronounced accelerations and jet flow. It is characterised by marked helicoidal coherent vortices in the mid-regions, and topographically vertically forced flow out of the cauldron portion of the blowout. Instantaneous sediment transport within the blowout is significant compared to transport onto and/or over the adjacent foredune stoss slope and ridge, with the blowout providing a conduit for suspended sediment to reach the downwind foredune upper stoss slope and crest. Medium term (4 months) aeolian sedimentation data indicates sand is accumulating in the blowout entrance while erosion is taking place throughout the majority of the slot, and deposition is occurring downwind of the cauldron on the foredune ridge. The adjacent lower stoss slope of the foredune is accreting while the upper stoss slope is slightly erosional. Longer term (16 months) pot trap data shows that the majority of foredune upper stoss slope and crest accretion occurs via suspended sediment delivery from the blowout, whereas the majority of the suspended sediment arriving to the well-vegetated foredune stoss slope is deposited on the mid-stoss slope. The results of this study indicate one mechanism of how marked alongshore foredune morphological variability evolves due to the role of blowouts in topographically accelerating flow, and delivering significant aeolian sediment downwind to relatively discrete sections of the foredune.

A small-scale eruption leading to a blowout macrospicule jet in an on-disk coronal hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, Mitzi; Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Gary, G. Allen

2014-01-01

We examine the three-dimensional magnetic structure and dynamics of a solar EUV-macrospicule jet that occurred on 2011 February 27 in an on-disk coronal hole. The observations are from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the SDO Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). The observations reveal that in this event, closed-field-carrying cool absorbing plasma, as in an erupting mini-filament, erupted and opened, forming a blowout jet. Contrary to some jet models, there was no substantial recently emerged, closed, bipolar-magnetic field in the base of the jet. Instead, over several hours, flux convergence and cancellation at the polarity inversion line inside an evolved arcade in the base apparently destabilized the entire arcade, including its cool-plasma-carrying core field, to undergo a blowout eruption in the manner of many standard-sized, arcade-blowout eruptions that produce a flare and coronal mass ejection. Internal reconnection made bright 'flare' loops over the polarity inversion line inside the blowing-out arcade field, and external reconnection of the blowing-out arcade field with an ambient open field made longer and dimmer EUV loops on the outside of the blowing-out arcade. That the loops made by the external reconnection were much larger than the loops made by the internal reconnection makes this event a new variety of blowout jet, a variety not recognized in previous observations and models of blowout jets.

A small-scale eruption leading to a blowout macrospicule jet in an on-disk coronal hole

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, Mitzi; Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L. [Space Science Office, ZP13, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States); Gary, G. Allen, E-mail: mitzi.adams@nasa.gov, E-mail: alphonse.sterling@nasa.gov, E-mail: ron.moore@nasa.gov, E-mail: gag0002@uah.edu [Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35805, USA. (United States)

2014-03-01

We examine the three-dimensional magnetic structure and dynamics of a solar EUV-macrospicule jet that occurred on 2011 February 27 in an on-disk coronal hole. The observations are from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the SDO Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). The observations reveal that in this event, closed-field-carrying cool absorbing plasma, as in an erupting mini-filament, erupted and opened, forming a blowout jet. Contrary to some jet models, there was no substantial recently emerged, closed, bipolar-magnetic field in the base of the jet. Instead, over several hours, flux convergence and cancellation at the polarity inversion line inside an evolved arcade in the base apparently destabilized the entire arcade, including its cool-plasma-carrying core field, to undergo a blowout eruption in the manner of many standard-sized, arcade-blowout eruptions that produce a flare and coronal mass ejection. Internal reconnection made bright 'flare' loops over the polarity inversion line inside the blowing-out arcade field, and external reconnection of the blowing-out arcade field with an ambient open field made longer and dimmer EUV loops on the outside of the blowing-out arcade. That the loops made by the external reconnection were much larger than the loops made by the internal reconnection makes this event a new variety of blowout jet, a variety not recognized in previous observations and models of blowout jets.

The effects of changing wind regimes on the development of blowouts in the coastal dunes of The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jungerius, P.D.; Witter, J.V.; van Boxel, J.H.

1991-01-01

Blowouts are the main features of aeolian activity in many dune areas. To assess the impact of future climatic change on the geomorphological processes prevailing in a dune landscape it is essential to understand blowout formation and identify the meteorological parameters which are important. The

Application on forced traction test in surgeries for orbital blowout fracture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bao-Hong Han

2014-05-01

Full Text Available AIM: To discuss the application of forced traction test in surgeries for orbital blowout fracture.METHODS: The clinical data of 28 patients with reconstructive surgeries for orbital fracture were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were treated with forced traction test before/in/after operation. The eyeball movement and diplopia were examined and recorded pre-operation, 3 and 6mo after operation, respectively.RESULTS: Diplopia was improved in all 28 cases with forced traction test. There was significant difference between preoperative and post-operative diplopia at 3 and 6mo(PCONCLUSION: Forced traction test not only have a certain clinical significance in diagnosis of orbital blowout fracture, it is also an effective method in improving diplopia before/in/after operation.

Blowout jets and impulsive eruptive flares in a bald-patch topology

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, R.; Mandrini, C. H.; Schmieder, B.; Joshi, B.; Cristiani, G. D.; Cremades, H.; Pariat, E.; Nuevo, F. A.; Srivastava, A. K.; Uddin, W.

2017-02-01

Context. A subclass of broad extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray jets, called blowout jets, have become a topic of research since they could be the link between standard collimated jets and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Aims: Our aim is to understand the origin of a series of broad jets, some of which are accompanied by flares and associated with narrow and jet-like CMEs. Methods: We analyze observations of a series of recurrent broad jets observed in AR 10484 on 21-24 October 2003. In particular, one of them occurred simultaneously with an M2.4 flare on 23 October at 02:41 UT (SOLA2003-10-23). Both events were observed by the ARIES Hα Solar Tower-Telescope, TRACE, SOHO, and RHESSI instruments. The flare was very impulsive and followed by a narrow CME. A local force-free model of AR 10484 is the basis to compute its topology. We find bald patches (BPs) at the flare site. This BP topology is present for at least two days before to events. Large-scale field lines, associated with the BPs, represent open loops. This is confirmed by a global potential free source surface (PFSS) model. Following the brightest leading edge of the Hα and EUV jet emission, we can temporarily associate these emissions with a narrow CME. Results: Considering their characteristics, the observed broad jets appear to be of the blowout class. As the most plausible scenario, we propose that magnetic reconnection could occur at the BP separatrices forced by the destabilization of a continuously reformed flux rope underlying them. The reconnection process could bring the cool flux-rope material into the reconnected open field lines driving the series of recurrent blowout jets and accompanying CMEs. Conclusions: Based on a model of the coronal field, we compute the AR 10484 topology at the location where flaring and blowout jets occurred from 21 to 24 October 2003. This topology can consistently explain the origin of these events. The movie associated to Fig. 1 is available at http://www.aanda.org

A Slow Streamer Blowout at the Sun and Ulysses

Science.gov (United States)

Seuss, S. T.; Bemporad, A.; Poletto, G.

2004-01-01

On 10 June 2000 a streamer on the southeast limb slowly disappeared from LASCO/C2 over approximately 10 hours. A small CME was reported in C2. A substantial interplanetary CME (ICME) was later detected at Ulysses, which was at quadrature with the Sun and SOHO at the time. This detection illustrates the properties of an ICME for a known solar source and demonstrates that the identification can be done even beyond 3 AU. Slow streamer blowouts such as this have long been known but are little studied. We report on the SOHO observation of a coronal mass ejection (CME) on the solar limb and the subsequent in situ detection at Ulysses, which was near quadrature at the time, above the location of the CME. SOHO-Ulysses quadrature was 13 June, when Ulysses was 3.36 AU from the Sun and 58.2 degrees south of the equator off the east limb. The slow streamer blowout was on 10 June, when the SOHO-Sun-Ulysses angle was 87 degrees.

Flamingwagon: Athey Wagon braves heat to aid oilpatch blowout response

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leschart, M.

2002-09-01

Construction of an Athey wagon by Key Safety Ltd at the company's Red Deer, Alberta facilities is announced. At present, the wagon is awaiting only the installation of its fire-prevention system to be ready for action. The last such blowout response equipment was built in Alberta 40 years ago, and when Crestar Energy lost control of a horizontal sour well during a recent drilling in the Little Bow area, a unit built in 1954 and housed in a museum at the Leduc No. 1 historic site in Devon, Alberta, had to be pressed into service to deal with the emergency. While Athey wagons are not always essential to the blow-out control process, the addition of this new piece of well control safety equipment is welcome news, especially in the light of the new knowledge gained, and innovative processes and procedures developed by Canadian companies fighting oil field fires in Kuwait after the Gulf War.

Flux rope breaking and formation of a rotating blowout jet

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, Navin Chandra; Nishizuka, Naoto; Filippov, Boris; Magara, Tetsuya; Tlatov, Andrey G.

2018-05-01

We analysed a small flux rope eruption converted into a helical blowout jet in a fan-spine configuration using multiwavelength observations taken by Solar Dynamics Observatory, which occurred near the limb on 2016 January 9. In our study, first, we estimated the fan-spine magnetic configuration with the potential-field calculation and found a sinistral small filament inside it. The filament along with the flux rope erupted upwards and interacted with the surrounding fan-spine magnetic configuration, where the flux rope breaks in the middle section. We observed compact brightening, flare ribbons, and post-flare loops underneath the erupting filament. The northern section of the flux rope reconnected with the surrounding positive polarity, while the southern section straightened. Next, we observed the untwisting motion of the southern leg, which was transformed into a rotating helical blowout jet. The sign of the helicity of the mini-filament matches the one of the rotating jets. This is consistent with recent jet models presented by Adams et al. and Sterling et al. We focused on the fine thread structure of the rotating jet and traced three blobs with the speed of 60-120 km s- 1, while the radial speed of the jet is ˜400 km s- 1. The untwisting motion of the jet accelerated plasma upwards along the collimated outer spine field lines, and it finally evolved into a narrow coronal mass ejection at the height of ˜9Rsun. On the basis of detailed analysis, we discussed clear evidence of the scenario of the breaking of the flux rope and the formation of the helical blowout jet in the fan-spine magnetic configuration.

Analysis of blowout fractures using cine mode MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawahara, Masaaki; Shiihara, Kumiko; Kimura, Hisashi; Fukai, Sakuko; Tabuchi, Akio; Kojo, Tuyoshi

1995-01-01

By observing conventional CT and MRI images, it is difficult to distinguish extension failure from adhesion, bone fracture or damage to the extraocular muscle, any one of which may be the direct cause of the eye movement disturbance accompanying blowout fracture. We therefore carried out dynamic analysis of eye movement disturbance using a cine mode MRI. We put seven fixation points in the gantry of the MRI and filmed eye movement disturbances by the gradient echo method, using a surface coil and holding the vision on each fixation point. We also video recorded the CRT monitor of the MRI to obtain dynamic MRI images. The subjects comprised 5 cases (7-23 years old). In 4 cases, we started orthoptic treatment, saccadic eye movement training, convergence training and fusional amplitude training after surgery, with only orthoptic treatment in the 5 th case. In all cases, fusion area improvement was recognized during training. In 2 cases examined by cine mode MRI before and after surgery, we observed improved eye movement after training, the effectiveness of which was thereby proven. Also, using cine mode MRI we were able to determine the character of incarcerated tissue and the cause of eye movement disturbance. We conclude that it blowout fracture, cine mode MRI may be useful in selecting treatment and observing its effectiveness. (author)

The use of time-series LIDAR to understand the role of foredune blowouts in coastal dune dynamics, Sefton, NW England.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Keeffe, Nicholas; Delgado-Fernandez, Irene; Aplin, Paul; Jackson, Derek; Marston, Christopher

2017-04-01

Coastal dunes are natural buffers against the threat of climate change-induced sea level rise. Their evolution is largely controlled by sediment exchanges between the geomorphic sub-units of the nearshore, beach, foredune and dune field. Coastlines characterised by multiple blowouts at the beach-dune interface may be more susceptible to coastline retreat through the enhanced landwards transport of beach and foredune sediment. This study, based in Sefton, north-west England, exploits an unprecedented temporal coverage of LIDAR surveys spanning 15 years (1999, 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2014). Established GIS techniques have been utilised to extract both the coastline (foredune toe) and the foredune crest from each LIDAR derived DTM (Digital Terrain Model). Migration of the foredune toe has been tracked over this period. Analysis of differentials between the height of the dune toe and dune crest have been used to locate the alongshore position of blowouts within the foredune. Dune sediment budgets have then been calculated for each DTM and analysis of the budgets conducted, with the coastline being compartmentalised alongshore, based on presence of blowouts within the foredune. Results indicate that sections of the coastline where blowouts are present within the foredune may be most vulnerable to coastline retreat. Temporal changes in the sediment budget within many of these sections also provides evidence that, if blowouts are present, coastline retreat continues to be a possibility even when the dune sediment budget remains positive.

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in a cross flow at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang

2015-07-22

The blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in cross flows were studied, especially concerning the effect of ambient pressure, by conducting experiments at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures. The combined effects of air flow and pressure were investigated by a series of experiments conducted in an especially built wind tunnel in Lhasa, a city on the Tibetan plateau where the altitude is 3650 m and the atmospheric pressure condition is naturally low (64 kPa). These results were compared with results obtained from a wind tunnel at standard atmospheric pressure (100 kPa) in Hefei city (altitude 50 m). The size of the fuel nozzles used in the experiments ranged from 3 to 8 mm in diameter and propane was used as the fuel. It was found that the blow-out limit of the air speed of the cross flow first increased (“cross flow dominant” regime) and then decreased (“fuel jet dominant” regime) as the fuel jet velocity increased in both pressures; however, the blow-out limit of the air speed of the cross flow was much lower at sub-atmospheric pressure than that at standard atmospheric pressure whereas the domain of the blow-out limit curve (in a plot of the air speed of the cross flow versus the fuel jet velocity) shrank as the pressure decreased. A theoretical model was developed to characterize the blow-out limit of nonpremixed jet flames in a cross flow based on a Damköhler number, defined as the ratio between the mixing time and the characteristic reaction time. A satisfactory correlation was obtained at relative strong cross flow conditions (“cross flow dominant” regime) that included the effects of the air speed of the cross flow, fuel jet velocity, nozzle diameter and pressure.

Oil Well Blowout 3D computational modeling: review of methodology and environmental requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Mello Paiva

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This literature review aims to present the different methodologies used in the three-dimensional modeling of the hydrocarbons dispersion originated from an oil well blowout. It presents the concepts of coastal environmental sensitivity and vulnerability, their importance for prioritizing the most vulnerable areas in case of contingency, and the relevant legislation. We also discuss some limitations about the methodology currently used in environmental studies of oil drift, which considers simplification of the spill on the surface, even in the well blowout scenario. Efforts to better understand the oil and gas behavior in the water column and three-dimensional modeling of the trajectory gained strength after the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The data collected and the observations made during the accident were widely used for adjustment of the models, incorporating various factors related to hydrodynamic forcing and weathering processes to which the hydrocarbons are subjected during subsurface leaks. The difficulties show to be even more challenging in the case of blowouts in deep waters, where the uncertainties are still larger. The studies addressed different variables to make adjustments of oil and gas dispersion models along the upward trajectory. Factors that exert strong influences include: speed of the subsurface currents;  gas separation from the main plume; hydrate formation, dissolution of oil and gas droplets; variations in droplet diameter; intrusion of the droplets at intermediate depths; biodegradation; and appropriate parametrization of the density, salinity and temperature profiles of water through the column.

Tracking the Hercules 265 marine gas well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Romero, Isabel C.; Özgökmen, Tamay; Snyder, Susan; Schwing, Patrick; O'Malley, Bryan J.; Beron-Vera, Francisco J.; Olascoaga, Maria J.; Zhu, Ping; Ryan, Edward; Chen, Shuyi S.; Wetzel, Dana L.; Hollander, David; Murawski, Steven A.

2016-01-01

On 23 July 2013, a marine gas rig (Hercules 265) ignited in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The rig burned out of control for 2 days before being extinguished. We conducted a rapid-response sampling campaign near Hercules 265 after the fire to ascertain if sediments and fishes were polluted above earlier baseline levels. A surface drifter study confirmed that surface ocean water flowed to the southeast of the Hercules site, while the atmospheric plume generated by the blowout was in eastward direction. Sediment cores were collected to the SE of the rig at a distance of ˜0.2, 8, and 18 km using a multicorer, and demersal fishes were collected from ˜0.2 to 8 km SE of the rig using a longline (508 hooks). Recently deposited sediments document that only high molecular weight (HMW) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations decreased with increasing distance from the rig suggesting higher pyrogenic inputs associated with the blowout. A similar trend was observed in the foraminifera Haynesina germanica, an indicator species of pollution. In red snapper bile, only HMW PAH metabolites increased in 2013 nearly double those from 2012. Both surface sediments and fish bile analyses suggest that, in the aftermath of the blowout, increased concentration of pyrogenically derived hydrocarbons was transported and deposited in the environment. This study further emphasizes the need for an ocean observing system and coordinated rapid-response efforts from an array of scientific disciplines to effectively assess environmental impacts resulting from accidental releases of oil contaminants.

Self expandable polytetrafluoroethylene stent for carotid blowout syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatar, E C; Yildirim, U M; Dündar, Y; Ozdek, A; Işik, E; Korkmaz, H

2012-01-01

Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is an emergency complication in patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancers. The classical management of CBS is the ligation of the common carotid artery, because suturing is not be possible due to infection and necrosis of the field. In this case report, we present a patient with CBS, in whom we applied a self-expandable polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) stent and observed no morbidity. Endovascular stent is a life-saving technique with minimum morbidity that preserves blood flow to the brain. We believe that this method is preferable to ligation of the artery in CBS.

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) for an Underground Blowout Scenario in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) Well

Science.gov (United States)

Tyagi, M.; Zulqarnain, M.

2017-12-01

Offshore oil and gas exploration and production operations, involve the use of some of the cutting edge and challenging technologies of the modern time. These technological complex operations involves the risk of major accidents as well, which have been demonstrated by disasters such as the explosion and fire on the UK production platform piper alpha, the Canadian semi-submersible drilling rig Ocean Ranger and the explosion and capsizing of Deepwater horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. By conducting Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA), safety of various operations as well as their associated risks and significance during the entire life phase of an offshore project can be quantitatively estimated. In an underground blowout, the uncontrolled formation fluids from higher pressure formation may charge up shallower overlying low pressure formations or may migrate to sea floor. Consequences of such underground blowouts range from no visible damage at the surface to the complete loss of well, loss of drilling rig, seafloor subsidence or hydrocarbons discharged to the environment. These blowouts might go unnoticed until the over pressured sands, which are the result of charging from higher pressure reservoir due to an underground blowout. Further, engineering formulas used to estimate the fault permeability and thickness are very simple in nature and may add to uncertainty in the estimated parameters. In this study the potential of a deepwater underground blowout are assessed during drilling life phase of a well in Popeye-Genesis field reservoir in the Gulf of Mexico to estimate the time taken to charge a shallower zone to its leak-off test (LOT) value. Parametric simulation results for selected field case show that for relatively high permeability (k = 40mD) fault connecting a deep over-pressured zone to a shallower low-pressure zone of similar reservoir volumes, the time to recharge the shallower zone up to its threshold LOT value is about 135 years. If the ratio of the

Findings of a retrospective survey conducted after the Lodgepole sour gas well blowout to determine if the natural occurrence of bovine abortions and fetal anomalies increased

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klavano, G.G.; Christian, R.G.

1992-01-01

A survey was conducted after the Lodgepole sour gas well blowout of October 1982 to determine if the incident changed the number and type of bovine abortions and abnormal bovine feti submitted to the diagnostic laboratory from the blowout area. The records of the total number of bovine feti submitted were compared between three areas to determine if there was a significant difference between the areas closer to the well site and the larger total area. No changes or trends could be ascribed to the well blowout. 2 refs., 5 tabs

Clinical features and MRI findings of blow-out fracture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamanouchi, Yasuo; Yasuda, Takasumi; Kawamoto, Keiji [Kansai Medical Univ., Moriguchi, Osaka (Japan); Inagaki, Takayuki; Someda, Kuniyuki

1996-06-01

Precise anatomical understanding of orbital blow-out fracture lesions is necessary for the treatment of patients. Retrospectively, MRI findings were compared with the clinical features of pure type blow-out fractures and the efficacy of MRI in influencing a decision for surgical intervention was evaluated. Eighteen child (15 boys, 3 girls) cases were evaluated and compared with adult cases. The patients were classified into three categories (Fig.1) and two types (Fig.2) in accordance with the degree of protrusion of fat tissue. The degree of muscle protrusion also was divided into three categories (Fig. 3). Both muscle and fat tissue were protruding from the fracture site in 14 cases. Fat tissue protrusion alone was found in 3 cases. In contrast, no protrusion was seen in one case. The incarcerated type of fat prolapse was found in 40% of cases, while muscle tissue prolapse was found in 75% of patients. Marginal irregularity or swelling of muscle was observed in 11 patients. There was good correlation of ocular motor disturbance and MRI findings. Disturbance of eyeball movement was observed in all patients with either incarcerated fat tissue or marginal irregularity or swelling of muscle. In contrast, restriction of eyeball movement was rare in cases of no incarceration, even if the fracture was wide. Deformity or marginal irregularity of the ocular muscle demonstrated in MRI may suggest damage an adhesion to the muscle wall. When MRI reveals incarceration or severe prolapse of fat tissue, or deformity and marginal irregularity of the ocular muscle, surgical intervention should be considered. (author)

Clinical features and MRI findings of blow-out fracture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamanouchi, Yasuo; Yasuda, Takasumi; Kawamoto, Keiji; Inagaki, Takayuki; Someda, Kuniyuki.

1996-01-01

Precise anatomical understanding of orbital blow-out fracture lesions is necessary for the treatment of patients. Retrospectively, MRI findings were compared with the clinical features of pure type blow-out fractures and the efficacy of MRI in influencing a decision for surgical intervention was evaluated. Eighteen child (15 boys, 3 girls) cases were evaluated and compared with adult cases. The patients were classified into three categories (Fig.1) and two types (Fig.2) in accordance with the degree of protrusion of fat tissue. The degree of muscle protrusion also was divided into three categories (Fig. 3). Both muscle and fat tissue were protruding from the fracture site in 14 cases. Fat tissue protrusion alone was found in 3 cases. In contrast, no protrusion was seen in one case. The incarcerated type of fat prolapse was found in 40% of cases, while muscle tissue prolapse was found in 75% of patients. Marginal irregularity or swelling of muscle was observed in 11 patients. There was good correlation of ocular motor disturbance and MRI findings. Disturbance of eyeball movement was observed in all patients with either incarcerated fat tissue or marginal irregularity or swelling of muscle. In contrast, restriction of eyeball movement was rare in cases of no incarceration, even if the fracture was wide. Deformity or marginal irregularity of the ocular muscle demonstrated in MRI may suggest damage an adhesion to the muscle wall. When MRI reveals incarceration or severe prolapse of fat tissue, or deformity and marginal irregularity of the ocular muscle, surgical intervention should be considered. (author)

Blowout Surge due to Interaction between a Solar Filament and Coronal Loops

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Haidong; Jiang, Yunchun; Yang, Jiayan; Yang, Bo; Xu, Zhe; Bi, Yi; Hong, Junchao; Chen, Hechao [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 396 Yangfangwang, Guandu District, Kunming, 650216 (China); Qu, Zhining, E-mail: lhd@ynao.ac.cn [Department of Physics, School of Science, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China)

2017-06-20

We present an observation of the interaction between a filament and the outer spine-like loops that produces a blowout surge within one footpoint of large-scale coronal loops on 2015 February 6. Based the observation of the AIA 304 and 94 Å, the activated filament is initially embedded below a dome of a fan-spine configuration. Due to the ascending motion, the erupting filament reconnects with the outer spine-like field. We note that the material in the filament blows out along the outer spine-like field to form the surge with a wider spire, and a two-ribbon flare appears at the site of the filament eruption. In this process, small bright blobs appear at the interaction region and stream up along the outer spine-like field and down along the eastern fan-like field. As a result, a leg of the filament becomes radial and the material in it erupts, while another leg forms the new closed loops. Our results confirm that the successive reconnection occurring between the erupting filament and the coronal loops may lead to a strong thermal/magnetic pressure imbalance, resulting in a blowout surge.

Field investigation finding of long term effects in Alberta livestock exposed to acid forming emissions: Survey following the Lodgepole blowout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, B.

1992-01-01

The effects of the Amoco Dome Brazeau River (Lodgepole) sour gas well blowout of October 1982 on livestock are reviewed. For 26 days the well was not on fire, with condensate falling on the area immediately surrounding the well site, while during the 41 days the well was burning, sour gas and condensate underwent combustion in the intense fire. Many local residents noted problems with their farm animals during the blowout period. A study was undertaken to evaluate opinions and attitudes of livestock producers about the long-term effects of the Lodgepole blowout. Contact was made with producers in the area of concern, and a worksheet was developed to aid in the collection of data. Information gathered was based on producer records, auction sale tickets, sales receipts and memory. Twenty livestock producers were interviewed, representing 1,700 head of beef cows, 40 dairy cows and 21 sows. Concerns expressed by producers included birth weight, birth defects or stillbirth, scours and problem calves, poor growth, open or dry cows, abortions, late calves, poor growth in replacement heifers, abnormal hair, and abnormal breeding. 1 tab

Well blowout rates and consequences in California Oil and Gas District 4 from 1991 to 2005: Implications for geological storage of carbon dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jordan, Preston; Jordan, Preston D.; Benson, Sally M.

2008-05-15

Well blowout rates in oil fields undergoing thermally enhanced recovery (via steam injection) in California Oil and Gas District 4 from 1991 to 2005 were on the order of 1 per 1,000 well construction operations, 1 per 10,000 active wells per year, and 1 per 100,000 shut-in/idle and plugged/abandoned wells per year. This allows some initial inferences about leakage of CO2 via wells, which is considered perhaps the greatest leakage risk for geological storage of CO2. During the study period, 9% of the oil produced in the United States was from District 4, and 59% of this production was via thermally enhanced recovery. There was only one possible blowout from an unknown or poorly located well, despite over a century of well drilling and production activities in the district. The blowout rate declined dramatically during the study period, most likely as a result of increasing experience, improved technology, and/or changes in safety culture. If so, this decline indicates the blowout rate in CO2-storage fields can be significantly minimized both initially and with increasing experience over time. Comparable studies should be conducted in other areas. These studies would be particularly valuable in regions with CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and natural gas storage.

Fatal carotid blowout syndrome after BNCT for head and neck cancers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aihara, T.; Hiratsuka, J.; Ishikawa, H.; Kumada, H.; Ohnishi, K.; Kamitani, N.; Suzuki, M.; Sakurai, H.; Harada, T.

2015-01-01

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation and tumor-selective radiation that does not cause serious damage to the surrounding normal tissues. BNCT might be effective and safe in patients with inoperable, locally advanced head and neck cancers, even those that recur at previously irradiated sites. However, carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is a lethal complication resulting from malignant invasion of the carotid artery (CA); thus, the risk of CBS should be carefully assessed in patients with risk factors for CBS after BNCT. Thirty-three patients in our institution who underwent BNCT were analyzed. Two patients developed CBS and experienced widespread skin invasion and recurrence close to the carotid artery after irradiation. Careful attention should be paid to the occurrence of CBS if the tumor is located adjacent to the carotid artery. The presence of skin invasion from recurrent lesions after irradiation is an ominous sign of CBS onset and lethal consequences. - Highlights: • This study is fatal carotid blowout syndrome after BNCT for head and neck cancers. • Thirty-three patients in our institution who underwent BNCT were analyzed. • Two patients (2/33) developed CBS. • The presence of skin invasion from recurrent lesions after irradiation is an ominous sign of CBS. • We must be aware of these signs to perform BNCT safely.

Was the extreme and wide-spread marine oil-snow sedimentation and flocculent accumulation (MOSSFA) event during the Deepwater Horizon blow-out unique?

Science.gov (United States)

Vonk, Sophie M; Hollander, David J; Murk, AlberTinka J

2015-11-15

During the Deepwater Horizon blowout, thick layers of oiled material were deposited on the deep seafloor. This large scale benthic concentration of oil is suggested to have occurred via the process of Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (MOSSFA). This meta-analysis investigates whether MOSSFA occurred in other large oil spills and identifies the main drivers of oil sedimentation. MOSSFA was found to have occurred during the IXTOC I blowout and possibly during the Santa Barbara blowout. Unfortunately, benthic effects were not sufficiently studied for the 52 spills we reviewed. However, based on the current understanding of drivers involved, we conclude that MOSSFA and related benthic contamination may be widespread. We suggest to collect and analyze sediment cores at specific spill locations, as improved understanding of the MOSSFA process will allow better informed spill responses in the future, taking into account possible massive oil sedimentation and smothering of (deep) benthic ecosystems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling the key factors that could influence the diffusion of CO2 from a wellbore blowout in the Ordos Basin, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qi; Shi, Hui; Yang, Duoxing; Wei, Xiaochen

2017-02-01

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) blowout from a wellbore is regarded as a potential environment risk of a CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) project. In this paper, an assumed blowout of a wellbore was examined for China's Shenhua CCS demonstration project. The significant factors that influenced the diffusion of CO 2 were identified by using a response surface method with the Box-Behnken experiment design. The numerical simulations showed that the mass emission rate of CO 2 from the source and the ambient wind speed have significant influence on the area of interest (the area of high CO 2 concentration above 30,000 ppm). There is a strong positive correlation between the mass emission rate and the area of interest, but there is a strong negative correlation between the ambient wind speed and the area of interest. Several other variables have very little influence on the area of interest, e.g., the temperature of CO 2 , ambient temperature, relative humidity, and stability class values. Due to the weather conditions at the Shenhua CCS demonstration site at the time of the modeled CO 2 blowout, the largest diffusion distance of CO 2 in the downwind direction did not exceed 200 m along the centerline. When the ambient wind speed is in the range of 0.1-2.0 m/s and the mass emission rate is in the range of 60-120 kg/s, the range of the diffusion of CO 2 is at the most dangerous level (i.e., almost all Grade Four marks in the risk matrix). Therefore, if the injection of CO 2 takes place in a region that has relatively low perennial wind speed, special attention should be paid to the formulation of pre-planned, emergency measures in case there is a leakage accident. The proposed risk matrix that classifies and grades blowout risks can be used as a reference for the development of appropriate regulations. This work may offer some indicators in developing risk profiles and emergency responses for CO 2 blowouts.

DeepBlow - a Lagrangian plume model for deep water blowouts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johansen, Oeistein

2000-01-01

This paper presents a sub-sea blowout model designed with special emphasis on deep-water conditions. The model is an integral plume model based on a Lagrangian concept. This concept is applied to multiphase discharges in the formation of water, oil and gas in a stratified water column with variable currents. The gas may be converted to hydrate in combination with seawater, dissolved into the plume water, or leaking out of the plume due to the slip between rising gas bubbles and the plume trajectory. Non-ideal behaviour of the gas is accounted for by the introduction of pressure- and temperature-dependent compressibility z-factor in the equation of state. A number of case studies are presented in the paper. One of the cases (blowout from 100 m depth) is compared with observations from a field experiment conducted in Norwegian waters in June 1996. The model results are found to compare favourably with the field observations when dissolution of gas into seawater is accounted in the model. For discharges at intermediate to shallow depths (100-250 m), the two major processes limiting plume rise will be: (a) dissolution of gas into ambient water, or (b) bubbles rising out of the inclined plume. These processes tend to be self-enforcing, i.e., when a gas is lost by either of these processes, plume rise tends to slow down and more time will be available for dissolution. For discharges in deep waters (700-1500 m depth), hydrate formation is found to be a dominating process in limiting plume rise. (Author)

MINIFILAMENT ERUPTION AS THE SOURCE OF A BLOWOUT JET, C-CLASS FLARE, AND TYPE-III RADIO BURST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Junchao; Jiang, Yunchun; Yang, Jiayan; Li, Haidong; Xu, Zhe, E-mail: hjcsolar@ynao.ac.cn [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 396 Yangfangwang, Guandu District, Kunming, 650216 (China); Center for Astronomical Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100012 (China)

2017-01-20

We report a strong minifilament eruption associated with Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite C1.6 flare and WIND type-III radio burst. The minifilament, which lies at the periphery of active region 12259, is detected by H α images from the New Vacuum Solar Telescope. The minifilament undergoes a partial and then a full eruption. Simultaneously, two co-spatial jets are successively observed in extreme ultraviolet images from the Solar Dynamic Observatory . The first jet exhibits a typical fan-spine geometry, suggesting that the co-spatial minifilament is possibly embedded in magnetic fields with a fan-spine structure. However, the second jet displays blowout morphology when the entire minifilament erupts upward, leaving behind a hard X-ray emission source in the base. Differential emission measure analyses show that the eruptive region is heated up to about 4 MK during the fan-spine jet, while up to about 7 MK during the blowout jet. In particular, the blowout jet is accompanied by an interplanetary type-III radio burst observed by WIND /WAVES in the frequency range from above 10 to 0.1 MHz. Hence, the minifilament eruption is correlated with the interplanetary type-III radio burst for the first time. These results not only suggest that coronal jets can result from magnetic reconnection initiated by erupting minifilaments with open fields, but also shed light on the potential influence of minifilament eruption on interplanetary space.

Oil Well Blowout 3D computational modeling: review of methodology and environmental requirements

OpenAIRE

Pedro Mello Paiva; Alexandre Nunes Barreto; Jader Lugon Junior; Leticia Ferraço de Campos

2016-01-01

This literature review aims to present the different methodologies used in the three-dimensional modeling of the hydrocarbons dispersion originated from an oil well blowout. It presents the concepts of coastal environmental sensitivity and vulnerability, their importance for prioritizing the most vulnerable areas in case of contingency, and the relevant legislation. We also discuss some limitations about the methodology currently used in environmental studies of oil drift, which considers sim...

Behavior and dynamics of bubble breakup in gas pipeline leaks and accidental subsea oil well blowouts.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Binbin; Socolofsky, Scott A; Lai, Chris C K; Adams, E Eric; Boufadel, Michel C

2018-06-01

Subsea oil well blowouts and pipeline leaks release oil and gas to the environment through vigorous jets. Predicting the breakup of the released fluids in oil droplets and gas bubbles is critical to predict the fate of petroleum compounds in the marine water column. To predict the gas bubble size in oil well blowouts and pipeline leaks, we observed and quantified the flow behavior and breakup process of gas for a wide range of orifice diameters and flow rates. Flow behavior at the orifice transitions from pulsing flow to continuous discharge as the jet crosses the sonic point. Breakup dynamics transition from laminar to turbulent at a critical value of the Weber number. Very strong pure gas jets and most gas/liquid co-flowing jets exhibit atomization breakup. Bubble sizes in the atomization regime scale with the jet-to-plume transition length scale and follow -3/5 power-law scaling for a mixture Weber number. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in a cross flow at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang; Hu, Longhua; Yoon, Sung Hwan; Lu, Shouxiang; Delichatsios, Michael; Chung, Suk-Ho

2015-01-01

The blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in cross flows were studied, especially concerning the effect of ambient pressure, by conducting experiments at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures. The combined effects of air flow

Kinetic magnetic resonance imaging of orbital blowout fracture with restricted ocular movement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Totsuka, Nobuyoshi; Koide, Ryouhei; Inatomi, Makoto; Fukado, Yoshinao; Hisamatsu, Katsuji.

1992-01-01

We analyzed the mechanism of gaze limitation in blowout fracture in 19 patients by means of kinetic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We could identify herniation of fat tissue and rectus muscles with connective tissue septa in 11 eyes. Depressed rectus muscles were surrounded by fat tissue. In no instance was the rectus muscle actually incarcerated. Entrapped connective tissue septa seemed to prevent movement of affected rectus muscle. We occasionally observed incarcerated connective tissue septa to restrict motility of the optic nerve. (author)

Guidelines for estimating blowout rates and duration for environmental risk analysis purposes; Retningslinjer for beregning av utblaasningsrater og -varighet til bruk ved analyse av miljoerisiko

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nilsen, Thomas

2007-01-15

Risk assessment in relation to possible blowouts of oil and condensate is the main topic in this analysis. The estimated risk is evaluated against criteria for acceptable risk and is part of the foundation for dimensioning in oil spill preparedness. The report aims to contribute to the standardisation of the terminology, methodology and documentation for estimations of blowout rates, and thus to simplify communication of the analysis results and strengthen the decision makers' trust in these (ml)

The Measurement of the Sensory Recovery Period in Zygoma and Blow-Out Fractures with Neurometer Current Perception Threshold.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Daemyung; Yun, Taebin; Kim, Junhyung; Choi, Jaehoon; Jeong, Woonhyeok; Chu, Hojun; Lee, Soyoung

2016-09-01

Facial hypoesthesia is one of the most troublesome complaints in the management of facial bone fractures. However, there is a lack of literature on facial sensory recovery after facial trauma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the facial sensory recovery period for facial bone fractures using Neurometer. Sixty-three patients who underwent open reduction of zygomatic and blowout fractures between December 2013 and July 2015 were included in the study. The facial sensory status of the patients was repeatedly examined preoperatively and postoperatively by Neurometer current perception threshold (CPT) until the results were normalized. Among the 63 subjects, 30 patients had normal Neurometer results preoperatively and postoperatively. According to fracture types, 17 patients with blowout fracture had a median recovery period of 0.25 months. Twelve patients with zygomatic fracture had a median recovery period of 1.00 month. Four patients with both fracture types had a median recovery period of 0.625 months. The median recovery period of all 33 patients was 0.25 months. There was no statistically significant difference in the sensory recovery period between types and subgroups of zygomatic and blowout fractures. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in the sensory recovery period according to Neurometer results and the patients' own subjective reports. Neurometer CPT is effective for evaluating and comparing preoperative and postoperative facial sensory status and evaluating the sensory recovery period in facial bone fracture patients.

A novel integrated approach for path following and directional stability control of road vehicles after a tire blow-out

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fei; Chen, Hong; Guo, Konghui; Cao, Dongpu

2017-09-01

The path following and directional stability are two crucial problems when a road vehicle experiences a tire blow-out or sudden tire failure. Considering the requirement of rapid road vehicle motion control during a tire blow-out, this article proposes a novel linearized decoupling control procedure with three design steps for a class of second order multi-input-multi-output non-affine system. The evaluating indicators for controller performance are presented and a performance related control parameter distribution map is obtained based on the stochastic algorithm which is an innovation for non-blind parameter adjustment in engineering implementation. The analysis on the robustness of the proposed integrated controller is also performed. The simulation studies for a range of driving conditions are conducted, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.

Breaking primary seed dormancy in Gibbens' beardtongue (Penstemon gibbensii) and blowout penstemon (Penstemon haydenii)

Science.gov (United States)

Kassie L. Tilini; Susan E. Meyer; Phil S. Allen

2016-01-01

This study established that chilling removes primary seed dormancy in 2 rare penstemons of the western US, Gibbens’ beardtongue (Penstemon gibbensii Dorn [Scrophulariaceae]) and blowout penstemon (Penstemon haydenii S. Watson). Wild-harvested seeds were subjected either to moist chilling at 2 to 4 °C (36-39 °F) for 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 wk or to approximately 2 y of dry...

Longitudinal phase space characterization of the blow-out regime of rf photoinjector operation

OpenAIRE

J. T. Moody; P. Musumeci; M. S. Gutierrez; J. B. Rosenzweig; C. M. Scoby

2009-01-01

Using an experimental scheme based on a vertically deflecting rf deflector and a horizontally dispersing dipole, we characterize the longitudinal phase space of the beam in the blow-out regime at the UCLA Pegasus rf photoinjector. Because of the achievement of unprecedented resolution both in time (50 fs) and energy (1.0 keV), we are able to demonstrate some important properties of the beams created in this regime such as extremely low longitudinal emittance, large temporal energy chirp, and ...

A blowout numerical model for the supernova remnant G352.7-0.1

OpenAIRE

Toledo Roy, J. C.; Velazquez, P. F.; Esquivel, A.; Giacani, Elsa Beatriz

2017-01-01

We present 3D hydrodynamical simulations of the Galactic supernova remnant G352.7−0.1. This remnant is peculiar for having a shell-like inner ring structure and an outer arc in radio observations. In our model, the supernova explosion producing the remnant occurs inside and near the border of a spherical cloud with a density higher than that of the surrounding interstellar medium. A blowout is produced when the remnant reaches the border of the cloud. We have then used the results of our hydr...

Orbital Blowout Fracture with Complete Dislocation of the Globe into the Maxillary Sinus.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Joy Mh; Fries, Fabian N; Hendrix, Philipp; Brinker, Titus; Loukas, Marios; Tubbs, R Shane

2017-09-29

This rare case report describes the diagnosis and treatment of an isolated left-sided orbital floor fracture with a complete dislocation of the globe into the maxillary sinus and briefly discusses the indications of surgery and recovery for orbital floor fractures in general. Complete herniation of the globe through an orbital blow-out fracture is uncommon. However, the current case illustrates that such an occurrence should be in the differential diagnosis and should be considered, especially following high speed/impact injuries involving a foreign object. In these rare cases, surgical intervention is required.

An Innovative Oil Pollution Containment Method for Ship Wrecks Proposed for Offshore Well Blow-outs

OpenAIRE

ANDRITSOS Fivos; COJINS Hans

2011-01-01

In the aftermath of the PRESTIGE disaster, an innovative system for the prompt intervention on oil pollution sources (primarily ship wrecks) at great depths was conceived at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission. This system, with some re-engineering, could also serve for collecting oil and gas leaking after an offshore well blow-out and could constitute a reference method for prompt intervention on deep water oil pollution sources like ship wrecks and blown-out offshore wells....

Was the extreme and widespread marine oil-snow sedimentation and flocculent accumulation (MOSSFA) event during the Deepwater Horizon blow-out unique?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vonk, S.M.; Hollander, D.J.; Murk, A.J.

2015-01-01

During the Deepwater Horizon blowout, thick layers of oiled material were deposited on the deep seafloor. This large scale benthic concentration of oil is suggested to have occurred via the process of Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (MOSSFA). This meta-analysis investigates

Distal Marginal Stenosis: A Contributing Factor in Delayed Carotid Occlusion of a Patient With Carotid Blowout Syndrome Treated With Stent Grafts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng-Chi Chang

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Distal marginal stenosis is rarely reported to be a factor associated with poor long-term patency of patients of head and neck cancers with carotid blowout syndrome treated with stent grafts. We report a case of laryngeal cancer with rupture of the right common carotid artery. A self-expandable stent graft was deployed, but bleeding recurred. Another stent graft was deployed for the pseudoaneurysm located distal to the first stent graft. Rebleeding occurred because of pseudoaneurysm formation from reconstituted branches of the right superior thyroid artery. We performed direct percutaneous puncture of the proximal superior thyroid artery for successful embolization. Distal marginal stenosis and asymptomatic thrombosis of the carotid artery were noted at 3.5- and 5-month follow-ups, respectively. We suggest aggressive early follow-up and reintervention for distal marginal stenosis by combined antibiotic therapy and angioplasty and stenting to improve the long-term patency of stent-graft deployment for management of carotid blowout syndrome.

Short-range wakefields generated in the blowout regime of plasma-wakefield acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Stupakov, G.

2018-04-01

In the past, calculation of wakefields generated by an electron bunch propagating in a plasma has been carried out in linear approximation, where the plasma perturbation can be assumed small and plasma equations of motion linearized. This approximation breaks down in the blowout regime where a high-density electron driver expels plasma electrons from its path and creates a cavity void of electrons in its wake. In this paper, we develop a technique that allows us to calculate short-range longitudinal and transverse wakes generated by a witness bunch being accelerated inside the cavity. Our results can be used for studies of the beam loading and the hosing instability of the witness bunch in plasma-wakefield and laser-wakefield acceleration.

Longitudinal phase space characterization of the blow-out regime of rf photoinjector operation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. T. Moody

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Using an experimental scheme based on a vertically deflecting rf deflector and a horizontally dispersing dipole, we characterize the longitudinal phase space of the beam in the blow-out regime at the UCLA Pegasus rf photoinjector. Because of the achievement of unprecedented resolution both in time (50 fs and energy (1.0 keV, we are able to demonstrate some important properties of the beams created in this regime such as extremely low longitudinal emittance, large temporal energy chirp, and the degrading effects of the cathode image charge in the longitudinal phase space which eventually leads to poorer beam quality. All of these results have been found in good agreement with simulations.

Combustor exhaust-emissions and blowout-limits with diesel number 2 and Jet A fuels utilizing air-atomizing and pressure-atomizing nozzles

Science.gov (United States)

Ingebo, R. D.; Norgren, C. T.

1975-01-01

The effect of fuel properties on exhaust emissions and blowout limits of a high-pressure combustor segment is evaluated using a splash-groove air-atomizing fuel injector and a pressure-atomizing simplex fuel nozzle to burn both diesel number 2 and Jet A fuels. Exhaust emissions and blowout data are obtained and compared on the basis of the aromatic content and volatility of the two fuels. Exhaust smoke number and emission indices for oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and unburned hydrocarbons are determined for comparison. As compared to the pressure-atomizing nozzle, the air-atomizing nozzle is found to reduce nitrogen oxides by 20%, smoke number by 30%, carbon monoxide by 70%, and unburned hydrocarbons by 50% when used with diesel number 2 fuel. The higher concentration of aromatics and lower volatility of diesel number 2 fuel as compared to Jet A fuel appears to have the most detrimental effect on exhaust emissions. Smoke number and unburned hydrocarbons are twice as high with diesel number 2 as with Jet A fuel.

Seed bank dynamics of blowout penstemon in relation to local patterns of sand movement on the Ferris Dunes, south-central Wyoming

Science.gov (United States)

Kassie L. Tilini; Susan E. Meyer; Phil S. Allen

2017-01-01

Plants restricted to active sand dunes possess traits that enable both survival in a harsh environment and local migration in response to a shifting habitat mosaic. We examined seed bank dynamics of Penstemon haydenii S. Watson (blowout penstemon) in relation to local sand movement. We measured within-year sand movement along a 400 m transect and examined plant density...

Diagnosis of blow-out fracture of the orbital floor using a computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, Yoshimi; Aoki, Shinjiroh; Ono, Shigeru; Fujita, Kiyohide

1986-01-01

Diagnosis of a blow-out fracture of the orbital floor is relatively easy from clinical and roentogen findings but information from these findings are not adequate for the decision for surgical indication. Until recently, computed tomography for the orbital region was generally performed only in axial plane. But the axial plane is parallel to the orbital structure, therefore it is difficult to visualize the orbital floor and inferior rectus muscle. On the other hand, coronal plane is cross-section to the orbital structure, and we can visualize the all orbital soft tissues including extraocular muscles. We examined 3 cases diagnosed as a blow-out fracture of the orbital floor by conventional roentogen films and clinical findings. After axial CT was performed firstly, the coronal CT was scanned with 60 degrees to 70 degrees from OM line, setting the patient in the hanging head position. Case 1 used coronal reformation of the axial CT data. Case 2 and case 3 used direct coronal scanning. By bi-plane CT we could diagnose whether inferior rectus muscle was entrapped or not, and confirm surgical indication. Using of a cadaver, we studied the mechanism for limitation of eye movement. These studies revealed that it is rare that the inferior rectus muscle is entrapped directly by fractured segments at the orbital anterior floor. Because there is a lot of orbital fat-pad between the inferior rectus muscle and the orbital floor, and it may play an important role. The limited mobility of the inferior rectus muscle may occur as a result of increased tension of the fibrous bands that attach to the muscle sheath from the prolapsed fat-pad, and contructure by scar formed secondarily. Diagnosis of the location of a fracture in the orbital floor and cause of the limitation of eye movement must be done as early as possible and from this information we can confirm surgical indication. (J.P.N.)

A Cross-Wavelet Transform Aided Rule Based Approach for Early Prediction of Lean Blow-out in Swirl-Stabilized Dump Combustor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debangshu Dey

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Lean or ultralean combustion is one of the popular strategies to achieve very low emission levels. However, it is extremely susceptible to lean blow-out (LBO. The present work explores a Cross-wavelet transform (XWT aided rule based scheme for early prediction of lean blowout. XWT can be considered as an advancement of wavelet analysis which gives correlation between two waveforms in time-frequency space. In the present scheme a swirl-stabilized dump combustor is used as a laboratory-scale model of a generic gas turbine combustor with LPG as fuel. Various time series data of CH chemiluminescence signal are recorded for different flame conditions by varying equivalence ratio, flow rate and level of air-fuel premixing. Some features are extracted from the cross-wavelet spectrum of the recorded waveforms and a reference wave. The extracted features are observed to classify the flame condition into three major classes: near LBO, moderate and healthy. Moreover, a Rough Set based technique is also applied on the extracted features to generate a rule base so that it can be fed to a real time controller or expert system to take necessary control action to prevent LBO. Results show that the proposed methodology performs with an acceptable degree of accuracy.

[Medpor plus titanic mesh implant in the repair of orbital blowout fractures].

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Xiao-hui; Zhang, Jia-yu; Cai, Jian-qiu; Shi, Ming-guang

2011-05-10

To study the efficacy of porous polyethylene (Medpor) plus titanic mesh sheets in the repair of orbital blowout fractures. A total of 20 patients underwent open surgical reduction with the combined usage of Medpor and titanic mesh. And they were followed up for average period of 14.5 months (range: 9 - 18). There is no infection or extrusion of medpor and titanic mesh in follow-up periods. There was no instance of decreased visual acuity at post-operation. And all cases of enophthalmos were corrected. The post-operative protrusion degree of both eyes was almost identical at less than 2 mm. The movement of eye balls was satisfactory in all directions. Diplopia disappeared in 18 cases with a cure rate of 90%, 1 case improved and 1 case persisted. Medpor plus titanic mesh implant is a safe and effective treatment in the repair of orbital blow out fractures.

Ion response to relativistic electron bunches in the blowout regime of laser-plasma accelerators.

Science.gov (United States)

Popov, K I; Rozmus, W; Bychenkov, V Yu; Naseri, N; Capjack, C E; Brantov, A V

2010-11-05

The ion response to relativistic electron bunches in the so called bubble or blowout regime of a laser-plasma accelerator is discussed. In response to the strong fields of the accelerated electrons the ions form a central filament along the laser axis that can be compressed to densities 2 orders of magnitude higher than the initial particle density. A theory of the filament formation and a model of ion self-compression are proposed. It is also shown that in the case of a sharp rear plasma-vacuum interface the ions can be accelerated by a combination of three basic mechanisms. The long time ion evolution that results from the strong electrostatic fields of an electron bunch provides a unique diagnostic of laser-plasma accelerators.

FIBRILLAR CHROMOSPHERIC SPICULE-LIKE COUNTERPARTS TO AN EXTREME-ULTRAVIOLET AND SOFT X-RAY BLOWOUT CORONAL JET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Harra, Louise K.

2010-01-01

We observe an erupting jet feature in a solar polar coronal hole, using data from Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS), and X-Ray Telescope (XRT), with supplemental data from STEREO/EUVI. From extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) images we identify the erupting feature as a blowout coronal jet: in SXRs it is a jet with a bright base, and in EUV it appears as an eruption of relatively cool (∼50,000 K) material of horizontal size scale ∼30'' originating from the base of the SXR jet. In SOT Ca II H images, the most pronounced analog is a pair of thin (∼1'') ejections at the locations of either of the two legs of the erupting EUV jet. These Ca II features eventually rise beyond 45'', leaving the SOT field of view, and have an appearance similar to standard spicules except that they are much taller. They have velocities similar to that of 'type II' spicules, ∼100 km s -1 , and they appear to have spicule-like substructures splitting off from them with horizontal velocity ∼50 km s -1 , similar to the velocities of splitting spicules measured by Sterling et al. Motions of splitting features and of other substructures suggest that the macroscopic EUV jet is spinning or unwinding as it is ejected. This and earlier work suggest that a subpopulation of Ca II type II spicules are the Ca II manifestation of portions of larger scale erupting magnetic jets. A different subpopulation of type II spicules could be blowout jets occurring on a much smaller horizontal size scale than the event we observe here.

Control of an innovative super-capacitor-powered shape-memory-alloy actuated accumulator for blowout preventer

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jian; Li, Peng; Song, Gangbing; Ren, Zhang

2017-01-01

The design of a super-capacitor-powered shape-memory-alloy (SMA) actuated accumulator for blowout preventer (BOP) presented in this paper featured several advantages over conventional hydraulic accumulators including instant large current drive, quick system response and elimination of need for the pressure conduits. However, the mechanical design introduced two challenges, the nonlinear nature of SMA actuators and the varying voltage provided by a super capacitor, for control system design. A cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC) feedforward plus PID controller was developed with the aim of compensation for these adverse effects. Experiments were conducted on a scaled down model and experimental results show that precision control can be achieved with the proposed configurations and algorithms.

Flame blowout and pollutant emissions in vitiated combustion of conventional and bio-derived fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Bhupinder

The widening gap between the demand and supply of fossil fuels has catalyzed the exploration of alternative sources of energy. Interest in the power, water extraction and refrigeration (PoWER) cycle, proposed by the University of Florida, as well as the desirability of using biofuels in distributed generation systems, has motivated the exploration of biofuel vitiated combustion. The PoWER cycle is a novel engine cycle concept that utilizes vitiation of the air stream with externally-cooled recirculated exhaust gases at an intermediate pressure in a semi-closed cycle (SCC) loop, lowering the overall temperature of combustion. It has several advantages including fuel flexibility, reduced air flow, lower flame temperature, compactness, high efficiency at full and part load, and low emissions. Since the core engine air stream is vitiated with the externally cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) stream, there is an inherent reduction in the combustion stability for a PoWER engine. The effect of EGR flow and temperature on combustion blowout stability and emissions during vitiated biofuel combustion has been characterized. The vitiated combustion performance of biofuels methyl butanoate, dimethyl ether, and ethanol have been compared with n-heptane, and varying compositions of syngas with methane fuel. In addition, at high levels of EGR a sharp reduction in the flame luminosity has been observed in our experimental tests, indicating the onset of flameless combustion. This drop in luminosity may be a result of inhibition of processes leading to the formation of radiative soot particles. One of the objectives of this study is finding the effect of EGR on soot formation, with the ultimate objective of being able to predict the boundaries of flameless combustion. Detailed chemical kinetic simulations were performed using a constant-pressure continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) network model developed using the Cantera combustion code, implemented in C++. Results have

Availability analysis of subsea blowout preventer using Markov model considering demand rate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunghee Kim

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Availabilities of subsea Blowout Preventers (BOP in the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (GoM OCS is investigated using a Markov method. An updated β factor model by SINTEF is used for common-cause failures in multiple redundant systems. Coefficient values of failure rates for the Markov model are derived using the β factor model of the PDS (reliability of computer-based safety systems, Norwegian acronym method. The blind shear ram preventer system of the subsea BOP components considers a demand rate to reflect reality more. Markov models considering the demand rate for one or two components are introduced. Two data sets are compared at the GoM OCS. The results show that three or four pipe ram preventers give similar availabilities, but redundant blind shear ram preventers or annular preventers enhance the availability of the subsea BOP. Also control systems (PODs and connectors are contributable components to improve the availability of the subsea BOPs based on sensitivity analysis.

Contemporary management of carotid blowout syndrome utilizing endovascular techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Manzoor, Nauman F; Rezaee, Rod P; Ray, Abhishek; Wick, Cameron C; Blackham, Kristine; Stepnick, David; Lavertu, Pierre; Zender, Chad A

2017-02-01

To illustrate complex interdisciplinary decision making and the utility of modern endovascular techniques in the management of patients with carotid blowout syndrome (CBS). Retrospective chart review. Patients treated with endovascular strategies and/or surgical modalities were included. Control of hemorrhage, neurological, and survival outcomes were studied. Between 2004 and 2014, 33 patients had 38 hemorrhagic events related to head and neck cancer that were managed with endovascular means. Of these, 23 were localized to the external carotid artery (ECA) branches and five localized to the ECA main trunk; nine were related to the common carotid artery (CCA) or internal carotid artery (ICA), and one event was related to the innominate artery. Seven events related to the CCA/ICA or innominate artery were managed with endovascular sacrifice, whereas three cases were managed with a flow-preserving approach (covered stent). Only one patient developed permanent hemiparesis. In two of the three cases where the flow-preserving approach was used, the covered stent eventually became exposed via the overlying soft tissue defect, and definitive management using carotid revascularization or resection was employed to prevent further hemorrhage. In cases of soft tissue necrosis, vascularized tissues were used to cover the great vessels as applicable. The use of modern endovascular approaches for management of acute CBS yields optimal results and should be employed in a coordinated manner by the head and neck surgeon and the neurointerventionalist. 4. Laryngoscope, 2016 127:383-390, 2017. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Blowout heroes : while his crew mate risked fire and falling rock to save him, Curly Slater fought right to the last breath

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Louie, J.

2008-11-15

This article discussed a blow-out that resulted in a fatality at a drilling rig near Helmut, British Columbia (BC). The blowout caused a column of fire, drilling mud, and rock to explode from the floor of the rig. As the rig's derrickman was trapped when drilling mud caked onto his easy rider cable and froze the escape sliding mechanism. The derrickman fell and was left dangling by his harness. Crew members spotted him from a distance and returned to the site in order to unhook the easy rider cable from the manifold shack and move the steel line to a location that would allow him to descend more easily. The derrickman was unable to un-jam his fall arrestor. He freed himself using his own strength, seized a cable, but lost his grip while still 75 feet in the air and fell to his death. The tragedy was caused by the presence of a very large gas pocket encountered at an unusually shallow depth. Several of the crew members have been unable to continue working in the oil and gas industry, due to the psychological trauma of witnessing the man's death. The Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC) has issued awards of merit for the crew men who attempted to save the derrickman, and the entire crew will receive medals of bravery from the Governor General of Canada. 2 figs.

Comparison of Absorbable Mesh Plate versus Titanium-Dynamic Mesh Plate in Reconstruction of Blow-Out Fracture: An Analysis of Long-Term Outcomes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woon Il Baek

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background A blow-out fracture is one of the most common facial injuries in midface trauma. Orbital wall reconstruction is extremely important because it can cause various functional and aesthetic sequelae. Although many materials are available, there are no uniformly accepted guidelines regarding material selection for orbital wall reconstruction. Methods From January 2007 to August 2012, a total of 78 patients with blow-out fractures were analyzed. 36 patients received absorbable mesh plates, and 42 patients received titanium-dynamic mesh plates. Both groups were retrospectively evaluated for therapeutic efficacy and safety according to the incidence of three different complications: enophthalmos, extraocular movement impairment, and diplopia. Results For all groups (inferior wall fracture group, medial wall fractrue group, and combined inferomedial wall fracture group, there were improvements in the incidence of each complication regardless of implant types. Moreover, a significant improvement of enophthalmos occurred for both types of implants in group 1 (inferior wall fracture group. However, we found no statistically significant differences of efficacy or complication rate in every groups between both implant types. Conclusions Both types of implants showed good results without significant differences in long-term follow up, even though we expected the higher recurrent enophthalmos rate in patients with absorbable plate. In conclusion, both types seem to be equally effective and safe for orbital wall reconstruction. In particular, both implant types significantly improve the incidence of enophthalmos in cases of inferior orbital wall fractures.

Transarterial endovascular treatment in the management of life-threatening carotid blowout syndrome in head and neck cancer patients: review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Dequanter, D; Shahla, M; Paulus, P; Aubert, C; Lothaire, P

2013-12-01

Carotid blowout syndrome is a rare but devastating complication in patients with head and neck malignancy, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Bleeding from the carotid artery or its branches is a well-recognized complication following treatment or recurrence of head and neck cancer. It is an emergency situation, and the classical approach to save the patient's life is to ligate the carotid artery. But the surgical treatment is often technically difficult. Endovascular therapies were recently reported as good alternatives to surgical ligation. Retrospective review of three cases of acute or threatened carotid hemorrhage managed by endovascular therapies. Two patients presented with acute carotid blowout, and one patient with a sentinel bleed. Two patients had previously been treated with surgery and chemo radiation. One patient was treated by chemo radiation. Two had developed pharyngocutaneous fistulas, and one had an open necrosis filled wound that surrounded the carotid artery. In two patients, stent placement resolved the acute hemorrhage. In one patient, superselective embolization was done. Mean duration follow-up was 10.2 months. No patient had residual sequelae of stenting or embolization. Management of carotid blow syndrome is very critical and difficult. A multidisciplinary approach is very important in the management of carotid blow syndrome. Correct and suitable management can be life saving. An endovascular technique is a good and effective alternative with much lower morbidity rates than surgical repair or ligation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Application of fine managed pressure drilling technique in complex wells with both blowout and lost circulation risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ling Yan

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Fractured carbonate reservoirs are susceptible to blowout and lost circulation during drilling, which not only restricts drilling speed, but also poses big threat to well control. Moreover, there are few technical means available to reconstruct pressure balance in the borehole. Accordingly, the fine managed pressure drilling was used in the drilling of Well GS19 in the Qixia Formation with super-high pressure and narrow density window, which is a success: ① back pressure in the annular spaces will be adjusted to maintain a slightly over-balanced bottom-hole hydraulic pressure, and fluid level in the circulation tank will be kept in a slight dropping state to ensure that natural gas in the formation would not invade into the borehole in a massive volume; ② inlet drilling fluid density will be controlled at around 2.35 g/cm3, back pressures in the annular be maintained at 2–5 MPa, and bottom-hole pressure equivalent circulation density be controlled at 2.46–2.52 g/cm3; ③ during managed pressure drilling operations, if wellhead pressure exceeds or expects to exceed 7 MPa, semi-blind rams will be closed. Fluids will pass through the choke manifold of the rig to the choke manifold specifically for pressure control before entering gas/liquid separators to discharge gas; ④ during tripping back pressure will be kept at less than 5 MPa, volume of injected drilling fluid will be higher than the theoretical volume during tripping out, whereas the volume of returned drilling fluid will be higher than the theoretical volume during the out-tripping. This technique has been applied successfully in the drilling of the Qixia Formation, Liangshan Formation and Longmaxi Formation with a total footage of 216.60 m, as a good attempt in complicated wells with both blowout and lost circulation risks, which can provide valuable experiences and guidance for handling similar complexities in the future.

Evolution of the Macondo well blowout: simulating the effects of the circulation and synthetic dispersants on the subsea oil transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Paris, Claire B; Hénaff, Matthieu Le; Aman, Zachary M; Subramaniam, Ajit; Helgers, Judith; Wang, Dong-Ping; Kourafalou, Vassiliki H; Srinivasan, Ashwanth

2012-12-18

During the Deepwater Horizon incident, crude oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico from 1522 m underwater. In an effort to prevent the oil from rising to the surface, synthetic dispersants were applied at the wellhead. However, uncertainties in the formation of oil droplets and difficulties in measuring their size in the water column, complicated further assessment of the potential effect of the dispersant on the subsea-to-surface oil partition. We adapted a coupled hydrodynamic and stochastic buoyant particle-tracking model to the transport and fate of hydrocarbon fractions and simulated the far-field transport of the oil from the intrusion depth. The evaluated model represented a baseline for numerical experiments where we varied the distributions of particle sizes and thus oil mass. The experiments allowed to quantify the relative effects of chemical dispersion, vertical currents, and inertial buoyancy motion on oil rise velocities. We present a plausible model scenario, where some oil is trapped at depth through shear emulsification due to the particular conditions of the Macondo blowout. Assuming effective mixing of the synthetic dispersants at the wellhead, the model indicates that the submerged oil mass is shifted deeper, decreasing only marginally the amount of oil surfacing. In this scenario, the oil rises slowly to the surface or stays immersed. This suggests that other mechanisms may have contributed to the rapid surfacing of oil-gas mixture observed initially. The study also reveals local topographic and hydrodynamic processes that influence the oil transport in eddies and multiple layers. This numerical approach provides novel insights on oil transport mechanisms from deep blowouts and on gauging the subsea use of synthetic dispersant in mitigating coastal damage.

Estudo do efeito de um "Riser Blowout" na perfuração de poços de petroleo em aguas profundas

OpenAIRE

Heitor Rodrigues de Paula Lima

1991-01-01

Resumo: Esta dissertação apresenta uma análise do comportamento da pressão dos fluidos que ocorre durante o especial acidente na perfuração de um poço submarino de petróleo conhecido como "Riser Blowout" ( * ). O modelo usado neste estudo baseia-se na solução do sistema de equações diferenciais parciais que governam o fluxo ascendente da mistura bifásica fluido de perfuração/ gás dentro do espaço anular entre a coluna de perfuração e o "marine riser". As perdas de carga devido a aceleração do...

Preventing Tire Blowout Accidents: A Perspective on Factors Affecting Drivers’ Intention to Adopt Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai-Ying Chen

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to explore whether risk perception or anticipated regret is responsible for intensifying the participants’ intention to adopt a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS to prevent a tire-related accident, and whether the optimism bias has a moderator effect between risk perception/anticipated regret and intention. With 274 valid questionnaires and PLS-SEM (partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis, the results indicate a significant positive relationship between risk perception and intention to adopt TPMS, but not between anticipated regret and intention. The moderator effect of optimism bias on risk perception and anticipated regret is not found in the model. The findings will prove useful for public service advertising campaigns by providing a basis for an understanding of the role of cognitive and emotional factors in tire-blowout accident prevention, thereby increasing the motivation for drivers in Taiwan to take advantage of the protection afforded them by using TPMS.

Comparative risk assessment of spill response options for a deepwater oil well blowout: Part III. Stakeholder engagement.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Ann Hayward; Scholz, Debra; McPeek, Melinda; French-McCay, Deborah; Rowe, Jill; Bock, Michael; Robinson, Hilary; Wenning, Richard

2018-05-25

This paper describes oil spill stakeholder engagement in a recent comparative risk assessment (CRA) project that examined the tradeoffs associated with a hypothetical offshore well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, with a specific focus on subsea dispersant injection (SSDI) at the wellhead. SSDI is a new technology deployed during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill response. Oil spill stakeholders include decision makers, who will consider whether to integrate SSDI into future tradeoff decisions. This CRA considered the tradeoffs associated with three sets of response strategies: (1) no intervention; (2) mechanical recovery, in-situ burning, and surface dispersants; and, (3) SSDI in addition to responses in (2). For context, the paper begins with a historical review of U.S. policy and engagement with oil spill stakeholders regarding dispersants. Stakeholder activities throughout the project involved decision-maker representatives and their advisors to inform the approach and consider CRA utility in future oil spill preparedness. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative Risk Assessment of spill response options for a deepwater oil well blowout: Part 1. Oil spill modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

French-McCay, Deborah; Crowley, Deborah; Rowe, Jill J; Bock, Michael; Robinson, Hilary; Wenning, Richard; Walker, Ann Hayward; Joeckel, John; Nedwed, Tim J; Parkerton, Thomas F

2018-05-31

Oil spill model simulations of a deepwater blowout in the Gulf of Mexico De Soto Canyon, assuming no intervention and various response options (i.e., subsea dispersant injection SSDI, in addition to mechanical recovery, in-situ burning, and surface dispersant application) were compared. Predicted oil fate, amount and area of surfaced oil, and exposure concentrations in the water column above potential effects thresholds were used as inputs to a Comparative Risk Assessment to identify response strategies that minimize long-term impacts. SSDI reduced human and wildlife exposure to volatile organic compounds; dispersed oil into a large water volume at depth; enhanced biodegradation; and reduced surface water, nearshore and shoreline exposure to floating oil and entrained/dissolved oil in the upper water column. Tradeoffs included increased oil exposures at depth. However, since organisms are less abundant below 200 m, results indicate that overall exposure of valued ecosystem components was minimized by use of SSDI. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In search of thermogenic methane in groundwater in the Netherlands, with emphasis on the location of a historic gas well blowout

Science.gov (United States)

Schout, G.; Griffioen, J.; Hassanizadeh, S. M.; Hartog, N.

2017-12-01

Similar to the US, the Netherlands has a long history of oil & gas production, with around 2500 onshore hydrocarbon wells drilled since the late 1930s. While conventional reserves are diminishing, a governmental moratorium was put in place on shale gas exploration and production until 2023, in part due to concerns about its effects on groundwater quality. To investigate the industry's historic and potential future impact on groundwater quality in the country, a study was carried out to assess i) baseline methane concentrations and origin ii) the natural connectivity of deeper gas-bearing layers with the shallower groundwater systems. Through datamining, a dataset consisting of 12,200 groundwater analyses with methane concentrations was assembled. Furthermore, 25 additional samples were collected at targeted locations and analysed for dissolved gas molecular and isotopic composition. Methane concentrations are positively skewed with median, mean and maximum concentrations of 0.28, 2.17 and 120 mg/L, respectively. No correlation between methane concentrations and distance to hydrocarbon wells or faults is observed. In general, concentrations cannot be readily explained by factors such as the depth, geographic location, host formation and depositional environment. Thermogenic methane was first encountered at several hundred meters depth, below thick successions of marine Paleogene and Neogene clays that are present throughout the country and impede vertical flow. All methane encountered above these formations was found to be biogenic in origin, with one notable exception - a sample taken at the site of a catastrophic gas well blowout that occurred in 1965 near the village of Sleen. Combined, these findings suggest that thermogenic methane does not naturally occur in Dutch shallow groundwater and its presence can be used as an indicator of anthropogenic gas leakage. The unique Sleen blowout site was selected for a detailed investigation of the long-term effects of

Delayed Development of Brain Abscesses Following Stent-Graft Placement in a Head and Neck Cancer Patient Presenting with Carotid Blowout Syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oweis, Yaseen; Gemmete, Joseph J.; Chaudhary, Neeraj; Pandey, Aditya; Ansari, Sameer

2011-01-01

We describe the delayed development of intracranial abscesses following emergent treatment with a covered stent-graft for carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) in a patient with head and neck cancer. The patient presented with hemoptysis and frank arterial bleeding through the tracheostomy site. A self-expandable stent-graft was deployed across a small pseudoaneurysm arising from the right common carotid artery (RCCA) and resulted in immediate hemostasis. Three months later, the patient suffered a recurrent hemorrhage. CT of the neck demonstrated periluminal fluid around the caudal aspect of the stent-graft with intraluminal thrombus and a small pseudoaneurysm. Subsequently, the patient underwent a balloon test occlusion study and endovascular sacrifice of the RCCA and right internal carotid artery. MRI of the brain demonstrated at least four ring-enhancing lesions within the right cerebral hemisphere consistent with intracranial abscesses that resolved with broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage.

Dynamic Data-Driven Prediction of Lean Blowout in a Swirl-Stabilized Combustor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soumalya Sarkar

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses dynamic data-driven prediction of lean blowout (LBO phenomena in confined combustion processes, which are prevalent in many physical applications (e.g., land-based and aircraft gas-turbine engines. The underlying concept is built upon pattern classification and is validated for LBO prediction with time series of chemiluminescence sensor data from a laboratory-scale swirl-stabilized dump combustor. The proposed method of LBO prediction makes use of the theory of symbolic dynamics, where (finite-length time series data are partitioned to produce symbol strings that, in turn, generate a special class of probabilistic finite state automata (PFSA. These PFSA, called D-Markov machines, have a deterministic algebraic structure and their states are represented by symbol blocks of length D or less, where D is a positive integer. The D-Markov machines are constructed in two steps: (i state splitting, i.e., the states are split based on their information contents, and (ii state merging, i.e., two or more states (of possibly different lengths are merged together to form a new state without any significant loss of the embedded information. The modeling complexity (e.g., number of states of a D-Markov machine model is observed to be drastically reduced as the combustor approaches LBO. An anomaly measure, based on Kullback-Leibler divergence, is constructed to predict the proximity of LBO. The problem of LBO prediction is posed in a pattern classification setting and the underlying algorithms have been tested on experimental data at different extents of fuel-air premixing and fuel/air ratio. It is shown that, over a wide range of fuel-air premixing, D-Markov machines with D > 1 perform better as predictors of LBO than those with D = 1.

Fiscal 1998 geothermal development promotion research. Survey in Akinomiya area (N9-AY-3 short-term blowout test report); 1998 nendo chinetsu kaihatsu sokushin chosa. Akinomiya chiiki chosa (N9-AY-3 tanki funshutsu shiken hokokusho)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

As a part of the fiscal 1998 geothermal development promotion survey in Akinomiya area, this test was carried out to obtain the fumarolic gas characteristics and fluid properties of N9-AY-3 test well by air reaction method. Blowout hot water was reinjected to N8-AY-1 test well drilled in fiscal 1996 to confirm its reinjection capacity. The fumarolic gas test result showed a steam volume of 35.0t/h and hot water volume of 160.8t/h (wellhead pressure equivalent) at a wellhead secondary valve opening of 33.7% and wellhead pressure of 15.3kg/cm{sup 2}G. The whole hot water volume of 30,214m{sup 3} is equivalent to nearly 320 times more than a well volume. Hot water showed pH7.7-8.6, an electric conductivity of 3,960-7,070{mu}S/cm, and chlorine ion concentration of 1,050 mg/l. Alkalescent Na-Cl system hot water showed a geochemical temperature of 283 degreesC. A steam gas concentration including CO{sub 2} as main component was 0.12-0.19vol%. Blowout hot water was continuously reinjected into N8-AY-1 well from a pit by pump to confirm its reinjection capacity. The reinjection capacity of hot water in fumarolic gas was 110t/h without any problem. (NEDO)

Dynamic study of ocular movement with MR imaging in orbital blow-out fracture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aibara, Ryuichi; Kawakita, Seiji; Matsumoto, Yasushi; Sadamoto, Masanori; Yumoto, Eiji.

1996-01-01

Operative indications for orbital blow-out fracture (OBF) remain controversial. One of the major sources of this controversy is that an accurate diagnosis of ocular movement disturbances can not be made by conventional procedures such as the Hess screen test, traction test, or CT scan. Disturbances in ocular movement resulting from OBF can occur not only with entrapment of the extraocular muscle but also with intraorbital bleeding, edema, and/or a variety of other unclear factors. To obtain a more accurate diagnosis and to assist in the choice of treatment, ocular movement was examined using orbital 'cine mode' MR imaging. MR images were obtained in multiple phases of vertical and horizontal ocular movements by using the 'fast SE' capabilities of the SIERRA, GE-YMS MR scanner (1.5 Tesla, superconductive). The fixed eye method was applied to two normal volunteers and to patients with 'pure' OBF. Five marks for binocular fixation were affixed to the inner wall of the gantry: one at the primary position and four at secondary positions. While keeping the subject's eye focused on each of these marks for about 30 sec, MR images (head coil) of the axial view and bilateral oblique sagittal view along the optic nerve were carried out. In the normal volunteers, a good demonstration of smooth movement of the eye ball, extraocular muscles, and the optic nerve could be obtained. In the OBF patients, it was clearly observed that the disturbance in ocular movement was caused by poor extension of the external ocular muscles, specifically the inferior rectus muscle in the orbital floor fracture, and the internal rectus muscle in the medial wall fracture. These observations suggested that dynamic orbital imaging with MR would be extremely valuable in the assessment of disturbances of ocular movement in OBF. (author)

Endovascular treatment of radiation-induced carotid blowout syndrome. Report of two cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adachi, Akihiko; Kobayashi, Eiichi; Watanabe, Yoshiyuki; Yoneyama, Tomoko S.; Hayasaka, Michihiro; Suzuki, Homare; Okamoto, Yoshitaka; Saeki, Naokatsu

2011-01-01

Carotid Blowout Syndrome (CBS), or Carotid Artery Rupture (CAR), is a delayed complication with potentially fatal consequences occurring after the implementation of radiotherapy on head and neck tumors. In this report we describe two patients received endovascular treatment for severe hemorrhagic CBS developing 36 and 2 years, respectively, after radiotherapy. Both patients survived and responded positively to treatment. Case 1 was an 80-year-old woman found with minor hemorrhage near the bifurcation of the common carotid artery, 36 years after neck irradiation. She experienced frequent hemorrhagic events during the following years. Six years after the initial discovery of bleeding, she experienced massive hemorrhage, lapsed into shock, and was admitted to an Emergency Room. Connective tissue around the carotid artery was largely exposed due to neck skin defect. After hemorrhage was halted by manual compression, transient hemostasis was achieved with coil embolization of the aneurysm presumed to be the source of bleeding. Recurrent hemorrhage developed two weeks later with unraveled coil mass extrusion. Parent artery occlusion was performed by endovascular trapping, achieving permanent hemostasis. Case 2 presented massive nasal bleeding originating from the petrous segment of the internal carotid artery, 2 years after having been treated with heavy particle irradiation for olfactory neuroblastoma. Ischemic tolerance was confirmed by balloon occlusion test. Based on previous experiences, the bleeding was immediately halted by endovascular trapping. Both patients were subsequently discharged, free of new neurological symptoms. Emergent hemostatic treatment is required in CBS developing severe hemorrhage. However, within irradiation fields, temporal embolization devices hardly lead to complete resolution. This is due to the deteriorated condition of the vascular wall incapable to enduring the expansion power of coils, stents or balloons. Bypass grafting is also

Hydrocarbon composition and concentrations in the Gulf of Mexico sediments in the 3 years following the Macondo well blowout.

Science.gov (United States)

Babcock-Adams, Lydia; Chanton, Jeffrey P; Joye, Samantha B; Medeiros, Patricia M

2017-10-01

In April of 2010, the Macondo well blowout in the northern Gulf of Mexico resulted in an unprecedented release of oil into the water column at a depth of approximately 1500 m. A time series of surface and subsurface sediment samples were collected to the northwest of the well from 2010 to 2013 for molecular biomarker and bulk carbon isotopic analyses. While no clear trend was observed in subsurface sediments, surface sediments (0-3 cm) showed a clear pattern with total concentrations of n-alkanes, unresolved complex mixture (UCM), and petroleum biomarkers (terpanes, hopanes, steranes) increasing from May to September 2010, peaking in late November 2010, and strongly decreasing in the subsequent years. The peak in hydrocarbon concentrations were corroborated by higher organic carbon contents, more depleted Δ 14 C values and biomarker ratios similar to those of the initial MC252 crude oil reported in the literature. These results indicate that at least part of oil discharged from the accident sedimented to the seafloor in subsequent months, resulting in an apparent accumulation of hydrocarbons on the seabed by the end of 2010. Sediment resuspension and transport or biodegradation may account for the decrease in sedimented oil quantities in the years following the Macondo well spill. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modelling and hardware-in-the-loop simulation of the blowout tract components for passenger compartment air conditioning of motor vehicles; Modellierung und Hardware-in-the-Loop-Simulation der Komponenten des Ausblastraktes zur Kraftfahrzeuginnenraumklimatisierung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michalek, David

2009-07-01

The author investigated the modelling and hardware-in-the-loop simulation of components of the blowout tract of motor car air conditioning systems. The control systems and air conditioning systems are gone into, from the air entering the car to the control systems and sensors for monitoring state variables. The function of the control equipment hardware and software was to be analyzed reproducibly in order to save time and cost. The models were verified using available data. Validation criteria were established for the hardware-in-the-loop simulator. On the basis of selected operating conditions, the performance of the air conditioning control unit inside the vehicle was compared with the simulation results and was evaluated on the basis of the established criteria. (orig.)

Anomalously High Recruitment of the 2010 Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) Year Class: Evidence of Indirect Effects from the Deepwater Horizon Blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Short, Jeffrey W; Geiger, Harold J; Haney, J Christopher; Voss, Christine M; Vozzo, Maria L; Guillory, Vincent; Peterson, Charles H

2017-07-01

Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) exhibited unprecedented juvenile recruitment in 2010 during the year of the Deepwater Horizon well blowout, exceeding the prior 39-year mean by more than four standard deviations near the Mississippi River. Abundance of that cohort remained exceptionally high for two subsequent years as recruits moved into older age classes. Such changes in this dominant forage fish population can be most parsimoniously explained as consequences of release from predation. Contact with crude oil induced high mortality of piscivorous seabirds, bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), waders, and other fish-eating marsh birds, all of which are substantial consumers of Gulf menhaden. Diversions of fresh water from the Mississippi River to protect coastal marshes from oiling depressed salinities, impairing access to juvenile Gulf menhaden by aquatic predators that avoid low-salinity estuarine waters. These releases from predation led to an increase of Gulf menhaden biomass in 2011 to 2.4 million t, or more than twice the average biomass of 1.1 million t for the decade prior to 2010. Biomass increases of this magnitude in a major forage fish species suggest additional trophically linked effects at the population-, trophic-level and ecosystem scales, reflecting an heretofore little appreciated indirect effect that may be associated with major oil spills in highly productive marine waters.

Real time risk analysis of kick detection: Testing and validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Islam, Rakibul; Khan, Faisal; Venkatesan, Ramchandran

2017-01-01

Oil and gas development is moving into harsh and remote locations where the highest level of safety is required. A blowout is one of the most feared accidents in oil and gas developments projects. The main objective of this paper is to test and validate the kick detection of blowout risk assessment model using uniquely developed experimental results. Kick detection is a major part of the blowout risk assessment model. The accuracy and timeliness of kick detection are dependent on the monitoring of multiple downhole parameters such as downhole pressure, fluid density, fluid conductivity and mass flow rate. In the present study these four parameters are considered in different logical combinations to assess the occurrence of kick and associated blowout risk. The assessed results are compared against the experimental observations. It is observed that simultaneous monitoring of mass flow rate combined with any one the three parameters provides most reliable detection of kick and potential blowout likelihood. The current work presents the framework for a dynamic risk assessment and management model. Upon success testing of this approach at the pilot and field levels, this approach could provide a paradigm shift in drilling safety. - Highlights: • A novel dynamic risk model of kick detection and blowout prediction. • Testing and Validation of the risk model. • Application of the dynamic risk model.

Frequency, outcome and prognostic factors of carotid blowout syndrome after hypofractionated re-irradiation of head and neck cancer using CyberKnife: A multi-institutional study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Hideya; Ogita, Mikio; Kodani, Naohiro; Nakamura, Satoakai; Inoue, Hiroshi; Himei, Kengo; Kotsuma, Tadayuki; Yoshida, Ken; Yoshioka, Yasuo; Yamashita, Koichi; Udono, Hiroki

2013-01-01

Purpose: Re-irradiation has attracted attention as a potential therapy for recurrent head and neck tumors. However, carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) has become a serious complication of re-irradiation because of the associated life-threatening toxicity. Determining of the characteristics of CBS is important. We conducted a multi-institutional study. Methods and patients: Head and neck carcinoma patients (n = 381) were treated with 484 re-irradiation sessions at 7 Japanese CyberKnife institutions between 2000 and 2010. Results: Of these, 32 (8.4%) developed CBS, which proved fatal that median survival time after CBS onset was 0.1 month, and the 1-year survival rate was 37.5%. The median duration between re-irradiation and CBS onset was 5 months (range, 0–69 months). Elder age, skin invasion, and necrosis/infection were identified as statistically significant risk factors after CBS by univariate analysis. The presence of skin invasion at the time of treatment found only in postoperative case, is identified as only statistically significant prognostic factor after CBS in multivariate analysis. The 1-year survival rate for the group without skin invasion was 42%, whereas no patient with skin invasion survived more than 4 months (0% at 1 year, p = 0.0049). Conclusions: Careful attention should be paid to the occurrence of CBS if the tumor is located adjacent to the carotid artery. The presence of skin invasion at CBS onset is ominous sign of lethal consequences

Intelligent Engine Systems: Alternate Fuels Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Ballal, Dilip

2008-01-01

The performance and gaseous emissions were measured for a well-stirred reactor operating under lean conditions for two fuels: JP8 and a synthetic Fisher-Tropsch fuel over a range of equivalence ratios from 0.6 down to the lean blowout. The lean blowout characteristics were determined in LBO experiments at loading parameter values from 0.7 to 1.4. The lean blowout characteristics were then explored under higher loading conditions by simulating higher altitude operation with the use of nitrogen as a dilution gas for the air stream. The experiments showed that: (1) The lean blowout characteristics for the two fuels were close under both low loading and high loading conditions. (2) The combustion temperatures and observed combustion efficiencies were similar for the two fuels. (3) The gaseous emissions were similar for the two fuels and the differences in the H2O and CO2 emissions appear to be directly relatable to the C/H ratio for the fuels.

Investigating animal health effects of sour gas acid forming emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, W.C.

1992-01-01

The effects of sour gas well blowout emissions on livestock are reviewed. Guidelines for safe drilling operations in hydrogen sulfide environments, general hazards and characteristics of hydrogen sulfide, and guidelines for field investigation into the effects of sour gas and acid emissions on livestock are discussed. A case history involving the Ross No. 2 gas well blowout of July 1985 in Rankin County, Mississippi is presented. The blowout lasted for 72 days, and at peak discharge the 500 ppM radius was ca 3.5 miles. A cattle embryo transplant operation located one half mile from the well was affected by the blowout. Examination by a local veterinarian of the cattle demonstrated eye irritation, epiphora, nasal discharge and coughing. After one and a half months of exposure, most animals showed clinical signs of a severe dry hacking cough, epiphora, dry rales over the thoracic inlet, and a bronchial popping sound over the lateral thorax. All animals had eye irritation. Of 55 animals showing signs of respiratory distress and eye irritations, 15 were still clinically ill in May of 1986. 7 refs., 1 tab

Evaluation of the outcomes of endovascular management for patients with head and neck cancers and associated carotid blowout syndrome of the external carotid artery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, F.-C.; Luo, C.-B.; Lirng, J.-F.; Lin, C.-J.; Wu, H.-M.; Hung, S.-C.; Guo, W.-Y.; Teng, M.M.H.; Chang, C.-Y.

2013-01-01

Aim: To evaluate factors related to the technical and haemostatic outcomes of endovascular management in patients with head and neck cancers (HNC) associated with carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) of the external carotid artery (ECA). Materials and methods: Between 2002 and 2011, 34 patients with HNC with CBS involving branches of the ECA underwent endovascular therapy. Treatment included embolization with microparticles, microcoils, or acrylic adhesives. Fisher's exact test was used to examine demographic features, clinical and angiographic severities, and clinical and imaging findings as predictors of endovascular management outcomes. Results: Technical success and immediate haemostasis were achieved in all patients. Technical complications were encountered in one patient (2.9%). Rebleeding occurred in nine patients (26.5%). Angiographic vascular disruption grading from slight (1) to severe (4) revealed that the 18 patients with acute CBS had scores of 2 (2/18, 11.1%), 3 (3/18, 16.7%), and 4 (13/18, 72.2%). The 16 patients with impending and threatened CBS had scores of 1 (1/16, 6.25%), 2 (5/16, 31.25%), and 3 (10/16, 62.5%; p = 0.0003). For the 25 patients who underwent preprocedural computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations within 3 months of treatment, the agreement between clinical and imaging findings reached the sensitivity, specificity, and kappa values for recurrent tumours (1, 0.7143, 0.7826), soft-tissue defect (0.9091, 0.3333, 0.2424), and sinus tract/fistula (0.4737, 0, 0.4286). Conclusion: Endovascular management for patients with CBS of the ECA had high technical success and safety but was associated with high rebleeding rates. We suggest applying aggressive post-procedural follow-up and using preprocedural CT/MRI to enhance the periprocedural diagnosis

Carotid blowout syndrome in pharyngeal cancer patients treated by hypofractionated stereotactic re-irradiation using CyberKnife: A multi-institutional matched-cohort analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Hideya; Ogita, Mikio; Himei, Kengo; Nakamura, Satoaki; Kotsuma, Tadayuki; Yoshida, Ken; Yoshioka, Yasuo

2015-01-01

Background and purpose: Although reirradiation has attracted attention as a potential therapy for recurrent head and neck tumors with the advent of modern radiotherapy, severe rate toxicity such as carotid blowout syndrome (CBOS) limits its potential. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors of CBOS after hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT). Methods and patients: We conducted a matched-pair design examination of pharyngeal cancer patients treated by CyberKnife reirradiation in four institutes. Twelve cases with CBOS were observed per 60 cases without CBOS cases. Prognostic factors for CBOS were analyzed and a risk classification model was constructed. Results: The median prescribed radiation dose was 30 Gy in 5 fractions with CyberKnife SBRT after 60 Gy/30 fractions of previous radiotherapy. The median duration between reirradiation and CBOS onset was 5 months (range, 0–69 months). CBOS cases showed a median survival time of 5.5 months compared to 22.8 months for non-CBOS cases (1-year survival rate, 36% vs.72%; p = 0.003). Univariate analysis identified an angle of carotid invasion of >180°, the presence of ulceration, planning treatment volume, and irradiation to lymph node areas as statistically significant predisposing factors for CBOS. Only patients with carotid invasion of >180° developed CBOS (12/50, 24%), whereas no patient with tumor involvement less than a half semicircle around the carotid artery developed CBOS (0/22, 0%, p = 0.03). Multivariate Cox hazard model analysis revealed that the presence of ulceration and irradiation to lymph nodes were statistically significant predisposing factors. Thus, we constructed a CBOS risk classification system: CBOS index = (summation of risk factors; carotid invasion >180°, presence of ulceration, lymph node area irradiation). This system sufficiently separated the risk groups. Conclusion: The presence of ulceration and lymph node irradiation are risk factors of CBOS. The CBOS index

Bubbling and on-off intermittency in bailout embeddings.

Science.gov (United States)

Cartwright, Julyan H E; Magnasco, Marcelo O; Piro, Oreste; Tuval, Idan

2003-07-01

We establish and investigate the conceptual connection between the dynamics of the bailout embedding of a Hamiltonian system and the dynamical regimes associated with the occurrence of bubbling and blowout bifurcations. The roles of the invariant manifold and the dynamics restricted to it, required in bubbling and blowout bifurcating systems, are played in the bailout embedding by the embedded Hamiltonian dynamical system. The Hamiltonian nature of the dynamics is precisely the distinctive feature of this instance of a bubbling or blowout bifurcation. The detachment of the embedding trajectories from the original ones can thus be thought of as transient on-off intermittency, and noise-induced avoidance of some regions of the embedded phase space can be recognized as Hamiltonian bubbling.

Final Report: Experimental Investigation of Nonlinear Plasma Wake-Fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenzweig, J.

1997-01-01

We discuss the exploration of the newly proposed blowout regime of the plasma wakefield accelerator and advanced photoinjector technology for linear collider applications. The plasma wakefield experiment at ANL produced several ground-breaking results in the physics of the blowout regime. The photoinjector R and D effort produced breakthroughs in theoretical, computational, and experimental methods in high brightness beam physics. Results have been published

Control rod blow out protection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dietrich, J.R.; Flinn, W.S.; Groves, M.D.

1979-01-01

An absorber element blow-out protection system for a nuclear reactor having a pressure vessel through which a coolant is circulated. The blow-out protection system includes devices which hydraulically couple groups of guide tubes in which the absorber elements move, the coupling devices limiting coolant lift flow rate to a level commensurate with the raising of individual absorber elements but insufficient to raise a plurality of absorber elements simultaneously

Flame stability and heat transfer analysis of methane-air mixtures in catalytic micro-combustors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Junjie; Song, Wenya; Xu, Deguang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The mechanisms of heat and mass transfer for loss of stability were elucidated. • Stability diagrams were constructed and design recommendations were made. • Flame characteristics were examined to determine extinction and blowout limits. • Heat loss greatly affects extinction whereas wall materials greatly affect blowout. • Radiation causes the flame to shift downstream. - Abstract: The flame stability and heat transfer characteristics of methane-air mixtures in catalytic micro-combustors were studied, using a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with detailed chemistry and transport. The effects of wall thermal conductivity, surface emissivity, fuel, flow velocity, and equivalence ratio were explored to provide guidelines for optimal design. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms of heat and mass transfer for loss of flame stability were elucidated. Finally, stability diagrams were constructed and design recommendations were made. It was found that the heat loss strongly affects extinction, whereas the wall thermal conductivity greatly affects blowout. The presence of homogeneous chemistry extends blowout limits, especially for inlet velocities higher than 6 m/s. Increasing transverse heat transfer rate reduces stability, whereas increasing transverse mass transfer rate improves stability. Surface radiation behaves similarly to the heat conduction within the walls, but opposite trends are observed. High emissivity causes the flame to shift downstream. Methane exhibits much broader blowout limits. For a combustor with gap size of 0.8 mm, a residence time higher than 3 ms is required to prevent breakthrough, and inlet velocities lower than 0.8 m/s are the most desirable operation regime. Further increase of the wall thermal conductivity beyond 80 W/(m·K) could not yield an additional increase in stability.

Modeling in support of Corridor Resources Old Harry exploratory drilling environmental assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-10-01

During offshore petroleum activities, oil spills can occur and lead to significant environmental impacts. Corridor Resources Inc. is in the process of obtaining a license for exploratory drilling activities in the Old Harry and the aim of this study is to determine what would be the behavior and trajectory of any oil spill from these activities. Two types of spill were studied, sub-sea and surface spills. Modeling was carried out using Cohasset oil from the Scotian Basin, the properties of which are thought to be close to those of Old Harry oil, and the blowout rates were determined using reservoir information. Results showed that subsea blowouts would result in wide and thin surface slicks near the source while surface blowouts would be narrow and thick; surface slicks would persist over a 5km range from the source before dispersion.

Another look at Alborz Nr. 5 in central Iran

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gretener, P.E.

1982-04-01

In 1956 one of the biggest blow-outs in the history of the oil industry occurred in central Iran on the Alborz structure. The well blew oil and large quantities of gas at an average rate of 60,000 bpd for 82 days for a total production in excess of 5 million bbl. The drill only nicked the reservoir, with a penetration of 2 in. Good data have been published on this event which makes this blow-out almost unique. The observations indicate that the reservoir is very highly overpressured, that the reservoir rock must have enormous permeability, and the length of the blow-out shows that rapid pressure depletion is not a problem. This indicates that Alborz is a commercial field in a high pressure environment, contrary to the widely held opinion that high pressure reservoirs are noncommercial. 10 references.

An experimental study of flame stability in a directly-fueled wall cavity with a supersonic free stream

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, Chadwick Clifford

An extensive study of flame stability in a cavity-based fuel injector/flameholder has been performed. Flames were stabilized in cavities with two different aft wall configurations and length to depth ratios of 3 and 4. Fuel was injected directly into the cavity using two injector configurations. Fuel injected from the aft wall of the cavity entered directly into the recirculation zone and provided desirable performance near the lean blowout limit. At high fuel flowrates, the cavity became flooded with fuel and rich blowout occurred. When fuel was injected from the floor of the cavity, excess fuel was directed out of the cavity which allowed for flame stabilization at extremely high fuel flowrates; however, this phenomenon also resulted in suboptimal performance near the lean limit where the blowout point was less predictable. Images of planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of CH, OH, and formaldehyde give insight into the flameholding mechanisms. CH layers in the cavity are thin and continuous and show structure that is comparable to lifted jet flames, while broad CH zones are sometimes observed in the shear layer. OH PLIF images show that hot recirculated products are always present at the location of flame stabilization, whereas images of formaldehyde indicate that partial premixing takes place in the shear layer portion of the flame. Nonreacting measurements of the boundary layer and the free stream velocity profiles were obtained to provide necessary boundary conditions for computational modeling. Mean and instantaneous velocity profiles were determined for the nonreacting flow using particle image velocimetry (PIV). A correlation of the blowout points for a directly-fueled cavity in a supersonic flow was accomplished using a Damkohler number and an equivalence ratio based upon an effective air mass flowrate. The chemical time was formulated using a generic measure of the reaction rate, tauc ˜ alpha/ S2L , which was found to be adequate for correlating lean

More Macrospicule Jets in On-Disk Coronal Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, M. L.; Sterling, A. C.; Moore, R. L.

2015-01-01

We examine the magnetic structure and dynamics of multiple jets found in coronal holes close to or on disk center. All data are from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We report on observations of about ten jets in an equatorial coronal hole spanning 2011 February 27 and 28. We show the evolution of these jets in AIA 193 A, examine the magnetic field configuration and flux changes in the jet area, and discuss the probable trigger mechanism of these events. We reported on another jet in this same coronal hole on 2011 February 27, (is) approximately 13:04 UT (Adams et al 2014, ApJ, 783: 11). That jet is a previously-unrecognized variety of blowout jet, in which the base-edge bright point is a miniature filament-eruption flare arcade made by internal reconnection of the legs of the erupting field. In contrast, in the presently-accepted 'standard' picture for blowout jets, the base-edge bright point is made by interchange reconnection of initially-closed erupting jet-base field with ambient open field. This poster presents further evidence of the production of the base-edge bright point in blowout jets by internal reconnection. Our observations suggest that most of the bigger and brighter EUV jets in coronal holes are blowout jets of the new-found variety.

Use of the theory of recognition of patterns in developing methane metering equipment for blow-out-dangerous mines. [Instrument recognizes rate of change of methane concentration and, if dangerous, shuts off electrical equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Medvedev, V N

1978-01-01

In the most general form, the existing methane-metering equipment which issues command signals when the maximum permissible value of methane concentration has been reached can be viewed as a recognition system. The algorithm for operation on the principle of evaluating the degree of blow-out danger of the ore atmosphere stipulates the recognition of two situations: 1) ''not dangerous ''(methane concentration below maximum permissible value); 2) ''dangerous'' (disorders in technological process; methane concentration above maximum permissible value). This approach for constructing means for gas protection is optimal only for mines working beds which are not dangerous for sudden blow-outs. However, if we ''train'' the apparatus to recognize what was the reason for increase in methane concentration, ways are afforded for solving the problem of creating an effective methane-metering equipment for mines with sudden blow-outs. Gas-dynamic processes with sudden blow-outs can be distinguished from standard technological, in particular, according to the rate in increase in methane concentration. On this basis, functional plan is proposed for constructing the automatic gas protection for explosiondangerous mines which includes a primary measurement of methane concentration, block of concentration control, block of process recognition, block of command signals, block of information delay, block of measuring the rate of methane concentration, threshold device for the rate of increase in concentration.

Wellbore enlargement investigation: Potential analogs to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant during inadvertent intrusion of the repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boak, D.M.; Dotson, L.; Aguilar, R.

1997-01-01

This study involved the evaluation and documentation of cases in which petroleum wellbores were enlarged beyond the nominal hole diameter as a consequence of erosion during exploratory drilling, particularly as a function of gas flow into the wellbore during blowout conditions. A primary objective was to identify analogs to potential wellbore enlargement at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) during inadvertent human intrusion. Secondary objectives were to identify drilling scenarios associated with enlargement, determine the physical extent of enlargement, and establish the physical properties of the formation in which the enlargement occurred. No analogs of sufficient quality to establish quantitative limits on wellbore enlargement at the WIPP disposal system were identified. However, some information was obtained regarding the frequency of petroleum well blowouts and the likelihood that such blowouts would bridge downhole, self-limiting the surface release of disposal-system material. Further work would be necessary, however, to determine the conditions under which bridging could occur and the extent to which the bridging might be applicable to WIPP. In addition, data on casing sizes of petroleum boreholes in the WIPP vicinity support the use of a 12-1/4 inch borehole size in WIPP performance assessment calculations. Finally, although data are limited, there was no evidence of significant wellbore enlargement in any of three blowouts that occur-red in wellbores in the Delaware Basin (South Culebra Bluff Unit No. 1, Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) 6, and WIPP 12)

Deep impact : destruction and sinking of Deepwater Horizon a blow to offshore industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2010-01-01

In the weeks following the blowout in British Petroleum's (BP) Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, the implications for the industry spread quickly, impacting operations around the world. When the Deepwater Horizon exploded, killing 11 crew members, the immediate impact of the blowout resulted in at least 5,000 barrels per day of oil leaking out of the wellbore. This article discussed the impacts of the oil blowout from the well and the response from BP, rig owner Transocean Ltd., and Haliburton. As of mid-May, 2010, several attempts to plug the well were unsuccessful. Solutions that attempted to block the well from leaking were presented, including several low-tech solutions to attack the two main sources of oil which were the failed blowout preventer and the crumpled up riser resting on the sea floor. The article noted that as a last solution the well could be intersected with a relief well that could block the flow at depth. This option could take two or three months to reach the required depth. The article then discussed the costs of the oil spill to BP, fisheries, the tourism industry, and other hard-hit sectors. It was concluded that similar to the spill caused by the Exxon Valdez in Alaska 21 years ago, the Gulf disaster will affect the image of the industry for years to come. 5 figs.

Pitting attack occurrences of score on aluminum alloy 5182 can-container in a carbonated soft-drink solution; Tansan inryosuichu ni okeru kan`yo aruminiumu gokin 5182 sukoa bu no koshoku hassei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seri, O. [Muroran Inst. of Technology, Hokkaido (Japan); Kanazawa, T. [Muroran Inst. of Technology, Hokkaido (Japan). Graduate School

1997-03-15

The blowout accident of a carbonated soft-drink can stored in a warehouse during summer was reported. It was a cause due to the stress corrosion cracking of aluminium alloy 5182. Though this case occurred in America, it is necessary to grasp the cause and measures supposing the various corrosion occurring conditions, including the case of America, in Japan where it is required high quality control moreover hot and humid climate. When the refreshing drinking can, EOE, on the market immersed in a carbonated soft-drink solution, corrosion occurred from the score. Corrosion form was a pitting corrosion and 20 cans among the 30 cans blew out due to pitting within a week. In this study, in order to clarify the cause of blowouts of score on aluminium alloy 5182 EOE in a carbonated soft-drink solution at 38{plus_minus}2{degree}C, polarization measurements and metallurgical observation were carried out. As a result, it was found that the blowouts are caused by pitting of groove of the score. 3 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab.

Transient flow combustion

Science.gov (United States)

Tacina, R. R.

1984-01-01

Non-steady combustion problems can result from engine sources such as accelerations, decelerations, nozzle adjustments, augmentor ignition, and air perturbations into and out of the compressor. Also non-steady combustion can be generated internally from combustion instability or self-induced oscillations. A premixed-prevaporized combustor would be particularly sensitive to flow transients because of its susceptability to flashback-autoignition and blowout. An experimental program, the Transient Flow Combustion Study is in progress to study the effects of air and fuel flow transients on a premixed-prevaporized combustor. Preliminary tests performed at an inlet air temperature of 600 K, a reference velocity of 30 m/s, and a pressure of 700 kPa. The airflow was reduced to 1/3 of its original value in a 40 ms ramp before flashback occurred. Ramping the airflow up has shown that blowout is more sensitive than flashback to flow transients. Blowout occurred with a 25 percent increase in airflow (at a constant fuel-air ratio) in a 20 ms ramp. Combustion resonance was found at some conditions and may be important in determining the effects of flow transients.

A case of isolated abducens nerve paralysis in maxillofacial trauma

Science.gov (United States)

Keskin, Elif Seda; Keskin, Ekrem; Atik, Bekir; Koçer, Abdülkadir

2015-01-01

Nervus abducens is a pure motor nerve located in the pons. It retracts the eyeball laterally by stimulating rectus lateralis muscle. In case of their paralysis, diplopia and restriction in the eye movements while looking sideways, are seen. Since the same signs are seen due to the muscle entrapment in blowout fractures, its differential diagnosis has importance in terms of the treatment protocol and avoiding unnecessary operations. In this article, we present a 22-year-old male patient who was referred to our department due to the prediagnosis of blowout fracture following maxillofacial trauma. However, he was diagnosed with abducens nerve paralysis after the consultations and analysis and his restriction of movement was resolved via systemic steroid treatment instead of unnecessary operation. PMID:26981484

Disturbance in dry coastal dunes in Denmark promotes diversity of plants and arthropods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brunbjerg, Ane Kirstine; Jørgensen, Gorm Pilgaard; Nielsen, Kristian Mandsberg

2015-01-01

of three disturbance types (burning, trampling and blowouts) on plant and arthropod species richness and composition in dry coastal dunes in Jutland, Denmark. Environmental variables, plant presence–absence and arthropod abundance were measured in 150 1 × 2 m plots along transects in blowouts, burned areas...... on plant and arthropod composition. Indicator species analysis revealed plant and arthropod species indicative for different disturbances. Plant and arthropod species richness and the number of annual plant species generally increased with disturbance, and plant and arthropod richness and composition...... responded differently to different disturbances. Arthropod communities were more diverse in disturbed plots and hosted species often found in early successional habitats of potential conservation value. Disturbance promoted β-diversity, but affected plants more than arthropods, likely because...

Well Integrity for Natural Gas Storage in Depleted Reservoirs and Aquifers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freifeld, Barry [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Oldenburg, Curtis [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Jordan, Preston [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Pan, Lehua [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Perfect, Scott [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Morris, Joseph [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); White, Joshua [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Bauer, Stephen [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Blankenship, Douglas [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Roberts, Barry [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bromhal, Grant [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Glosser, Deborah [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Wyatt, Douglas [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Rose, Kelly [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States)

2016-09-01

The 2015-2016 Aliso Canyon/Porter Ranch natural gas well blowout emitted approximately 100,000 tonnes of natural gas (mostly methane, CH₄) over four months. The blowout impacted thousands of nearby residents, who were displaced from their homes. The high visibility of the event has led to increased scrutiny of the safety of natural gas storage at the Aliso Canyon facility, as well as broader concern for natural gas storage integrity throughout the country. This report presents the findings of the DOE National Laboratories Well Integrity Work Group efforts in the four tasks. In addition to documenting the work of the Work Group, this report presents high priority recommendations to improve well integrity and reduce the likelihood and consequences of subsurface natural gas leaks.

Investigations in fiscal 1983 on promotion of geothermal development. Part 1. Report on investigation of fumarolic environmental effects in Oku-Aizu area; 1983 nendo chinetsu kaihatsu sokushin chosa. 1. Okuaizu chiiki funkichu kankyo eikyo chosa hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1984-03-01

As part of the investigations on promotion of geothermal development, surveys have been carried out in the Oku-Aizu area to identify the existence and/or extent of effects of collecting geothermal fluids above the ground imposed on the environment, such as the natural ecological system. The investigated area is an area of 60 km{sup 2} covering Kawanuma County and Onuma County in Fukushima Prefecture, a mountainous area with undulations. The investigation result may be summarized as follows: the area shows the inland climate and has snow fall as much as 2 m in winter; according to the H2S diffusion prediction, the concentration thereof on the land in seasonal average is 0.7 ppm at maximum, which is a value presenting no problems. No fumarolic effects of SO2 were identified, and floating dust and Hg showed values that present no problems. With regard to water quality during and after the blowout test, no effects of blowout return were identified. The noise level was 41 to 45 phones at a place 100 m distant, and the vibration level has become the lower detection limit at a place 50 m distant. Leveling has discovered no ground movement. No variation in major constituents in thermal spring water was verified before and after the blowout test. (NEDO)

The Threats from Oil Spills: Now, Then, and in the Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jerneloev, Arne (Vienna (Austria)), e-mail: arne.jernelov@chello.at

2010-07-15

The recent oil spill from the blown-out well by the name of Macondo, drilled by the ill-fated rig Deepwater Horizon, has many features in common with another blowout in the Mexican Gulf that happened three decades ago. Then the oil gushed out from the Ixtoc I well drilled by the Sedco 135-F semi-submersible rig. In the years between these catastrophes, the source and nature of oil spills have undergone large changes. Huge spills from tankers that ran aground or collided used to be what caught the headlines and caused large ecological damage. The number and size of such accidental spills have decreased significantly. Instead, spills from ageing, ill-maintained or sabotaged pipelines have increased, and places like Arctic Russia, the Niger Delta, and the northwestern Amazon have become sites of reoccurring oil pollution. As for blowouts, there is no clear trend with regard to the number of incidences or amounts of spilled oil, but deepwater blowouts are much harder to cap and thus tend to go on longer and result in the release of larger quantities of oil. Also, oil exploration and extraction is moving into ever deeper water and into stormier and icier seas, increasing potential risks. The risk for reoccurring spills like the two huge Mexican Gulf ones is eminent and must be reduced

Survived ileocecal blowout from compressed air.

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Marco; Kolbus, Frank; Dressler, Jan; Lessig, Rüdiger

2011-03-01

Industrial accidents with compressed air entering the gastro-intestinal tract often run fatally. The pressures usually over-exceed those used by medical applications such as colonoscopy and lead to vast injuries of the intestines with high mortality. The case described in this report is of a 26-year-old man who was harmed by compressed air that entered through the anus. He survived because of fast emergency operation. This case underlines necessity of explicit instruction considering hazards handling compressed air devices to maintain safety at work. Further, our observations support the hypothesis that the mucosa is the most elastic layer of the intestine wall.

Retrospect of the Ixtoc I blowout

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waldichuk, M

1980-07-01

The short-term consequences of the Ixtoc I oil spill are largely economic; and environmental effects will be minimized by rapid biodegradation in the mild climate of the Gulf of Mexico. Aside from the cost of the cleanup (the U.S. Coast Guard estimated its cost alone was $75,000/day), over 3 million bbl of oil was lost. One diver was killed. Mexico spent $132 million on capping the well and containing the environmental damage, and lost $87 million in oil revenues. Losses to the tourist industry and to commerical fishing, especially on the $100 million/yr Mexican shrimp fishery, are unknown but could be high. The shoreline effects of the oil slick drift; cleanup methods, and future Mexican plans to exploit its oil reserves are discussed.

30 CFR 250.213 - What general information must accompany the EP?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... description and discussion of any new or unusual technology (see definition under § 250.200) you will use to... hydrocarbons. Include the estimated flow rate, total volume, and maximum duration of the potential blowout...

RECURRENT SOLAR JETS INDUCED BY A SATELLITE SPOT AND MOVING MAGNETIC FEATURES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Jie; Su, Jiangtao; Yin, Zhiqiang; Priya, T. G.; Zhang, Hongqi; Xu, Haiqing; Yu, Sijie [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Liu, Jihong, E-mail: chenjie@bao.ac.cn [Shi Jiazhuang University, Shi Jiazhuang, 050035 (China)

2015-12-10

Recurrent and homologous jets were observed to the west edge of active region NOAA 11513 at the boundary of a coronal hole. We find two kinds of cancellations between opposite polarity magnetic fluxes, inducing the generation of recurrent jets. First, a satellite spot continuously collides with a pre-existing opposite polarity magnetic field and causes recurrent solar jets. Second, moving magnetic features, which emerge near the sunspot penumbra, pass through the ambient plasma and eventually collide with the opposite polarity magnetic field. Among these recurrent jets, a blowout jet that occurred around 21:10 UT is investigated. The rotation of the pre-existing magnetic field and the shear motion of the satellite spot accumulate magnetic energy, which creates the possibility for the jet to experience blowout right from the standard.

Effect of various cross-linking types on the physical properties in carbon black-filled natural rubber compound

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, B.H.; Jung, I.G.; Park, S.S. [Kumho Industry Co., Kwangju (Korea)

2001-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of cure type on the processing and physical properties under conditions of similar stress-strain properties. On the carbon black filled natural rubber (NR) based compound, the induction time decreased, but the cure rate became fast with increasing loading of sulfur donor agent. Tensile strength was little affected on the curing type. However, elongation generally decreased with increasing accelerator. Effect of cure type on the blow-out properties was followings: CV[semi-EV][EV][hybrid bond][resin cure]. Version 1 and version 4 exhibited good cutting and chipping resistance compared to other cure systems. Especially, compounds with KA-9188 exhibited processing stability, good reversion and blow-out property without sacrificing tensile properties. It implies that sulfur cure system can be replaced with hybrid-cure system. (author). 9 refs., 6 tabs., 7 figs.

Prediction of parameters affecting the safety of tank farms in case of emergency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gorev Vyacheslav

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The current article demonstrates that the physical nature of blow-out of oil products burning in the tank is connected with overheating and fast vaporization of bottom water accumulated in the tank or on a surface of internal floating roof. It is shown that the period of time, during which the homothermal layer of oil, heated up to the boiling point while burning in the tank, reaches the level of bottom water or the water added in the tank in the process of extinguishing depends on the heat losses into environment through the side surface of the tank. It is determined that blow-out time depends on the water cooled surface area of the tank. It is shown that intensive water cooling extremely decreases the rate of formation of homothermal layer with increasing of its thickness.

METHODOLOGY TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL FOR GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION FROM GEOTHERMAL FLUID RELEASES

Science.gov (United States)

This report provides analytical methods and graphical techniques to predict potential ground water contamination from geothermal energy development. Overflows and leaks from ponds, pipe leaks, well blowouts, leaks from well casing, and migration from injection zones can be handle...

utilizing the tool of gis in oil spill management - a case study of etche

African Journals Online (AJOL)

xtz

Data were collected and imported into GIS environment for analysis using ArcInfo ... identified as the major oil spill distributor. Out of total .... terrestrial traffic accidents, oil well blowout, off shore and ... networks as linear features, and the major.

Evidence of sulfate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation within an area impacted by coalbed methane-related gas migration

Science.gov (United States)

The rapid development of unconventional gas resources has been accompanied by an increase in public awareness regarding the potential effects of drilling operations on drinking water sources. Incidents have been reported involving blowouts (e.g., Converse County, WY; Lawrence Tow...

TECHNICAL BASIS DOCUMENT FOR VENTILATION SYSTEM FILTRATION FAILURE LEADING TO AN UNFILTERED RELEASE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

KOZLOWSKI, S.D.

2005-01-06

This document analyzed three scenarios involving failures of HEPA filtration systems leading to releases from liquid waste tanks. The scenarios are failure due to high temperature (fire), overpressure (filter blowout), and unfiltered release due to filter failure, improper installation. etc.

A Case Report of Traumatic Dislocation of Eyeball

African Journals Online (AJOL)

blowout fracture of the floor of the orbit with intact orbital margins due to trauma resulting in complete dislocation of the globe ... Swelling of both upper and lower lids of RE were .... recovery after traumatic globe displacement into the maxillary.

Dual-Mode Scramjet Flameholding Operability Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Donohue, James M.

2012-01-01

Flameholding measurements were made in two different direct connect combustor facilities that were designed to simulate a cavity flameholder in the flowfield of a hydrocarbon fueled dual-mode scramjet combustor. The presence of a shocktrain upstream of the flameholder has a significant impact on the inlet flow to the combustor and on the flameholding limits. A throttle was installed in the downstream end of the test rigs to provide the needed back-pressurization and decouple the operation of the flameholder from the backpressure formed by heat release and thermal choking, as in a flight engine. Measurements were made primarily with ethylene fuel but a limited number of tests were also performed with heated gaseous JP-7 fuel injection. The flameholding limits were measured by ramping inlet air temperature down until blowout was observed. The tests performed in the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) facility used a hydrogen fueled vitiated air heater, Mach 2.2 and 3.3 inlet nozzles, a scramjet combustor rig with a 1.666 by 6 inch inlet and a 0.65 inch deep cavity. Mean blowout temperature measured at the baseline condition with ethylene fuel, the Mach 2.2 inlet and a cavity pressure of 21 psia was 1502 oR. Flameholding sensitivity to a variety of parameters was assessed. Blowout temperature was found to be most sensitive to fuel injection location and fuel flowrates and surprisingly insensitive to operating pressure (by varying both back-pressurization and inlet flowrate) and inlet Mach number. Video imaging through both the bottom and side wall windows was collected simultaneously and showed that the flame structure was quite unsteady with significant lateral movements as well as movement upstream of the flameholder. Experiments in the University of Virginia (UVa) test facility used a Mach 2 inlet nozzle with a 1 inch by 1.5 inch exit cross section, an aspect ratio of 1.5 versus 3.6 in the UTRC facility. The UVa facility tests were designed to measure the

Ultra-Short Electron Beam Compression and Phase Locking Using an Inverse Free Electron Laser Interaction in the THz Regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moody, J. T.; Musumeci, P.; Scoby, C. M.; To, H.; Marcoux, C.

2010-01-01

The concept of a THz-based IFEL compressor at the UCLA Pegasus photoinjector laboratory is explored. A 3.5 MeV sub-picosecond electron beam generated in the photoinjector blowout regime can be compressed to femtosecond timescales by a THz IFEL interaction.

Inflatable kill packers used in working over Kuwaiti wells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, D. (Baker Oil Tools, Houston, TX (US)); Conover, G. (Baker Service Tools, Houston, TX (US))

1992-03-09

This paper reports on inflatable packers which are being used with great success in post-well capping workover operations in Kuwait oil fields. In mid-January, about one kill packer was being run per day. Use is expected to increase in March when a second post-capping crew arrives. Of several thousand unconventional ideas submitted to Kuwait Oil Co. (KOC) for controlling the well fires left in the aftermath of lst year's Gulf War, only about a dozen were actually used. Inflatable kill packers, designed and manufactured by Baker Service Tools and marketed by Baker Oil Tools, were one of the ideas that proved effective. The kill packers are modifications of Baker's inflatable packers that have successfully been used in capping producers on many blowouts throughout the world, including the Piper Alpha disaster in the North Sea and the Saga blowout offshore Norway.

Analysis on the nitrogen drilling accident of Well Qionglai 1 (I: Major inducement events of the accident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingfeng Meng

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen drilling in poor tight gas sandstone should be safe because of very low gas production. But a serious accident of fire blowout occurred during nitrogen drilling of Well Qionglai 1. This is the first nitrogen drilling accident in China, which was beyond people's knowledge about the safety of nitrogen drilling and brought negative effects on the development of gas drilling technology still in start-up phase and resulted in dramatic reduction in application of gas drilling. In order to form a correct understanding, the accident was systematically analyzed, the major events resulting in this accident were inferred. It is discovered for the first time that violent ejection of rock clasts and natural gas occurred due to the sudden burst of downhole rock when the fractured tight gas zone was penetrated during nitrogen drilling, which has been named as “rock burst and blowout by gas bomb”, short for “rock burst”. Then all the induced events related to the rock burst are as following: upthrust force on drilling string from rock burst, bridging-off formed and destructed repeatedly at bit and centralizer, and so on. However, the most direct important event of the accident turns out to be the blockage in the blooie pipe from rock burst clasts and the resulted high pressure at the wellhead. The high pressure at the wellhead causes the blooie pipe to crack and trigged blowout and deflagration of natural gas, which is the direct presentation of the accident.

Pulsar Wind Bubble Blowout from a Supernova

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blondin, John M. [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202 (United States); Chevalier, Roger A., E-mail: blondin@ncsu.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400325, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325 (United States)

2017-08-20

For pulsars born in supernovae, the expansion of the shocked pulsar wind nebula is initially in the freely expanding ejecta of the supernova. While the nebula is in the inner flat part of the ejecta density profile, the swept-up, accelerating shell is subject to the Rayleigh–Taylor instability. We carried out two- and three-dimensional simulations showing that the instability gives rise to filamentary structure during this initial phase but does not greatly change the dynamics of the expanding shell. The flow is effectively self-similar. If the shell is powered into the outer steep part of the density profile, the shell is subject to a robust Rayleigh–Taylor instability in which the shell is fragmented and the shocked pulsar wind breaks out through the shell. The flow is not self-similar in this phase. For a wind nebula to reach this phase requires that the deposited pulsar energy be greater than the supernova energy, or that the initial pulsar period be in the ms range for a typical 10{sup 51} erg supernova. These conditions are satisfied by some magnetar models for Type I superluminous supernovae. We also consider the Crab Nebula, which may be associated with a low energy supernova for which this scenario applies.

Surgical timing of the orbital "blowout" fracture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Olaf Ehlers; Larsen, Christian Grønhøj; Felding, Ulrik Ascanius

2016-01-01

). Patients were evaluated for diplopia and enophthalmos.  Review Methods: We followed the statements of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses). Pooled odds ratios were estimated with the fixed effects method of Mantel-Haenszel.  Results: We identified 5 studies...... with available outcome data (N = 442). Patients in the late group showed an odds ratio of 3.3 (P =.027) for persistent postoperative diplopia as compared with the early group. We found no significant difference between the groups when assessing postoperative enophthalmos as an isolated symptom.  Conclusion: We...... found a significantly increased risk of persistent diplopia in patients who were operated >14 days after the trauma....

Kuwaiti oil wells blowout - aspects and effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Jassim, F.

1992-01-01

When the Iraqi troops were forced to leave Kuwait, they left behind them the greatest oil catastrophe human beings have ever experienced. Fire plumes of tons of gases of principal pollutants, hydrocarbons, soot and associated metals were ejected up to a height of about 5 km. The retreating forces blew off about 1200 wells all over Kuwait fields. Of these 1200 wells, 614 are on fire. Four firefighting companies were hired to start work immediately after the liberation of Kuwaiti to control these wells. Three of these companies were from the U.S.A. and one from Canada. The number of these companies steadily increased along with logistical support. There are now 28 teams made up of private and multinational companies. This paper will concentrate on two main aspects. The first part will focus on the up-to-date engineering aspects of bringing the blown-out wells under control, focusing on oil well fires and the difficulties encountered, such as equipment availability, ordnance clearance and logistical support. The paper then describes the procedures used to control the wells, and the steps taken to reach this aim are presented. Finally the number of wells controlled, area-wise in different fields, with their original status, is also introduced. The second part will concentrate on the environmental aspects, covering the impact of the plumes on air quality, air pollution and health. The paper then discusses the effect on marine environment, vegetation and the soil. Finally, a forecast, conclusions and recommendations are presented. (author)

77 FR 58567 - Information Collection Activities: Well Control and Production Safety Training, Submitted for...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-21

... manner by well trained personnel using technology, precautions, and other techniques sufficient to prevent or minimize the likelihood of blowouts, loss of well control, fires, spillages, physical... jobs in a safe and pollution-free manner. In some instances, BSEE will conduct oral interviews of...

75 FR 64348 - BOEMRE Information Collection Activity: 1010-0182, Increased Safety Measures for Energy...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-19

... No. BOEM-2010-0052] BOEMRE Information Collection Activity: 1010-0182, Increased Safety Measures for... the likelihood of blowouts, loss of well control, fires, spillages, physical obstruction to other... subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. These events highlight the importance of ensuring safe operations...

On-Off Intermittency and Riddled Basins of Attraction in a Coupled Map System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laugesen, J.; Mosekilde, Erik; Maistrenko, Yu.L.

1998-01-01

state are obtained. Different types of riddling bifurcation are described, and we show how the existence of an absorbing area inside the basin of attraction can account for the distinction between local and global riddling as well as for the distinction between hysteric and non-hysteric blowout....

76 FR 14980 - BOEMRE Information Collection Activity: 1010-0185, Increased Safety Measures for Oil and Gas...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-18

... minimize the likelihood of blowouts, loss of well control, fires, spillages, physical obstructions to other... environment or to property or endanger life or health.'' The interim rule (75 FR 63346), effective October 14... enhance well control; and facilitate a culture of safety through operational and personnel management...

Modeling contractor and company employee behavior in high hazard operation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lin, P.H.; Hanea, D.; Ale, B.J.M.

2013-01-01

The recent blow-out and subsequent environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico have highlighted a number of serious problems in scientific thinking about safety. Risk models have generally concentrated on technical failures, which are easier to model and for which there are more concrete data.

Aortic Stent-Graft Infection Following Septic Complications of a Kidney Stone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, H. Rogier van den; Leijdekkers, Vanessa J.; Vahl, Anco

2006-01-01

A 73-year-old man was treated because of a renal pelvis blowout of the left kidney for which he received a nephrostomy catheter without antibiotic prophylaxis. Almost a year previously this patient had undergone endovascular repair of a symptomatic infrarenal abdominal aorta aneurysm. Four weeks after the diagnosis and treatment of the ruptured renal pelvis, a new computed tomography scan and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration confirmed the diagnosis of infected aortic stent-graft. An extra-anatomic axillo-uniiliac bypass and graft excision was performed. Two weeks after discharge the patient returned to the hospital with an occlusion of his left renal artery and died of renal failure. This is the first time an infected aortic stent-graft after a renal pelvis blowout has been reported. Although infections of aortic stent-grafts occur rarely, one should be aware of the possibility in aortic stent-graft patients undergoing abdominal procedures without antibiotic prophylaxis

Gas production and storage - gas transport and supply. Colloquium 7th conference proceedings; Gasfoerderung und Gasspeicherung - Gastransport und Gasversorgung. Kolloquium 7. Tagungsband

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, S. [ed.] [Technische Univ. Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany). Inst. fuer Bohrtechnik und Fluidbergbau; Koeckritz, V. [comp.

1999-07-01

The colloquium papers discuss trends in gas supply engineering, automtion of gas storages, liberalisation of the gas market, and gas management systems in integrated supply systems. Rock-mechanical problems of natural gas storage caverns are mentioned. Further subjects are gas extraction rom coal seams, power generation from gas in fuel cells, a model for blowout calculation of real gases, and vortex tubes in gas pressure reduction systems. 19 contributions have been recorded separately in this database. [German] Die einzelnen Beitraege des Kolloquiums befassen sich mit den Entwicklungen in der Gasversorgungstechnik, mit der Automatisierung von Gasspeichern, mit der Liberalisierung des Gasmarktes sowie mit Gasmanagementsystemen in Verbundnetzen. Neben der Gasspeicherung in Porenspeichern und Salzkavernen, deren Sicherheit und der Soleversenkung, sind Betraege zu gebirgsmechanischen Problemen in Erdgasspeicherkavernen enthalten. Weitere Themen sind die Gasfoerderung aus Steinkohlefloezen, die Energieerzeugung aus Gas in Brennstoffzellen, ein Modell zur Blowout-Berechnung realer Gase sowie Wirbelrohre in Anlagen zur Gasdruckminderung. Fuer die Datenbank Energy wurden 19 Beitraege separat aufgenommen.

High-voltage safety fuses for the transition-radiation tracking detector in the ATLAS experiment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voronov, SA; Voronov, YA; Onishchenko, EM; Simakov, AB; Sosnovtsev, VV; Suchkov, SI; Sugrobova, TA

2004-01-01

A safety fuse has been designed for the electrical protection of gas-filled detectors in the ATLAS experiment at CERN (Geneva, Switzerland). The fuse is a polished lithium niobate plate with a titanium strip of 91-kOmega resistance deposited by the photolithographic technique. The forced blow-out

78 FR 20832 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products and Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-08

... showerheads included a variety of brands and styles. In general, there were four basic flow control designs... Blowout Water Closets In written comments submitted to DOE, NRDC and the Appliance Standards Awareness... advertise flush volume ratings of high-efficiency flushometer water closets and urinals would be able to do...

77 FR 22602 - Information Collection Activities: Well Control and Production Safety Training, Submitted for...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-16

... Continental Shelf should be conducted in a safe manner by well trained personnel using technology, precautions, and other techniques sufficient to prevent or minimize the likelihood of blowouts, loss of well... to perform their jobs in a safe and pollution-free manner. In some instances, BSEE will conduct oral...

Diplopia and Orbital Wall Fractures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boffano, P.; Roccia, F.; Gallesio, C.; Karagozoglu, K.H.; Forouzanfar, T.

2014-01-01

Diplopia is a symptom that is frequently associated with orbital wall fractures. The aim of this article was to present the incidence and patterns of diplopia after orbital wall blow-out fractures in 2 European centers, Turin and Amsterdam, and to identify any correlation between this symptom and

Diplopia and orbital wall fractures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boffano, P.; Roccia, F.; Gallesio, C.; Karagozoglu, K.H.; Forouzanfar, T.

2014-01-01

Diplopia is a symptom that is frequently associated with orbital wall fractures. The aim of this article was to present the incidence and patterns of diplopia after orbital wall blow-out fractures in 2 European centers, Turin and Amsterdam, and to identify any correlation between this symptom and

What if Things Get Worse? Really Grand Challenges for Modeling and Simulation in a Risky and Complex World or Modeling and Simulation for the "Greater Good"?

Science.gov (United States)

Fifrey, Priscilla

2010-01-01

Today Modeling and Simulation-- ---as an important practice or industry or area of expertise ----- is at a complex crossroad - a sort of cyber-highway--where these complexities meet-technical, economic, environmental, geopolitical and cultural. They may converge or collide. Let's not kid ourselves. It is all too much for anyone person or organization Malcolm Gladwell said it. "We have constructed a world in which the potential for high tech catastrophe is embedded in the fabric of everyday life." We are surrounded by problems that scream at us from our television, Internet and social networks along with billboards and protest signs. We face not just high tech catastrophes but, also, landslides, earthquakes, tornados, floods and hurricanes and large-scale criminality. Evil, war, famine and pestilence have not gone away. It is all too much to think about. My friend, George Peabody, who taught me everything I know about power said that addressing such issues requires that we constantly build our network, information resources and the credibility and visibility of our work. That is how we will build the power of simulation so it can change the world --even maybe, save it. We need all the help we can get and give one another because our human early warning systems appear to be out of kilter. We seem to have trouble imagining how small failings can continue to lead to catastrophic disaster. Think about O-rings and blowout preventers. One is reminded of the old nursery rhyme, "For want of a nail, a shoe was lost! for want of a shoe the horse was lost! for want of a rider the battle was lost and so the kingdom fell." Although the investigation will take more time for real answers, it is worrisome that a rig worker reported to the BBC that-- weeks before the explosion of Deep Ocean Horizon. -he identified a leak in the oil rig's safety equipment -the Control Pod of the blowout preventer which has giant shears designed to cut and seal off the well's main pipe. With both

Effect of Prolong Exposure to Gas Flaring on some Haematological ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

MICHAEL

Pollution of the air, land and water from gas flares or common oil blowouts and spill are regular occurrence in the region (Njeze, 1983). It has being suggested that though complete combustion process creates relatively innocuous gases such as carbon dioxide and water, such complete combustion is rarely achieved by ...

Extinction of laminar partially premixed flames

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aggarwal, Suresh K. [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, 842 W. Taylor Street, Room 2039, MC-251, Chicago, IL 60607-7022 (United States)

2009-12-15

Flame extinction represents one of the classical phenomena in combustion science. It is important to a variety of combustion systems in transportation and power generation applications. Flame extinguishment studies are also motivated from the consideration of fire safety and suppression. Such studies have generally considered non-premixed and premixed flames, although fires can often originate in a partially premixed mode, i.e., fuel and oxidizer are partially premixed as they are transported to the reaction zone. Several recent investigations have considered this scenario and focused on the extinction of partially premixed flames (PPFs). Such flames have been described as hybrid flames possessing characteristics of both premixed and non-premixed flames. This paper provides a review of studies dealing with the extinction of PPFs, which represent a broad family of flames, including double, triple (tribrachial), and edge flames. Theoretical, numerical and experimental studies dealing with the extinction of such flames in coflow and counterflow configurations are discussed. Since these flames contain both premixed and non-premixed burning zones, a brief review of the dilution-induced extinction of premixed and non-premixed flames is also provided. For the coflow configuration, processes associated with flame liftoff and blowout are described. Since lifted non-premixed jet flames often contain a partially premixed or an edge-flame structure prior to blowout, the review also considers such flames. While the perspective of this review is broad focusing on the fundamental aspects of flame extinction and blowout, results mostly consider flame extinction caused by the addition of a flame suppressant, with relevance to fire suppression on earth and in space environment. With respect to the latter, the effect of gravity on the extinction of PPFs is discussed. Future research needs are identified. (author)

First field example of remediation of unwanted migration from a natural CO2 reservoir: The Bečej Field, Serbia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Karas, D.; Demić, I.; Kultysheva, K.; Antropov, A.; Blagojević, M.; Neele, F.; Pluymaekers, M.; Orlić, B.

2016-01-01

The Bečej field, discovered in 1951 by the Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS), is one of the largest natural CO2 fields in Europe. Uncontrolled migration of CO2 out of the main reservoir, leading to subsurface seepage and surface leakage, was caused by the Bč-5 well blowout in 1968. Remediation

Applications to marine disaster prevention spilled oil and gas tracking buoy system

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

This book focuses on the recent results of the research project funded by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 23226017) from FY 2011 to FY 2015 on an autonomous spilled oil and gas tracking buoy system and its applications to marine disaster prevention systems from a scientific point of view. This book spotlights research on marine disaster prevention systems related to incidents involving oil tankers and offshore platforms, approaching these problems from new scientific and technological perspectives. The most essential aspect of this book is the development of a deep-sea underwater robot for real-time monitoring of blowout behavior of oil and gas from the seabed and of a new type of autonomous surface vehicle for real-time tracking and monitoring of oil spill spread and drift on the sea surface using an oil sensor. The mission of these robots is to provide the simulation models for gas and oil blowouts or spilled oil drifting on the sea surface w...

Orbital apex syndrome associated with fractures of the inferomedial orbital wall

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sugamata A

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Akira SugamataDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center, Tokyo, JapanAbstract: Although trauma is one of the main causes of orbital apex syndrome (OAS, reports of OAS associated with orbital fractures are relatively rare. We recently treated two patients who sustained severe visual impairment with damage to multiple cranial nerves (third to sixth associated with inferomedial orbital wall fractures. In these patients, posterior movement of the globe caused neuropathy of the cranial and optic nerves by posterior globe edema and hemorrhage, or direct impact between the globe and wall, which might then have induced OAS in the cases described in this report. Steroid therapy was unsuccessful for optic neuropathy due to the delay between injury and administration. When treating patients with inferomedial orbital blowout fractures due to globe-to-wall contact, it is necessary to routinely assess and monitor visual acuity since there may be a delay between the injury and OAS onset.Keywords: orbital apex syndrome, orbital fracture, blowout fracture, optic nerve, globe-to-wall contact mechanism

MT Lajpatrai blow-out studies at Bombay harbour

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Fondekar, S.P.

The area around the tanker MT Lajpatrai was monitored for oil pollution studies. Measurements were carried out on the concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in water and sediment samples along with visual observations on oil slicks...

Maxillofacial trauma due to road traffic accidents in Benin City ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Distribution of maxillofacial bone and soft tissue injuries by vehicle type as well as associated injuries were documented. Results: The minibus was the vehicle type most often involved (36.2%) and tyre blowout (21.2%) was identified as the most common contributory factor. Males 117 (37.5%) in the 21 – 30 year- age range ...

Demography and monitoring of Welsh's milkweed (Asclepias welshii) at Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Science.gov (United States)

Brent C. Palmer; L. Armstrong

2001-01-01

Results are presented of a 12-year monitoring program on the Coral Pink Sand Dunes and Sand Hills populations of the threatened Welsh's milkweed, Asclepias welshii N & P Holmgren. The species is an early sera1 member of the dune flora, colonizing blowouts and advancing with shifting dunes. When an area stabilizes and other vegetation encroaches, A. welshii is...

Emergency preparedness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, J. [Key Safety and Blowout Control Corp., Sylvan Lake, AB (Canada)

2001-07-01

This presentation included several slides depicting well control and emergency preparedness. It provided information to help in pre-emergency planning for potential well control situations. Key Safety and Blowout Control Corp has gained experience in the Canadian and International well control industry as well as from the fires of Kuwait. The president of the company lectures on the complications and concerns of managers, wellsite supervisors, service companies, the public sector, land owners, government agencies and the media. The slides presented scenarios based on actual blowout recovery assignments and described what types of resources are needed by a well control team. The presentation addressed issues such as the responsibility of a well control team and what they can be expected to do. The issue of how government agencies become involved was also discussed. The presentation combines important information and descriptive images of personal experiences in fire fighting and well control. The emergency situations presented here demonstrate the need for a thorough understanding of preplanning for emergencies and what to expect when a typical day in the oil patch turns into a high stress, volatile situation. tabs., figs.

ON THE OBSERVATION AND SIMULATION OF SOLAR CORONAL TWIN JETS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Jiajia; Wang, Yuming; Zhang, Quanhao [CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, NO. 96, Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Fang, Fang [Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303 (United States); McIntosh, Scott W.; Fan, Yuhong [High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307 (United States)

2016-02-01

We present the first observation, analysis, and modeling of solar coronal twin jets, which occurred after a preceding jet. Detailed analysis on the kinetics of the preceding jet reveals its blowout-jet nature, which resembles the one studied in Liu et al. However, the erupting process and kinetics of the twin jets appear to be different from the preceding one. Lacking detailed information on the magnetic fields in the twin jet region, we instead use a numerical simulation using a three-dimensional (3D) MHD model as described in Fang et al., and find that in the simulation a pair of twin jets form due to reconnection between the ambient open fields and a highly twisted sigmoidal magnetic flux, which is the outcome of the further evolution of the magnetic fields following the preceding blowout jet. Based on the similarity between the synthesized and observed emission, we propose this mechanism as a possible explanation for the observed twin jets. Combining our observation and simulation, we suggest that with continuous energy transport from the subsurface convection zone into the corona, solar coronal twin jets could be generated in the same fashion addressed above.

The impact of water depth on safety and environmental performance in offshore oil and gas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muehlenbachs, Lucija; Cohen, Mark A.; Gerarden, Todd

2013-01-01

This paper reports on an empirical analysis of company-reported incidents on oil and gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico between 1996 and 2010. During these years, there was a dramatic increase in the water depths at which offshore oil and gas is extracted. Controlling for platform characteristics such as age, quantity of oil and gas produced, and number of producing wells, we find that incidents (such as blowouts, injuries, and oil spills) are positively correlated with deeper water. Controlling for these and other characteristics, for an average platform, each 100 feet of added depth increases the probability of a company-reported incident by 8.5%. While further research into the causal connections between water depth and platform risks is warranted, this study highlights the potential value of increased monitoring of deeper water platforms. - Highlights: ► Analysis of performance indicators for oil production platforms in Gulf of Mexico. ► In recent years there have been dramatic increases in the water depths at which offshore oil and gas is extracted. ► Self-reported incidents (e.g. blowouts, injuries, spills) increase with water depth

Beyond injection: Trojan horse underdense photocathode plasma wakefield acceleration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hidding, B.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Xi, Y.; O' Shea, B.; Andonian, G.; Schiller, D.; Barber, S.; Williams, O.; Pretzler, G.; Koenigstein, T.; Kleeschulte, F.; Hogan, M. J.; Litos, M.; Corde, S.; White, W. W.; Muggli, P.; Bruhwiler, D. L.; Lotov, K. [Institut fuer Laser- und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universitaet Duesseldorf 40225 Duesseldorf (Germany) and Particle Beam Physics Laboratory, Department for Physics and Astronomy, UCLA (United States); Particle Beam Physics Laboratory, Department for Physics and Astronomy, UCLA (United States); Institut fuer Laser- und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universitaet Duesseldorf 40225 Duesseldorf (Germany); Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (United States); Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany); Tech-X Corporation, Boulder, Colorado (United States) and 1348 Redwood Ave., Boulder, Colorado 80304 (United States); Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics SB RAS, 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation) and Novosibirsk State University, 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

2012-12-21

An overview on the underlying principles of the hybrid plasma wakefield acceleration scheme dubbed 'Trojan Horse' acceleration is given. The concept is based on laser-controlled release of electrons directly into a particle-beam-driven plasma blowout, paving the way for controlled, shapeable electron bunches with ultralow emittance and ultrahigh brightness. Combining the virtues of a low-ionization-threshold underdense photocathode with the GV/m-scale electric fields of a practically dephasing-free beam-driven plasma blowout, this constitutes a 4th generation electron acceleration scheme. It is applicable as a beam brightness transformer for electron bunches from LWFA and PWFA systems alike. At FACET, the proof-of-concept experiment 'E-210: Trojan Horse Plasma Wakefield Acceleration' has recently been approved and is in preparation. At the same time, various LWFA facilities are currently considered to host experiments aiming at stabilizing and boosting the electron bunch output quality via a trojan horse afterburner stage. Since normalized emittance and brightness can be improved by many orders of magnitude, the scheme is an ideal candidate for light sources such as free-electron-lasers and those based on Thomson scattering and betatron radiation alike.

An application of dynamic CT for diagnosis of abnormal external ocular muscle movement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomita, Kazumi; Ogura, Yuuko; Takeshita, Gen; Koga, Sukehiko; Katada, Kazuhiro; Anno, Hirofumi.

1993-01-01

To evaluate the movements of retrobulbar structures radiologically, we have developed a new technique called 'external ocular muscle movement CT' (EOM CT), in which dynamic CT scanning is performed while the patient performs controlled eye movements. This new technique was applied in one volunteer and 72 patients with external ophthalmoplegia due to orbital mass lesion, hyperthyroid ophthalmopathy, blowout fracture, and other retrobulbar lesions. EOM CT permits the assessment of extraocular muscle contraction in cases of blowout fracture, the evaluation of muscular contraction in hypertrophy of the extraocular muscles, and the diagnosis of adhesions between the extraocular muscles and intraorbital masses. Radiation dose to the lens from EOM CT was measured using a phantom and TLD, and was compared with that of conventional CT scanning with a 5 mm slice thickness. The dose to the lens from EOM CT was three times higher than that for conventional CT in axial scanning, but in the coronal section of the retrobulbar region, the dose to the lens from EOM CT decreases to one twelfth of that of conventional CT. EOM CT promises to be a powerful modality for functional evaluation of the extraocular muscles and other retrobulbar structures. (author)

On the Observation and Simulation of Solar Coronal Twin Jets

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiajia; Fang, Fang; Wang, Yuming; McIntosh, Scott W.; Fan, Yuhong; Zhang, Quanhao

2016-02-01

We present the first observation, analysis, and modeling of solar coronal twin jets, which occurred after a preceding jet. Detailed analysis on the kinetics of the preceding jet reveals its blowout-jet nature, which resembles the one studied in Liu et al. However, the erupting process and kinetics of the twin jets appear to be different from the preceding one. Lacking detailed information on the magnetic fields in the twin jet region, we instead use a numerical simulation using a three-dimensional (3D) MHD model as described in Fang et al., and find that in the simulation a pair of twin jets form due to reconnection between the ambient open fields and a highly twisted sigmoidal magnetic flux, which is the outcome of the further evolution of the magnetic fields following the preceding blowout jet. Based on the similarity between the synthesized and observed emission, we propose this mechanism as a possible explanation for the observed twin jets. Combining our observation and simulation, we suggest that with continuous energy transport from the subsurface convection zone into the corona, solar coronal twin jets could be generated in the same fashion addressed above.

Analysis of Flow Migration in an Ultra-Compact Combustor

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

Computational Fluid Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 UNICORN Unsteady Ignition and Combustion with Reactions . . . . 8 LBO Lean Blowout...the magnitude of enhanced flame speeds due to g- loading using the UNICORN CFD code. The study examined flame propagation for a hydrogen-air mixture in...obstruction into the lower momentum fluid. The downwash rolls up into a vortex that is then swept around the obstruction and grows as it convects downstream

Deep-sea benthic footprint of the deepwater horizon blowout.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul A Montagna

Full Text Available The Deepwater Horizon (DWH accident in the northern Gulf of Mexico occurred on April 20, 2010 at a water depth of 1525 meters, and a deep-sea plume was detected within one month. Oil contacted and persisted in parts of the bottom of the deep-sea in the Gulf of Mexico. As part of the response to the accident, monitoring cruises were deployed in fall 2010 to measure potential impacts on the two main soft-bottom benthic invertebrate groups: macrofauna and meiofauna. Sediment was collected using a multicorer so that samples for chemical, physical and biological analyses could be taken simultaneously and analyzed using multivariate methods. The footprint of the oil spill was identified by creating a new variable with principal components analysis where the first factor was indicative of the oil spill impacts and this new variable mapped in a geographic information system to identify the area of the oil spill footprint. The most severe relative reduction of faunal abundance and diversity extended to 3 km from the wellhead in all directions covering an area about 24 km(2. Moderate impacts were observed up to 17 km towards the southwest and 8.5 km towards the northeast of the wellhead, covering an area 148 km(2. Benthic effects were correlated to total petroleum hydrocarbon, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and barium concentrations, and distance to the wellhead; but not distance to hydrocarbon seeps. Thus, benthic effects are more likely due to the oil spill, and not natural hydrocarbon seepage. Recovery rates in the deep sea are likely to be slow, on the order of decades or longer.

Inductive shearing of drilling pipe

Science.gov (United States)

Ludtka, Gerard M.; Wilgen, John; Kisner, Roger; Mcintyre, Timothy

2016-04-19

Induction shearing may be used to cut a drillpipe at an undersea well. Electromagnetic rings may be built into a blow-out preventer (BOP) at the seafloor. The electromagnetic rings create a magnetic field through the drillpipe and may transfer sufficient energy to change the state of the metal drillpipe to shear the drillpipe. After shearing the drillpipe, the drillpipe may be sealed to prevent further leakage of well contents.

Effect of diagenesis on pore pressures in fine-grained rocks in the Egersund Basin, Central North Sea

OpenAIRE

Kalani, Mohsen; Zadeh, Mohammad Koochak; Jahren, Jens; Mondol, Nazmul Haque; Faleide, Jan Inge

2015-01-01

- Pore pressure in fine-grained rocks is important with respect to drilling problems such as kicks, blowouts, borehole instability, stuck pipe and lost circulation. In this study, a succession of overpressured, fine-grained, sedimentary rocks located in the Egersund Basin, Central North Sea, was analysed with respect to mineralogical composition, source-rock maturation and log-derived petrophysical properties to highlight the effect of diagenetic processes on the pore pressure. Pe...

Preparing for the worst : Calgary startup brings emergency response into the digital age

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M.

2009-01-01

The potential danger of blowouts and oil spills is present in areas with high concentration of energy facilities and infrastructure. Ensuring that all possible measures have been taken to alert residents as early as possible is one way to alleviate fears of well blowouts, gas processing plant leaks, pipeline failures, or refinery or upgrader explosions. This article presented the GeoAlert, a high technology solution developed by Cell Bridge Communications Corporation to bring emergency response into the modern communications era. The features, benefits, and applications of GeoAlert were described. The program is a web-based emergency notification geographic information system application, that created a digital audit trail, and served as an internal communications and training platform, and had the potential to eliminate duplication among oil companies with overlapping jurisdictions. The system enabled companies to program emergency zones based on precise geographical co-ordinates and to use the system to proactively manage emergency response. It was concluded that the most visually striking feature of GeoAlert is its three-dimensional satellite mapping technology, which could display plumes as a purple-coloured initial isolation zone laid over designated emergency planning zones, moving in real-time while automatically identifying who should be notified and when. 1 fig.

Basic Technology and Clinical Applications of the Updated Model of Laser Speckle Flowgraphy to Ocular Diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tetsuya Sugiyama

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG allows for quantitative estimation of blood flow in the optic nerve head (ONH, choroid and retina, utilizing the laser speckle phenomenon. The basic technology and clinical applications of LSFG-NAVI, the updated model of LSFG, are summarized in this review. For developing a commercial version of LSFG, the special area sensor was replaced by the ordinary charge-coupled device camera. In LSFG-NAVI, the mean blur rate (MBR has been introduced as a new parameter. Compared to the original LSFG model, LSFG-NAVI demonstrates a better spatial resolution of the blood flow map of human ocular fundus. The observation area is 24 times larger than the original system. The analysis software can separately calculate MBRs in the blood vessels and tissues (capillaries of an entire ONH and the measurements have good reproducibility. The absolute values of MBR in the ONH have been shown to linearly correlate with the capillary blood flow. The Analysis of MBR pulse waveform provides parameters including skew, blowout score, blowout time, rising and falling rates, flow acceleration index, acceleration time index, and resistivity index for comparing different eyes. Recently, there have been an increasing number of reports on the clinical applications of LSFG-NAVI to ocular diseases, including glaucoma, retinal and choroidal diseases.

Methane Flux to the Atmosphere from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Leak

Science.gov (United States)

Yvon-Lewis, S. A.; Hu, L.; Kessler, J. D.; Garcia Tigreros, F.; Chan, E. W.; Du, M.

2010-12-01

The unfortunate blowout at the BP Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil rig on April 20, which killed 11 people, was releasing oil and methane at an average rate of 58,000 barrels per day into the deep ocean, until it was recently capped resulting in a total of 4.9 million barrels released (National Incident Command Report, 2010). The methane component of the emission was estimated at 40-60%. As part of a NSF funded RAPID award, the sea-to-air flux of methane from the blowout at the Deepwater Horizon was measured on board the R/V Cape Hatteras from June 11-20 with substantial spatial and temporal resolution over the course of seven days in June 2010. Air and water concentrations were analyzed continuously from a flowing air line and a continuously flowing seawater equilibrator using cavity ring-down spectrometers (CRDS) and a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The results indicate a low flux of methane to the atmosphere (0.024 μmol m^{-2} d^{-1}) with atmospheric and seawater equilibrium mixing ratios averaging 1.86 ppm and 2.85 ppm, respectively within the survey area. Most of the methane emitted from the wellhead was not emitted to the atmosphere. It dissolved into the water column at depth.

OBSERVATIONS OF A SERIES OF FLARES AND ASSOCIATED JET-LIKE ERUPTIONS DRIVEN BY THE EMERGENCE OF TWISTED MAGNETIC FIELDS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lim, Eun-Kyung; Yurchyshyn, Vasyl; Kim, Sujin; Cho, Kyung-Suk; Kumar, Pankaj; Kim, Yeon-Han [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Sung-Hong [Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS), National Observatory of Athens, Penteli 15236 (Greece); Chae, Jongchul; Yang, Heesu; Cho, Kyuhyoun; Song, Donguk, E-mail: eklim@kasi.re.kr [Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-01-20

We studied temporal changes of morphological and magnetic properties of a succession of four confined flares followed by an eruptive flare using the high-resolution New Solar Telescope (NST) operating at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) magnetograms and Atmospheric Image Assembly (AIA) EUV images provided by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). From the NST/Hα and the SDO/AIA 304 Å observations we found that each flare developed a jet structure that evolved in a manner similar to evolution of the blowout jet: (1) an inverted-Y-shaped jet appeared and drifted away from its initial position; (2) jets formed a curtain-like structure that consisted of many fine threads accompanied by subsequent brightenings near the footpoints of the fine threads; and finally, (3) the jet showed a twisted structure visible near the flare maximum. Analysis of the HMI data showed that both the negative magnetic flux and the magnetic helicity have been gradually increasing in the positive-polarity region, indicating the continuous injection of magnetic twist before and during the series of flares. Based on these results, we suggest that the continuous emergence of twisted magnetic flux played an important role in producing successive flares and developing a series of blowout jets.

Fatal bleeding in a nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient after concurrent chemoradiation plus cetuximab: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng LY

2013-06-01

Full Text Available LingYan Zheng,1 SenXiang Yan,1 Danfang Yan,1 JingSong Yang,1 YiXiang Wang2 1Department of Radiation Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Organ Imaging, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong KongAbstract: Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS refers to the clinical signs and symptoms related to rupture of the carotid artery (CA and its branches, which mainly results from malignant invasion of the CA by head and neck cancers. Here, we present a 46-year-old male patient who suffered from nasopharyngeal carcinoma and was treated with a combination of chemoradiation and cetuximab. The patient was stage IVb (T4N2M0 clinically, with encasement of the left internal carotid artery, as shown on pretreatment magnetic resonance imaging. Three months after completion of radiotherapy, the patient died of sudden massive epistaxis. CBS is a lethal complication of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, so the risk of CBS should be carefully assessed in patients with imaging showing CA encasement. Till now, the precise prediction and prevention of CBS remain to be explored. Keywords: nasopharyngeal carcinoma, carotid blowout syndrome, diagnosis, cetuximab, prevention

ON THE MAGNETIC AND ENERGY CHARACTERISTICS OF RECURRENT HOMOLOGOUS JETS FROM AN EMERGING FLUX

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Jiajia; Wang, Yuming; Liu, Rui; Gou, Tingyu; Chen, Jun; Liu, Kai; Liu, Lijuan; Pan, Zonghao [CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Erdélyi, Robertus [Solar Physics and Space Plasma Research Center (SP2RC), School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH (United Kingdom); McIntosh, Scott W., E-mail: ljj128@ustc.edu.cn [High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307 (United States)

2016-12-20

In this paper, we present the detailed analysis of recurrent homologous jets originating from an emerging negative magnetic flux at the edge of an active region. The observed jets show multithermal features. Their evolution shows high consistence with the characteristic parameters of the emerging flux, suggesting that with more free magnetic energy, the eruptions tend to be more violent, frequent, and blowout-like. The average temperature, average electron number density, and axial speed are found to be similar for different jets, indicating that they should have been formed by plasmas from similar origins. Statistical analysis of the jets and their footpoint region conditions reveals a strong positive relationship between the footpoint region total 131 Å intensity enhancement and jets’ length/width. Stronger linearly positive relationships also exist between the total intensity enhancement/thermal energy of the footpoint regions and jets’ mass/kinetic/thermal energy, with higher cross-correlation coefficients. All the above results together confirm the direct relationship between the magnetic reconnection and the jets and validate the important role of magnetic reconnection in transporting large amounts of free magnetic energy into jets. It is also suggested that there should be more free energy released during the magnetic reconnection of blowout than of standard jet events.

Transverse instability and riddled basins in a system of two coupled logistic maps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maistrenko, Yu.L.; Maistrenko, V.L.; Popovich, A.

1998-01-01

The paper examines the conditions for the appearance of riddled basins of attraction for a system of two symmetrically coupled logistic maps. We determine the regions in parameter space where the transverse Lyapunov exponent is negative and obtain the bifurcation curves for the transverse...... destabilization of low-periodic orbits embedded in the synchronized chaotic state. The changes in the attractor and its basin of attraction when scanning accross the riddling and blowout bifurcations are explained....

The Science of Emissions from Alternative Fuels

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

University of Washington. Katta, V. R, Newman -Lehman, T., Seshadri K., and Roquemore, W. M., “Lean blowout limits for JP-8 and their parent components...homolysis reaction to form the m-xylyl and hydrogen radicals was replaced with a Troe- style fall-off rate expression. An additional modification to...present in each system. In addition to modifications made to the m-xylene parent fuel reaction set, additional modifications were made to the

Identifying and evaluating high risk areas and challenges on marine drilling riser system in relation to deepwater problems

OpenAIRE

Iversen, Alexander

2012-01-01

Master's thesis in Offshore technology The main concerns during drilling operations are riser integrity and maintaining well control. This thesis has mainly been focusing on the problems and challenges faced with the marine riser system to illuminate high risk areas related to riser integrity. A marine riser system consists generally of four main elements; the upper marine riser package, riser joints, lower marine riser package, and the blowout preventer, each playing an important par...

Mechanical energy release in CABRI-2 experiments with Viggen-4 fuel pins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolff, J.

1993-07-01

The results of mechanical energy release evaluations in CABRI-2 experiments with Viggen-4 fuel pins (12 atom % burnup) are described. In general the experience gained by the CABRI-1 experiments is confirmed. Those physical phenomena are enhanced which are influenced by the release of fission products. Especially the late blow-out of pressurized fission gases from the lower test pin plenum led to large flow variations. The corresponding mechanical power releases are low

Dynamic Analysis procedure for fluid kicks in hydrocarbon wells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gavignet, A

1989-02-10

A method for analyzing fluid kicks in wells during drilling, in order to assess the risk of a blowout, is presented. An automatic data acquisition and processing system is used to analyze pressure data from transient flow regimes of the drill slurries to determine the nature of the fluid in the borehole (gas, liquid, mixture). The method can be used even if the fluid flowing into the borehole is in an horizontal section of the well.

Comparison of Laminar and Linear Eddy Model Closures for Combustion Instability Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-01

methane at 300 K. The remainder of the combustor is filled with a mix of H2O and CO2 at 1500 K, which allows the methane to auto - ignite rapidly. Prior work...phenomena such as flame blowout, ignition , extinction, acoustic interaction, and transient events can occur. Many of these models have fundamental...profile, the profile is compressed to one third of the length, copied twice with the middle section reversed to conserve mass and energy. The size

Multidimensional Plasma Wake Excitation in the Non-linear Blowout Regime

CERN Document Server

Vieira, J.; Silva, L.O.

2016-01-01

Plasma accelerators can sustain very high acceleration gradients. They are promising candidates for future generations of particle accelerators for sev- eral scientific, medical and technological applications. Current plasma based acceleration experiments operate in the relativistic regime, where the plasma response is strongly non-linear. We outline some of the key properties of wake- field excitation in these regimes. We outline a multidimensional theory for the excitation of plasma wakefields in connection with current experiments. We then use these results and provide design guidelines for the choice of laser and plasma parameters ensuring a stable laser wakefield accelerator that maximizes the quality of the accelerated electrons. We also mention some of the future challenges associated with this technology.

[Renal hemorrhage after ESWL: From small hematoma to renal blowout].

Science.gov (United States)

Panach-Navarrete, Jorge; Palmero Martí, Jose Luis; Ganau Ituren, Amparo; Pastor Lence, Juan Carlos; Benedicto Redón, Antonio

2016-04-01

To report two cases of renal hemorrhage after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and their therapeutic management. Description of the clinical cases, together with the diagnosis and therapeutic management of these complications. We present two cases of patients with renal hemorrhage after ESWL, which were performed without immediate complications. One of the cases, after detecting an important laceration of the renal parenchyma, needed two embolization sessions for its short-term resolution; however, the patient finally passed away due to the complications derived from hemorrhage. The other case was solved through conservative management. Even though hemorrhage is an infrequent complication after ESWL, it should be suspected when the patient presents compatible clinical symptoms, since even though most cases are resolved in a conservative manner, on some occasions specific treatments for the hemorrhage are necessary. Old age and the presence of vascular comorbidities seem to be related to a higher risk of hemorrhage after ESWL.

8. report of the Standing Senate Committee on energy, the environment and natural resources : facts do not justify banning Canada's current offshore drilling operations : a Senate review in the wake of BP's Deepwater Horizon incident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Angus, W.D.; Mitchell, G. (comps.)

2010-08-15

The blowout of BP's Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico has prompted many drilling practice reviews worldwide. This review by Canada's Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources investigated Canadian offshore drilling practices. It showed that the risk of an offshore accident is quite low, partly because of the small amount of drilling currently underway in Canada. As a result, the committee recommended against a moratorium on offshore drilling. The study found that Canada's regulations for safety are more stringent than regulations in the United States. This report has elicited further reviews of liability and responsibility issues regarding offshore drilling. The Canadian legislation specifies that oil and gas companies are responsible for all spill clean-up costs and damage compensation. A $30 million absolute liability fund covers blowout costs for drilling in Canada's east offshore coast. A second civil liability fund requires drilling companies to provide Canadian regulators access to $70 million to cover damages from fault or negligence in offshore drilling. In addition, well operators may be required to provide evidence that they have a minimum of $250 million to fund well control, well safety and spill cleanup expenses. This report recommended a comprehensive review of liability, including whether thresholds should be adjusted to reflect current economic realities. refs., tabs., figs.

Pulse waveform analysis on temporal changes in ocular blood flow due to caffeine intake: a comparative study between habitual and non-habitual groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Aishah; Bhatti, Mehwish S; Faye, Ibrahima; Lu, Cheng Kai; Laude, Augustinus; Tang, Tong Boon

2018-06-06

To evaluate and compare the temporal changes in pulse waveform parameters of ocular blood flow (OBF) between non-habitual and habitual groups due to caffeine intake. This study was conducted on 19 healthy subjects (non-habitual 8; habitual 11), non-smoking and between 21 and 30 years of age. Using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG), three areas of optical nerve head were analyzed which are vessel, tissue, and overall, each with ten pulse waveform parameters, namely mean blur rate (MBR), fluctuation, skew, blowout score (BOS), blowout time (BOT), rising rate, falling rate, flow acceleration index (FAI), acceleration time index (ATI), and resistive index (RI). Two-way mixed ANOVA was used to determine the difference between every two groups where p groups in several ocular pulse waveform parameters, namely MBR (overall, vessel, tissue), BOT (overall), rising rate (overall), and falling rate (vessel), all with p group, but not within the habitual group. The temporal changes in parameters MBR (vessel, tissue), skew (overall, vessel), BOT (overall, vessel), rising rate (overall), falling rate (overall, vessel), and FAI (tissue) were significant for both groups (habitual and non-habitual) in response to caffeine intake. The experiment results demonstrated caffeine does modulate OBF significantly and response differently in non-habitual and habitual groups. Among all ten parameters, MBR and BOT were identified as the suitable biomarkers to differentiate between the two groups.

Relationship between Metabolic Syndrome and Ocular Microcirculation Shown by Laser Speckle Flowgraphy in a Hospital Setting Devoted to Sleep Apnea Syndrome Diagnostics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomoaki Shiba

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To clarify whether the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS and the overlap of MetS components are affecting the ocular circulation shown by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG. Materials and Methods. We studied 76 consistent patients. Blowout score (BOS and blowout time (BOT, which are the pulse waveform analysis parameters, and mean blur rate (MBR using LSFG in the optic nerve head (ONH and choroid were evaluated. Throughout, the ONH was separated out from the vessels and tissue for analysis and MBRs in the ONH were divided into four sections (superior, temporal, inferior, and nasal. Results. Thirty-two patients were diagnosed having Mets. MBR-Tissue (P=0.003, MBR-All (P=0.01, MBR-Choroid (P=0.04, and BOS-Choroid (P=0.03 were significantly lower in patients with MetS than in the patients without MetS. Multiple-regression analysis revealed the temporal side of MBR-Tissue and BOS-Choroid which were identified as factors contributing independently to the overlap of the MetS components. Multiple-regression analysis also revealed that the MetS components were identified to be factors independently contributing to the BOS-Choroid and temporal side of MBR-Tissue. Conclusion. Our study clarified that the incidence of MetS and the overlap of the MetS components are significantly affecting the ONH and choroidal microcirculation.

An experimental study on turbulent lifted flames of methane in coflow jets at elevated temperatures

KAUST Repository

Choi, Byungchul

2013-01-01

An experimental study was conducted on the effects of initial temperature variation on the stabilization characteristics of turbulent nonpremixed flames in coflow jets of methane fuel diluted by nitrogen. The typical behavior seen in the study showed that the liftoff height increased linearly with the jet velocity regardless of the initial temperature in the turbulent regime. Two models were investigated for predicting liftoff heights in the methane jets: the premixed flame model and the large-scale mixing model. For the premixed flame model, the liftoff heights in the methane jets were accurately predicted using the thermal diffusivity of the unburned gas temperature αst,0, instead of that of the burned gas temperature αst,b. For the large-scale mixing model, however, the prediction of liftoff heights differed slightly for the various fuel mole fractions. However, when considering the initial fuel mass fraction YF,0, the liftoff heights were successfully predicted. This result implies that the characteristics of the unburned fuel-air mixture play a crucial role for flame stabilization in coflow jets for a variety of initial conditions. In the turbulent regime, the blowout velocity and the liftoff height at blowout could be accurately predicted by the two models based on a consideration of the physical properties and the buoyancy effect of the initial temperature variation. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

International Environmental Law and Naval War Newport paper no. 15

Science.gov (United States)

2000-12-01

the Licensing State (X.3). Writing in the beginning of the 1970s, Professor Szasz noted that the hesita- tion of the United States to ratify the...see too UNCC, Well Blowout Control Claim (1996), 36 ILM (1997), 1289 at para 85. 37. Szasz , in 85 ASIL Proceedings (1991), 219; Momtaz, 37 AFDI (1991...1991), 401–2; Szasz , in 85 ASIL Proceedings (1991), 216; Witteler, op. cit., 239. 140. If the opening of valves and the setting alight of oil wells is

Accurate modeling of the hose instability in plasma wakefield accelerators

Science.gov (United States)

Mehrling, T. J.; Benedetti, C.; Schroeder, C. B.; Martinez de la Ossa, A.; Osterhoff, J.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W. P.

2018-05-01

Hosing is a major challenge for the applicability of plasma wakefield accelerators and its modeling is therefore of fundamental importance to facilitate future stable and compact plasma-based particle accelerators. In this contribution, we present a new model for the evolution of the plasma centroid, which enables the accurate investigation of the hose instability in the nonlinear blowout regime. It paves the road for more precise and comprehensive studies of hosing, e.g., with drive and witness beams, which were not possible with previous models.

Review of flow rate estimates of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

OpenAIRE

McNutt, Marcia K.; Camilli, Rich; Crone, Timothy J.; Guthrie, George D.; Hsieh, Paul A.; Ryerson, Thomas B.; Savas, Omer; Shaffer, Frank

2011-01-01

The unprecedented nature of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill required the application of research methods to estimate the rate at which oil was escaping from the well in the deep sea, its disposition after it entered the ocean, and total reservoir depletion. Here, we review what advances were made in scientific understanding of quantification of flow rates during deep sea oil well blowouts. We assess the degree to which a consensus was reached on the flow rate of the well by comparing in situ ...

Well bore Flow Treatment Used to Predict Radioactive Brine Releases to the Surface from Future Drilling Penetrations into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), New Mexico, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brien, D.G.O.; Stoelzel, D.M.; Hadgu, T.

1999-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) mined geologic repository in southeastern New Mexico, USA.This site is designed for the permanent burial of transuranic radioactive waste generated by defense related activities.The waste produces gases when exposed to brine. This gas generation may result in increased pressures over time. Therefore, a future driller that unknowingly penetrates through the site may experience a blowout. This paper describes the methodology used to predict the resultant volumes of contaminated brine released

Enceladus' near-surface CO2 gas pockets and surface frost deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Matson, Dennis L.; Davies, Ashley Gerard; Johnson, Torrence V.; Combe, Jean-Philippe; McCord, Thomas B.; Radebaugh, Jani; Singh, Sandeep

2018-03-01

Solid CO2 surface deposits were reported in Enceladus' South Polar Region by Brown et al. (2006). They noted that such volatile deposits are temporary and posited ongoing replenishment. We present a model for this replenishment by expanding on the Matson et al. (2012) model of subsurface heat and chemical transport in Enceladus. Our model explains the distributions of both CO2 frost and complexed CO2 clathrate hydrate as seen in the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) data. We trace the journey of CO2 from a subsurface ocean. The ocean-water circulation model of Matson et al. (2012) brings water up to near the surface where gas exsolves to form bubbles. Some of the CO2 bubbles are trapped and form pockets of gas in recesses at the bottom of the uppermost ice layer. When fissures break open these pockets, the CO2 gas is vented. Gas pocket venting is episodic compared to the more or less continuous eruptive plumes, emanating from the "tiger stripes", that are supported by plume chambers. Two styles of gas pocket venting are considered: (1) seeps, and (2) blowouts. The presence of CO2 frost patches suggests that the pocket gas slowly seeped through fractured, cold ice and when some of the gas reached the surface it was cold enough to condense (i.e., T ∼70 to ∼119 K). If the fissure opening is large, a blowout occurs. The rapid escape of gas and drop in pocket pressure causes water in the pocket to boil and create many small aerosol droplets of seawater. These may be carried along by the erupting gas. Electrically charged droplets can couple to the magnetosphere, and be dragged away from Enceladus. Most of the CO2 blowout gas escapes from Enceladus and the remainder is distributed globally. However, CO2 trapped in a clathrate structure does not escape. It is much heavier and slower moving than the CO2 gas. Its motion is ballistic and has an average range of about 17 km. Thus, it contributes to deposits in the vicinity of the vent. Local heat

Robust active combustion control for the optimization of environmental performance and energy efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Demayo, Trevor Nat

Criteria pollutant regulations, climate change concerns, and energy conservation efforts are placing strict constraints in the design and operation of advanced, stationary combustion systems. To ensure minimal pollutant emissions and maximal efficiency at every instant of operation while preventing reaction blowout, combustion systems need to react and adapt in real-time to external changes. This study describes the development, demonstration, and evaluation of a multivariable feedback control system, designed to maximize the performance of natural gas-fired combustion systems. A feedback sensor array was developed to monitor reaction stability and measure combustion performance as a function of NOx, CO, and O, emissions. Acoustic and UV chemiluminescent emissions were investigated for use as stability indicators. Modulated signals of CH* and CO2* chemiluminescence were found to correlate well with the onset of lean blowout. A variety of emissions sensors were tested and evaluated, including conventional CEMS', micro-fuel cells, a zirconia NOx transducer, and a rapid response predictive NOx sensor based on UV flame chemiluminescence. A dual time-scale controller was designed to actively optimize operating conditions by maximizing a multivariable performance function J using a linear direction set search algorithm. The controller evaluated J under slow, quasi steady-state conditions, while dynamically monitoring the reaction zone at high speed for pre-blowout instabilities or boundary condition violations. To establish the input control parameters, two burner systems were selected: a 30 kW air-swirl, generic research burner, and a 120 kW scaled, fuel-staged, industrial boiler burner. The parameters, chosen to most affect burner performance, consisted of air swirl intensity and excess air for the generic burner, and fuel-staging and excess air for the boiler burner. A set of optimization parameters was also established to ensure efficient and deterministic

State of the Arctic Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The Arctic environment, covering about 21 million km 2 , is in this connection regarded as the area north of the Arctic Circle. General biological and physical features of the terrestrial and freshwater environments of the Arctic are briefly described, but most effort is put into a description of the marine part which constitutes about two-thirds of the total Arctic environment. General oceanography and morphological characteristics are included; e.g. that the continental shelf surrounding the Arctic deep water basins covers approximately 36% of the surface areas of Arctic waters, but contains only 2% of the total water masses. Blowout accident may release thousands of tons of oil per day and last for months. They occur statistically very seldom, but the magnitude underlines the necessity of an efficient oil spill contingency as well as sound safety and quality assurance procedures. Contingency plans should be coordinated and regularly evaluated through simulated and practical tests of performance. Arctic conditions demand alternative measures compared to those otherwise used for oil spill prevention and clean-up. New concepts or optimization of existing mechanical equipment is necessary. Chemical and thermal methods should be evaluated for efficiency and possible environmental effects. Both due to regular discharges of oil contaminated drilled cuttings and the possibility of a blowout or other spills, drilling operations in biological sensitive areas may be regulated to take place only during the less sensitive parts of the year. 122 refs., 8 figs., 8 tabs

Method for solving an inverse problem of wing type by using a simple panel method; Kanbenna panel ho ni yoru yokugata gyaku mondai no ichikaiho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ando, J; Matsumoto, D; Maita, S; Nakatake, K [Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1997-10-01

This paper describes one method for solving an inverse problem of wing type based on the source and quasi continuous vortex lattice method (SQCM) in designing marine propellers and underwater wings. With the SQCM, vortices and control points are distributed on wing camber according to the QCM, and wing surface is divided into certain number of panels. This is the method to decide vortex intensity and blow-out intensity simultaneously from the condition that vertical speed on the camber and the wing surface is zero, upon having distributed blow-out with certain intensity inside the panel. The method solves the inverse problem with the following process: specific point distribution is so determined that the targeted velocity on the wing surface is satisfied when wing surface pressure distribution and uniform flow velocity are given; and then the panels are so rearranged as in parallel with direction of the flow on the surface of the wing calculated by using these specific points to derive the targeted wing shape. This paper describes the problem solving procedure in great detail. It also introduces examples of numerical calculations. It shows one method for solving the inverse problem in wing type using the SQCM as a simple panel method, whereas its good convergence and stability were verified. Considerations on effects of free surface and expansion of the method into three-dimensional problems will be implemented in the future. 11 refs., 8 figs.

Draining and drying process development of the Tokamak Cooling Water System of ITER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seokho, E-mail: kims@ornl.gov [US ITER, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Van Hove, Walter; Ferrada, Juan [US ITER, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Di Maio, Pietro Alessandro [University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128 (Italy); Felde, David [Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division, ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Raphael, Mitteau; Dell’Orco, Giovanni [ITER Organization, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance (France); Berry, Jan [US ITER, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • A thermal-hydraulic model using RELAP was developed for the ITER FW/BLK modules to determine design parameters for the nitrogen blowout flow rate and pressure. • The analysis indicates that as low as 2 MPa of pressure difference over the blanket modules will sufficiently evacuate the water in blankets. • A limited validation study indicates that the analysis yields less conservative results to compare against data collected from experiments. Therefore, the designed blow out flow of the drying system was selected with a large margin above the measured values to ensure the blow out operation. - Abstract: The ITER Organization (IO) developed a thermal-hydraulic (TH) model of the complex first wall and blanket (FW/BLK) cooling channels to determine gas flow rate and pressure required to effectively blow out the water in the FW/BLK. In addition, US ITER conducted experiments for selected geometries of FW/BLK flow channels to predict the blowout parameters. The analysis indicates that as low as 2 MPa of pressure difference over the blanket modules will ensure substantial evacuation of the water in blankets with just a few percent remaining in the blanket flow channels. A limited validation study indicates that the analysis yields less conservative results to compare against data collected from experiments. Therefore, the designed blow out flow of the drying system was selected with a large margin above the measured values to ensure the blow out operation.

Study on wave power generation of electricity using torsion arc blade type horizontal axis wind turbine; Nejire enko yokugata suihei jiku fusha wo mochiita haryoku hatsuden ni kansuru kenkyu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kojima, N; Kishimura, K [Meiji University, Tokyo (Japan)

1996-10-27

Windmilling characteristics of a combination of a torsion arc blade type (TABT) horizontal axis wind turbine and a reverse torsion arc blade type (RTABT) horizontal axis wind turbine were evaluated in a wave activated power generation experiment. The TABT wind turbine had six blades, and the front and rear parts of the blade were twisted in the same direction, which caused the direction of rotor rotation to change as the direction of wind along the shaft changed. The RTABT wind turbine had twelve blades, and the front and rear parts of the blade were twisted reverse to each other, which allowed the direction of rotor rotation to stay constant even in the presence of wind direction reversal. To keep the direction of rotor rotation unchanged in the presence of flow direction reversal along the power generating turbine shaft, a single-stage type RTABT wind turbine and a double-stage type were used, the double-stage type being a series connection of a first-stage RTABT (for blowout and suction) and second-stage TABT (for blowout only). Both single-type and double-type rotated in the same direction irrespective of the direction of air flow. The output of the double type was obtained by adding up the values obtained from the individual turbines. The double type was two to three times higher in efficiency than the single type in turbine revolution and power output. 2 refs., 13 figs.

Important role of vertical migration of compressed gas, oil and water in formation of AVPD (abnormally high pressure gradient) zones

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anikiyev, K.A.

1980-01-01

The principal role of vertical migration of compressed gases, gas-saturated petroleum and water during formation of abnormally high pressure gradients (AVPD) is confirmed by extensive factual data on gas production, grifons, blowouts and gushers that accompany drilling formations with AVPD from early history to the present time; the sources of vertical migration of compressed fluids, in accordance with geodynamic AVPD theory, are the deep degasified centers of the earth mantle. Among the various types of AVPD zones especially notable are the large (often massive or massive-layer) deposits and the intrusion aureoles that top them in the overlapping covering layers. Prediction of AVPD zones and determining their field and energy potential must be based on field-baric simulation of the formations being drilled in light of laws regarding the important role of the vertical migration of compressed fluids. When developing field-baric models, it is necessary to utilize the extensive and valuable data on grifons, gas production and blowouts that has been collected and categorized by drilling engineers and production geologists. To further develop data on field-baric conditions of the earth, it is necessary to collect and study signals of AVPD. First of all, there is a need to evaluate potential elastic resources of compressed fluids which can move from the bed into the well. Thus it is necessary to study and standardize intrusion aureoles and other AVPD zones within the aspect of fieldbaric modeling.

Vulnerability and imagination in the Snorre A gas blowout and recovery.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coeckelbergh, Mark; Wackers, G.

2008-01-01

In 2004, Statoil lost control of a well on the Snorre A TLP on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) during a slot recovery operation. The platform was engulfed in a cloud of gas, which fortunately did not ignite. Following safety procedures, oil production was shut down and main power was cut. Most

The car industry and the blow-out of the hydrogen hype

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, S.

2010-01-01

The hydrogen hype of the last decade has passed and it is now seemingly substituted by the electric vehicle hype. A technological hype can have both positive as well as negative consequences. On the one hand it attracts sponsors for technology development but on the other hand the high expectations

30 CFR 250.516 - Blowout preventer system tests, inspections, and maintenance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... seal in the wellhead or BOP stack assembly; (e) Postponing BOP tests. You may postpone a BOP test if... sea conditions permit. You may use television cameras to inspect this equipment. The District Manager...

The car industry and the blow-out of the hydrogen hype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakker, Sjoerd

2010-01-01

The hydrogen hype of the last decade has passed and it is now seemingly substituted by the electric vehicle hype. A technological hype can have both positive as well as negative consequences. On the one hand it attracts sponsors for technology development but on the other hand the high expectations might result in disappointment and subsequent withdrawal of the sponsors. In this paper I ask the question to what extent the car industry has created the hype and how it has done so. The industry's role is studied through their prototyping activities and accompanying statements on market entry. I conclude that the car industry has indeed inflated the hype, especially through its public statements on market release after the turn of the millennium. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the industry has shown a double repertoire of both highly optimistic and more modest statements. It is possible that statements are used deliberately to serve the industry's interests whenever needed. Without neglecting the positive influence of technological hype on public policy and private funding for R and D efforts, more modest promises could serve the development of sustainable mobility better. For policy makers the challenge is to remain open to different options instead of following hypes and disappointments as they come and go. (author)

The functional outcome of blow-out fractures managed surgically and conservatively

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Felding, Ulrik Ascanius; Rasmussen, Janne; Toft, Peter Bjerre

2016-01-01

of diplopia and enophthalmus was determined by reviewing the medical records. Data from the patients' initial consultation and their 3-month follow-up were also collected. Of the 60 patients whose data could be analysed, 36 had been managed surgically and 24 conservatively. Of the patients managed surgically......, 25 had diplopia in peripheral gaze before surgery and 12 at 3-month follow-up. Nine had diplopia in primary gaze before surgery and none at 3-month follow-up. Five had enophthalmus before surgery and two at 3-month follow-up. Of the patients managed conservatively, eight had diplopia in peripheral...... gaze initially and seven at 3-month follow-up. Three had diplopia in primary gaze initially and one at 3-month follow-up. One had enophthalmus initially which was still present at 3-month follow-up. Primary gaze diplopia disappeared while secondary gaze diplopia was present in about a third of patients...

Electron self-injection and trapping into an evolving plasma bubble.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalmykov, S; Yi, S A; Khudik, V; Shvets, G

2009-09-25

The blowout (or bubble) regime of laser wakefield acceleration is promising for generating monochromatic high-energy electron beams out of low-density plasmas. It is shown analytically and by particle-in-cell simulations that self-injection of the background plasma electrons into the quasistatic plasma bubble can be caused by slow temporal expansion of the bubble. Sufficient criteria for the electron trapping and bubble's expansion rate are derived using a semianalytic nonstationary Hamiltonian theory. It is further shown that the combination of bubble's expansion and contraction results in monoenergetic electron beams.

An Option of Conservative Management of a Duodenal Injury Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MA Modi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Duodenal injury following laparoscopic cholecystectomy is rare complications with catastrophic sequelae. Most injuries are attributed to thermal burns with electrocautery following adhesiolysis and have a delayed presentation requiring surgical intervention. We present a case of a 47-year-old gentleman operated on for laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a bilious drain postoperatively; for which an ERC was done showing choledocholithiasis with cystic duct stump blow-out and a drain in the duodenum suggestive of an iatrogenic duodenal injury. He was managed conservatively like a duodenal fistula and recovered without undergoing any intervention.

Fire safety engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.N.

1989-01-01

The periodic occurrence of large-scale, potentially disastrous industrial accidents involving fire in hazardous environments such as oilwell blowouts, petrochemical explosions and nuclear installations highlights the need for an integrated approach to fire safety engineering. Risk reduction 'by design' and rapid response are of equal importance in the saving of life and property in such situations. This volume of papers covers the subject thoroughly, touching on such topics as hazard analysis, safety design and testing, fire detection and control, and includes studies of fire hazard in the context of environment protection. (author)

Optical plasma torch electron bunch generation in plasma wakefield accelerators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Wittig

2015-08-01

Full Text Available A novel, flexible method of witness electron bunch generation in plasma wakefield accelerators is described. A quasistationary plasma region is ignited by a focused laser pulse prior to the arrival of the plasma wave. This localized, shapeable optical plasma torch causes a strong distortion of the plasma blowout during passage of the electron driver bunch, leading to collective alteration of plasma electron trajectories and to controlled injection. This optically steered injection is more flexible and faster when compared to hydrodynamically controlled gas density transition injection methods.

A two-fluid model for vertical flow applied to CO₂ injection wells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Linga, Gaute; Lund, Halvor

2016-01-01

Flow of CO2 in wells is associated with substantial variations in thermophysical properties downhole, due to the coupled transient processes involved: complex flow patterns, density changes, phase transitions, and heat transfer to and from surroundings. Large temperature variations can lead...... the well, including tubing, packer fluid, casing, cement or drilling mud, and rock formation. This enables prediction of the temperature in the well fluid and in each layer of the well. The model is applied to sudden shut-in and blowout cases of a CO2 injection well, where we employ the highly accurate...

Natural and Unnatural Oil Layers on the Surface of the Gulf of Mexico Detected and Quantified in Synthetic Aperture RADAR Images with Texture Classifying Neural Network Algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, I. R.; Garcia-Pineda, O. G.; Morey, S. L.; Huffer, F.

2011-12-01

Effervescent hydrocarbons rise naturally from hydrocarbon seeps in the Gulf of Mexico and reach the ocean surface. This oil forms thin (~0.1 μm) layers that enhance specular reflectivity and have been widely used to quantify the abundance and distribution of natural seeps using synthetic aperture radar (SAR). An analogous process occurred at a vastly greater scale for oil and gas discharged from BP's Macondo well blowout. SAR data allow direct comparison of the areas of the ocean surface covered by oil from natural sources and the discharge. We used a texture classifying neural network algorithm to quantify the areas of naturally occurring oil-covered water in 176 SAR image collections from the Gulf of Mexico obtained between May 1997 and November 2007, prior to the blowout. Separately we also analyzed 36 SAR images collections obtained between 26 April and 30 July, 2010 while the discharged oil was visible in the Gulf of Mexico. For the naturally occurring oil, we removed pollution events and transient oceanographic effects by including only the reflectance anomalies that that recurred in the same locality over multiple images. We measured the area of oil layers in a grid of 10x10 km cells covering the entire Gulf of Mexico. Floating oil layers were observed in only a fraction of the total Gulf area amounting to 1.22x10^5 km^2. In a bootstrap sample of 2000 replications, the combined average area of these layers was 7.80x10^2 km^2 (sd 86.03). For a regional comparison, we divided the Gulf of Mexico into four quadrates along 90° W longitude, and 25° N latitude. The NE quadrate, where the BP discharge occurred, received on average 7.0% of the total natural seepage in the Gulf of Mexico (5.24 x10^2 km^2, sd 21.99); the NW quadrate received on average 68.0% of this total (5.30 x10^2 km^2, sd 69.67). The BP blowout occurred in the NE quadrate of the Gulf of Mexico; discharged oil that reached the surface drifted over a large area north of 25° N. Performing a

Spatially resolved imaging of the two-component η Crv debris disk with Herschel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duchêne, G.; Arriaga, P.; Kalas, P. [Astronomy Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Wyatt, M.; Kennedy, G. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Sibthorpe, B. [SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen (Netherlands); Lisse, C. [JHU-APL, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723 (United States); Holland, W. [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom); Wisniewski, J. [H.L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, 440 W. Brooks St., Norman, OK 73019 (United States); Clampin, M. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 681, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Pinte, C. [UMI-FCA, CNRS/INSU, France (UMI 3386) (France); Wilner, D. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Booth, M. [Instituto de Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Macul, Santiago (Chile); Horner, J. [School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Matthews, B. [National Research Council of Canada Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada); Greaves, J. [SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews KY16 9SS (United Kingdom)

2014-04-01

We present far-infrared and submillimeter images of the η Crv debris disk system obtained with Herschel and SCUBA-2, as well as Hubble Space Telescope visible and near-infrared coronagraphic images. In the 70 μm Herschel image, we clearly separate the thermal emission from the warm and cold belts in the system, find no evidence for a putative dust population located between them, and precisely determine the geometry of the outer belt. We also find marginal evidence for azimuthal asymmetries and a global offset of the outer debris ring relative to the central star. Finally, we place stringent upper limits on the scattered light surface brightness of the outer ring. Using radiative transfer modeling, we find that it is impossible to account for all observed properties of the system under the assumption that both rings contain dust populations with the same properties. While the outer belt is in reasonable agreement with the expectations of steady-state collisional cascade models, albeit with a minimum grain size that is four times larger than the blow-out size, the inner belt appears to contain copious amounts of small dust grains, possibly below the blow-out size. This suggests that the inner belt cannot result from a simple transport of grains from the outer belt and rather supports a more violent phenomenon as its origin. We also find that the emission from the inner belt has not declined over three decades, a much longer timescale than its dynamical timescale, which indicates that the belt is efficiently replenished.

Review of flow rate estimates of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Science.gov (United States)

McNutt, Marcia K.; Camilli, Rich; Crone, Timothy J.; Guthrie, George D.; Hsieh, Paul A.; Ryerson, Thomas B.; Savas, Omer; Shaffer, Frank

2012-01-01

The unprecedented nature of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill required the application of research methods to estimate the rate at which oil was escaping from the well in the deep sea, its disposition after it entered the ocean, and total reservoir depletion. Here, we review what advances were made in scientific understanding of quantification of flow rates during deep sea oil well blowouts. We assess the degree to which a consensus was reached on the flow rate of the well by comparing in situ observations of the leaking well with a time-dependent flow rate model derived from pressure readings taken after the Macondo well was shut in for the well integrity test. Model simulations also proved valuable for predicting the effect of partial deployment of the blowout preventer rams on flow rate. Taken together, the scientific analyses support flow rates in the range of ~50,000–70,000 barrels/d, perhaps modestly decreasing over the duration of the oil spill, for a total release of ~5.0 million barrels of oil, not accounting for BP's collection effort. By quantifying the amount of oil at different locations (wellhead, ocean surface, and atmosphere), we conclude that just over 2 million barrels of oil (after accounting for containment) and all of the released methane remained in the deep sea. By better understanding the fate of the hydrocarbons, the total discharge can be partitioned into separate components that pose threats to deep sea vs. coastal ecosystems, allowing responders in future events to scale their actions accordingly.

Carbon Composition of Particulate Organic Carbon in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, K.; Montoya, J. P.; Weber, S.; Bosman, S.; Chanton, J.

2016-02-01

The Deepwater Horizon blowout released 5.0x1011 g C from gaseous hydrocarbons and up to 6.0x1011g C from oil into the water column. Another carbon source, adding daily to the water column, leaks from the natural hydrocarbon seeps that pepper the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico. How much of this carbon from the DWH and natural seeps is assimilated into particulate organic carbon (POC) in the water column? We filtered seawater collected in 2010, 2012, and 2013 from seep and non-seep sites, collecting POC on 0.7µm glass microfiber filters and analyzing the POC for stable and radiocarbon isotopes. Mixing models based on carbon isotopic endmembers of methane, oil, and modern production were used to estimate the percentage of hydrocarbon incorporated into POC. Significant differences were seen between POC from shallow and deep waters and between POC collected from seep, non-seep, and blowout sites; however yearly differences were not as evident suggesting the GOM has a consistent supply of depleted carbon. Stable carbon isotopes signatures of POC in the Gulf averaged -23.7±2.5‰ for shallow samples and -26.65±2.9‰ for deep POC samples, while radiocarbon signatures averaged -100.4±146.1‰ for shallow and -394.6±197‰ for deep samples. POC in the northern Gulf are composed of 23-91% modern carbon, 2-21% methane, and 0-71% oil. Oil plays a major role in the POC composition of the GOM, especially at the natural seep GC600.

Review of flow rate estimates of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Science.gov (United States)

McNutt, Marcia K; Camilli, Rich; Crone, Timothy J; Guthrie, George D; Hsieh, Paul A; Ryerson, Thomas B; Savas, Omer; Shaffer, Frank

2012-12-11

The unprecedented nature of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill required the application of research methods to estimate the rate at which oil was escaping from the well in the deep sea, its disposition after it entered the ocean, and total reservoir depletion. Here, we review what advances were made in scientific understanding of quantification of flow rates during deep sea oil well blowouts. We assess the degree to which a consensus was reached on the flow rate of the well by comparing in situ observations of the leaking well with a time-dependent flow rate model derived from pressure readings taken after the Macondo well was shut in for the well integrity test. Model simulations also proved valuable for predicting the effect of partial deployment of the blowout preventer rams on flow rate. Taken together, the scientific analyses support flow rates in the range of ∼50,000-70,000 barrels/d, perhaps modestly decreasing over the duration of the oil spill, for a total release of ∼5.0 million barrels of oil, not accounting for BP's collection effort. By quantifying the amount of oil at different locations (wellhead, ocean surface, and atmosphere), we conclude that just over 2 million barrels of oil (after accounting for containment) and all of the released methane remained in the deep sea. By better understanding the fate of the hydrocarbons, the total discharge can be partitioned into separate components that pose threats to deep sea vs. coastal ecosystems, allowing responders in future events to scale their actions accordingly.

Field experiments with subsurface releases of oil and and dyed water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rye, H.; Brandvik, P.J.; Strom, T.

1998-01-01

A field experiment with a subsurface release of oil and air was carried out in June 1996 close to the Frigg Field in the North Sea area. One of the purposes of this sea trial was to increase the knowledge concerning the behaviour of the oil and gas during a subsurface blowout. This was done by releasing oil and air at 106 meters depth with a realistic gas oil ratio (GOR=67) and release velocity of the oil. In addition to the oil release, several releases with dyed water and gas (GOR=7 - 65) were performed. Important and unique data were collected during these subsurface releases. In particular, the experiments with the dyed water releases combined with air turned out to be an efficient way of obtaining field data for the behaviour of subsurface plumes. The main conclusions from analysis for the data collected are: the field methodology used to study blowout releases in the field appears to be appropriate. The use of dyed water to determine the performance of the subsurface plume proved out to be an efficient way to obtain reliable and useful data. The behaviour of the subsurface plume is very sensitive to gas flow rates. For low gas flow rates, the plume did not reach the sea surface at all due to the presence of stratification in the ambient water. Some discrepancies were found between a numerical model for subsurface releases and field results. These discrepancies are pointed out, and recommendations for possible model improvements are given. (author)

Case report 359: Gigantic benign fibrous histiocytoma (nonossifying fibroma)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Remagen, W.; Nidecker, A.; Prein, J.

1986-01-01

In summary, a fascinating case is presented of an enormous 'blow-out' lesion in the left half of the mandible in a 17-year-old boy. The histological diagnosis was benign fibrous histiocytoma or non-ossifying fibroma. An extensive differential diagnosis was presented by the authors and although benign fibrous histiocytoma was their final diagnosis, they could not exclude an example of the rarely encountered entity called the Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome. This syndrome consists of multiple non-ossifying fibromas of the mandible, cafe-au-lait spots, various endocrine disorders, mental retardation, occular anomalies and cardiovascular malformations. (orig./SHA)

Initial experience of oculodynamic MRI using ultrafast T2-weighted imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanitame, Keizo; Kaichi, Yoko; Nakamura, Yuko

2013-01-01

We designed cine MRI protocol using sequential static half-Fourier single-shot rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) images with the subjects staring at the series of targets in front of their eyes. This technique was applied to three healthy volunteers and four patients with ocular motility disorders, including blow-out fracture, globe restriction due to a large posterior staphyloma, neurogenic strabismus (convergence disorder), and intraocular adhesion. In the volunteers, smooth movements of their visual foci and extraocular muscles were observed. In the patients, the ocular movement disturbances were demonstrated. Oculodynamic MRI provides functional information in cases of diplopia. (author)

Dynamic analysis of the gantry crane used for transporting BOP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanisław WOJCIECH

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In the paper the dynamic analysis of a gantry crane used for transporting of BOP (BlowOut Preventer is presented. The crane is placed on a drilling platform. Sea waves cause motion of the platform and the load. Description of such systems can be used in the design process of control systems which allows us to compensate waving. Homogenous transformations and joint coordinates are used to describe behavior of the system. Equations of motion are derived using the Lagrange equations of the second order. In the paper the results of numerical calculations are presented as well.

Computational model for the assessment of oil spill damages

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seip, K L; Heiberg, A B; Brekke, K A

1985-06-01

A description is given of the method and the required data of a model for calculating oil spill damages. Eleven damage attributes are defined: shorelength contaminated, shore restitution time, birds dead, restitution time for three groups of birds, open sea damages-two types, damages to recreation, economy and fisheries. The model has been applied in several cases of oil pollution assessments: in an examination of alternative models for the organization of oil spill combat in Norway, in the assessment of the damages coused by a blowout at Tromsoeflaket and in assessing a possible increase in oil spill preparedness for Svalbard. 56 references.

The LLNL/UCLA high gradient inverse free electron laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moody, J. T.; Musumeci, P.; Anderson, G.; Anderson, S.; Betts, S.; Fisher, S.; Gibson, D.; Tremaine, A.; Wu, S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles California, 90095 (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (United States)

2012-12-21

We describe the Inverse Free Electron Accelerator currently under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Upon completion of this accelerator, high brightness electrons generated in the photoinjector blowout regime and accelerated to 50 MeV by S-band accelerating sections will interact with > 4 TW peak power Ti:Sapphire laser in a highly tapered 50 cm undulator and experience an acceleration gradient of > 200 MeV/m. We present the final design of the accelerator as well as the results of start-to-end simulations investigating preservation of beam quality and tolerances involved with this accelerator.

High-current magnetron discharge with magnetic insulation of anode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bizyukov, A.A.; Sereda, K.N.; Sleptsov, V.V.

2008-01-01

In magnetron discharge at currents higher then critical which magnitude is in the range of 15...30 A the transition from glow discharge in transverse magnetic field to arc discharge occurs. In the present time the problem of arc blowout is solved at the expense of pulse and HF power supply applying. In this paper the alternative method of limiting current of magnetron discharge increasing at the expense of increasing of discharge gap resistance by means of additional anode layer transverse magnetic field and arc current interruption by sectioning of current collector of anode surface is carrying out

Polydisperse effects in jet spray flames

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberg, Noam; Greenberg, J. Barry

2018-01-01

A laminar jet polydisperse spray diffusion flame is analysed mathematically for the first time using an extension of classical similarity solutions for gaseous jet flames. The analysis enables a comparison to be drawn between conditions for flame stability or flame blow-out for purely gaseous flames and for spray flames. It is found that, in contrast to the Schmidt number criteria relevant to gas flames, droplet size and initial spray polydispersity play a critical role in determining potential flame scenarios. Some qualitative agreement for lift-off height is found when comparing predictions of the theory and sparse independent experimental evidence from the literature.

Literature review of acid forming emissions in livestock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prior, M.G.; Lopez, A.

1992-01-01

A review is presented of the effects of acid forming emissions such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides in livestock. Topics discussed include uptake of airborne pollutants, types of acid-forming pollutants, sources of sulfur-containing emissions, sour gas, and farm animal toxicity caused by carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide, ethyl sulfide, methyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, methylmercaptan, ethylmercaptan, propylmercaptan, nitrogen oxides, ozone, sulfur, and sulfur dioxide. A review is presented of field data including effects of emissions from gas plants, gas well blowouts, animal nutrition in west central Alberta, and experimental studies on goats and cows. 96 refs., 10 tabs

Chemical and Physical Properties of Hi-Cal-2

Science.gov (United States)

Spakowski, A. E.; Allen, Harrison, Jr.; Caves, Robert M.

1955-01-01

As part of the Navy Project Zip to consider various boron-containing materials as possible high-energy fuels, the chemical and physical properties of Hi-Cal-2 prepared by the Callery Chemical Company were evaluated at the NACA Lewis laboratory. Elemental chemical analysis, heat of combustion, vapor pressure and decomposition, freezing point, density, self ignition temperature, flash point, and blow-out velocity were determined for the fuel. Although the precision of measurement of these properties was not equal to that obtained for hydrocarbons, this special release research memorandum was prepared to make the data available as soon as possible.

The natural gas market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lagrasta, F.; Kaminski, V.; Prevatt, R.

1999-01-01

This chapter presents a brief history of the natural gas market highlighting the changes in the gas market and examining risk management in practice detailing the types of price risks, and the use of hedging using forwards and swaps. Options to manage risk are identified, and the role of risk management in financing, the role of the intermediary, and the market outlook are discussed. Panels describing the market structure, storage and natural gas risk management, the art of risk management, the winter 1995-96 basis blowout, spark spreads, the UK gas market and Europe, and weather derivatives are presented

Efficiency Versus Instability in Plasma Accelerators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lebedev, Valeri [Fermilab; Burov, Alexey [Fermilab; Nagaitsev, Sergei [Fermilab

2017-01-05

Plasma wake-field acceleration in a strongly nonlinear (a.k.a. the blowout) regime is one of the main candidates for future high-energy colliders. For this case, we derive a universal efficiency-instability relation, between the power efficiency and the key instability parameter of the witness bunch. We also show that in order to stabilize the witness bunch in a regime with high power efficiency, the bunch needs to have high energy spread, which is not presently compatible with collider-quality beam properties. It is unclear how such limitations could be overcome for high-luminosity linear colliders.

Analysis of ecological effects of geopressured-geothermal resource development. Geopressured-geothermal technical paper No. 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-07-01

The activities involved in geopressured-geothermal resource production are identified and their ecological impacts are discussed. The analysis separates those activites that are unique to geopressured-geothermal development from those that also occur in oil and gas and other resource developments. Of the unique activities, those with the greatest potential for serious ecological effect are: (1) accidental brine discharge as a result of a blowout during well drilling; (2) subsidence; (3) fault activation and enhanced seismicity; and (4) subsurface contamination of water, hydrocarbon, and mineral reservoirs. Available methods to predict and control these effects are discussed.

Chemical Safety Alert: Shaft Blow-Out Hazard of Check and Butterfly Valves

Science.gov (United States)

Certain types of check and butterfly valves can undergo shaft-disk separation and fail catastrophically, even when operated within their design limits of pressure and temperature, causing toxic/flammable gas releases, fires, and vapor cloud explosions.

Mrk 71/NGC 2366: The Nearest Green Pea Analog

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Micheva, Genoveva; Oey, M. S. [University of Michigan, 311 West Hall, 1085 S. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107 (United States); Jaskot, Anne E. [Department of Astronomy, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063 (United States); James, Bethan L. [STScI, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2017-08-20

We present the remarkable discovery that the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 2366 is an excellent analog of the Green Pea (GP) galaxies, which are characterized by extremely high ionization parameters. The similarities are driven predominantly by the giant H ii region Markarian 71 (Mrk 71). We compare the system with GPs in terms of morphology, excitation properties, specific star-formation rate, kinematics, absorption of low-ionization species, reddening, and chemical abundance, and find consistencies throughout. Since extreme GPs are associated with both candidate and confirmed Lyman continuum (LyC) emitters, Mrk 71/NGC 2366 is thus also a good candidate for LyC escape. The spatially resolved data for this object show a superbubble blowout generated by mechanical feedback from one of its two super star clusters (SSCs), Knot B, while the extreme ionization properties are driven by the ≲1 Myr-old, enshrouded SSC Knot A, which has ∼10 times higher ionizing luminosity. Very massive stars (>100 M {sub ⊙}) may be present in this remarkable object. Ionization-parameter mapping indicates that the blowout region is optically thin in the LyC, and the general properties also suggest LyC escape in the line of sight. Mrk 71/NGC 2366 does differ from GPs in that it is one to two orders of magnitude less luminous. The presence of this faint GP analog and candidate LyC emitter (LCE) so close to us suggests that LCEs may be numerous and commonplace, and therefore could significantly contribute to the cosmic ionizing budget. Mrk 71/NGC 2366 offers an unprecedentedly detailed look at the viscera of a candidate LCE, and could clarify the mechanisms of LyC escape.

Investigation of Methane Oxy-Fuel Combustion in a Swirl-Stabilised Gas Turbine Model Combustor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mao Li

2017-05-01

Full Text Available CO2 has a strong impact on both operability and emission behaviours in gas turbine combustors. In the present study, an atmospheric, preheated, swirl-stabilised optical gas turbine model combustor rig was employed. The primary objectives were to analyse the influence of CO2 on the fundamental characteristics of combustion, lean blowout (LBO limits, CO emission and flame structures. CO2 dilution effects were examined with three preheating temperatures (396.15, 431.15, and 466.15 K. The fundamental combustion characteristics were studied utilising chemical kinetic simulations. To study the influence of CO2 on the operational range of the combustor, equivalence ratio (Ф was varied from stoichiometric conditions to the LBO limits. CO emissions were measured at the exit of the combustor using a water-cooled probe over the entire operational range. The flame structures and locations were characterised by performing CH chemiluminescence imaging. The inverse Abel transformation was used to analyse the CH distribution on the axisymmetric plane of the combustor. Chemical kinetic modelling indicated that the CO2 resulted in a lower reaction rate compared with the CH4/air flame. Fundamental combustion properties such as laminar flame speed, ignition delay time and blowout residence time were found to be affected by CO2. The experimental results revealed that CO2 dilution resulted in a narrower operational range for the equivalence ratio. It was also found that CO2 had a strong inhibiting effect on CO burnout, which led to a higher concentration of CO in the combustion exhaust. CH chemiluminescence showed that the CO2 dilution did not have a significant impact on the flame structure.

Theory and measurements of emittance preservation in plasma wakefield acceleration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frederico, Joel

2016-12-01

In this dissertation, we examine the preservation and measurement of emittance in the plasma wakefield acceleration blowout regime. Plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) is a revolutionary approach to accelerating charged particles that has been demonstrated to have the potential for gradients orders of magnitude greater than traditional approaches. The application of PWFA to the design of a linear collider will make new high energy physics research possible, but the design parameters must first be shown to be competitive with traditional methods. Emittance preservation is necessary in the design of a linear collider in order to maximize luminosity. We examine the conditions necessary for circular symmetry in the PWFA blowout regime, and demonstrate that current proposals meet these bounds. We also present an application of beam lamentation which describes the process of beam parameter and emittance matching. We show that the emittance growth saturates as a consequence of energy spread in the beam. The initial beam parameters determine the amount of emittance growth, while the contribution of energy spread is negligible. We also present a model for ion motion in the presence of a beam that is much more dense than the plasma. By combining the model of ion motion and emittance growth, we find the emittance growth due to ion motion is minimal in the case of marginal ion motion. In addition, we present a simulation that validates the ion motion model, which is under further development to examine emittance growth of both marginal and pronounced ion motion. Finally, we present a proof-of-concept of an emittance measurement which may enable the analysis of emittance preservation in future PWFA experiments.

Measuring service life and evaluating the quality of solid tires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charoenyut Dechwayukul

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research is to propose procedures for measuring service life and evaluating the quality of locallymade and used solid tires in Thailand. The solid tires were stressed and rotated until blowout on a drum-like test apparatuswhich is designed, constructed by the authors and equipped with laboratory instrumentation. Solid tires from five differentmanufacturers were selected for testing. We measured service life, length of time to tire failure, at three different loadingamplitudes and three different speeds on the testing drum. The service life of all specimens was studied and compared todetermine the possibility of using service life to evaluate the quality of a solid tire.

Turbojet Performance and Operation at High Altitudes with Hydrogen and Jp-4 Fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, W A; Kaufman, H R; Harp, J L , Jr; Chelko, L J

1956-01-01

Two current turbojet engines were operated with gaseous-hydrogen and JP-4 fuels at very high altitudes and a simulated Mach number of 0.8. With gaseous hydrogen as the fuel stable operation was obtained at altitudes up to the facility limit of about 90,000 feet and the specific fuel consumption was only 40 percent of that with JP-4 fuel. With JP-4 as the fuel combustion was unstable at altitudes above 60,000 to 65,000 feet and blowout limits were reached at 75,000 to 80,000 feet. Over-all performance, component efficiencies, and operating range were reduced considerable at very high altitudes with both fuels.

Properties of large-scale methane/hydrogen jet fires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Studer, E. [CEA Saclay, DEN, LTMF Heat Transfer and Fluid Mech Lab, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Jamois, D.; Leroy, G.; Hebrard, J. [INERIS, F-60150 Verneuil En Halatte (France); Jallais, S. [Air Liquide, F-78350 Jouy En Josas (France); Blanchetiere, V. [GDF SUEZ, 93 - La Plaine St Denis (France)

2009-12-15

A future economy based on reduction of carbon-based fuels for power generation and transportation may consider hydrogen as possible energy carrier Extensive and widespread use of hydrogen might require a pipeline network. The alternatives might be the use of the existing natural gas network or to design a dedicated network. Whatever the solution, mixing hydrogen with natural gas will modify the consequences of accidents, substantially The French National Research Agency (ANR) funded project called HYDROMEL focuses on these critical questions Within this project large-scale jet fires have been studied experimentally and numerically The main characteristics of these flames including visible length, radiation fluxes and blowout have been assessed. (authors)

Effect of flame-tube head structure on combustion chamber performance

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Minqqi

1986-01-01

The experimental combustion performance of a premixed, pilot-type flame tube with various head structures is discussed. The test study covers an extensive area: efficiency of the combustion chamber, quality of the outlet temperature field, limit of the fuel-lean blowout, ignition performance at ground starting, and carbon deposition. As a result of these tests, a nozzle was found which fits the premixed pilot flame tube well. The use of this nozzle optimized the performance of the combustion chamber. The tested models had premixed pilot chambers with two types of air-film-cooling structures, six types of venturi-tube structures, and secondary fuel nozzles with two small spray-cone angles.

History of the Trenton Albion-Scipio trend of Michigan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beghini, V G; Conroy, T R

1966-01-01

This discussion of the history of the Trenton Albion-Scipio trend in Michigan includes the location and development history, geology and reservoir characteristics, drilling and completion methods, production and history of both the Albion and Scipio Fields, production operation, and workover procedure. Maps, illustrations, and graphs of the topics discussed are included. The largest drilling problem encountered was lost circulation causing several blowouts, 2 of which resulted in spectacular fires. Production problems include paraffin deposition, corrosion and brine disposal. Well workovers have been performed in an attempt to correct one or more of 3 problems--high gas- oil ratio, high water cut, and low capacity.

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative: Managing a Multidisciplinary Data Explosion

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, M. K.; Gibeaut, J. C.; Reed, D.

2011-12-01

On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon drilling unit located in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, experienced a catastrophic wellhead blowout. Roughly 5 billion barrels of oil and 1 million U.S. gallons of dispersant were released near the wellhead over the next three months. Within weeks of the blowout, BP announced the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GRI) and pledged 50M/yr over 10 years for independent scientific research on the spill's impact on the ecosystem. Two months after the blowout three institutions were awarded a total of 25M in fast-track grants (Louisiana State University, Northern Gulf Institute, and Florida Institute of Oceanography). Soon after the Alabama Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium and the National Institutes of Health were awarded 5M and 10M, respectively. These five institutions began to generate data almost immediately. First year grants funded 100's of researchers from nearly 100 research units. Their activities included numerical modeling, field data collection, and laboratory experiments. Measured parameters included those associated with chemical analyses of oil, gas, and dispersants, studies of bacteria, plants and animals -from phytoplankton to marsh grasses, from zooplankton to cetaceans. Studies were conducted from estuaries to the deep Gulf, from atmosphere to sediments. Parameters from physical oceanography, marine meteorology, and biogeochemistry were measured in abundance. Additionally, impact studies on human mental, physical health and businesses were made. Proposals for years 2-4 of the program were to be awarded in August 2011 supporting 4-8 research consortia. Consortia may have up to 20 named researchers. In aggregate, these studies yielded a multidisciplinary data explosion. Following the fast-track awards the GRI Administrative Unit (AU) was established and a data management activity initiated. That activity became the GRI Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC). "Cooperative" emphasizes the

Sedimentation Pulse in the NE Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 DWH Blowout.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregg R Brooks

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH oil discharge at the seafloor as recorded in bottom sediments of the DeSoto Canyon region in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Through a close coupling of sedimentological, geochemical, and biological approaches, multiple independent lines of evidence from 11 sites sampled in November/December 2010 revealed that the upper ~1 cm depth interval is distinct from underlying sediments and results indicate that particles originated at the sea surface. Consistent dissimilarities in grain size over the surficial ~1 cm of sediments correspond to excess (234Th depths, which indicates a lack of vertical mixing (bioturbation, suggesting the entire layer was deposited within a 4-5 month period. Further, a time series from four deep-sea sites sampled up to three additional times over the following two years revealed that excess (234Th depths, accumulation rates, and (234Th inventories decreased rapidly, within a few to several months after initial coring. The interpretation of a rapid sedimentation pulse is corroborated by stratification in solid phase Mn, which is linked to diagenesis and redox change, and the dramatic decrease in benthic formanifera density that was recorded in surficial sediments. Results are consistent with a brief depositional pulse that was also reported in previous studies of sediments, and marine snow formation in surface waters closer to the wellhead during the summer and fall of 2010. Although sediment input from the Mississippi River and advective transport may influence sedimentation on the seafloor in the DeSoto Canyon region, we conclude based on multidisciplinary evidence that the sedimentation pulse in late 2010 is the product of marine snow formation and is likely linked to the DWH discharge.

Sedimentation pulse in the NE Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 DWH blowout

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brooks, Gregg R.; Larson, Rebekka A.; Schwing, Patrick T.; Romero, Isabel; Moore, Christopher; Reichart, Gert Jan; Jilbert, Tom; Chanton, Jeff P.; Hastings, David W.; Overholt, Will A.; Marks, Kala P.; Kostka, Joel E.; Holmes, Charles W.; Hollander, David

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil discharge at the seafloor as recorded in bottom sediments of the DeSoto Canyon region in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Through a close coupling of sedimentological, geochemical, and biological

Distinct bacterial communities in surficial seafloor sediments following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tingting Yang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A major fraction of the petroleum hydrocarbons discharged during the 2010 Macondo oil spill became associated with and sank to the seafloor as marine snow flocs. This sedimentation pulse induced the development of distinct bacterial communities. Between May 2010 and July 2011, full-length 16S rRNA gene clone libraries demonstrated bacterial community succession in oil-polluted sediment samples near the wellhead area. Libraries from early May 2010, before the sedimentation event, served as the baseline control. Freshly deposited oil-derived marine snow was collected on the surface of sediment cores in September 2010, and was characterized by abundantly detected members of the marine Roseobacter cluster within the Alphaproteobacteria. Samples collected in mid-October 2010 closest to the wellhead contained members of the sulfate-reducing, anaerobic bacterial families Desulfobacteraceae and Desulfobulbaceae within the Deltaproteobacteria, suggesting that the oil-derived sedimentation pulse triggered bacterial oxygen consumption and created patchy anaerobic microniches that favored sulfate-reducing bacteria. Phylotypes of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading genus Cycloclasticus, previously found both in surface oil slicks and the deep hydrocarbon plume, were also found in oil-derived marine snow flocs sedimenting on the seafloor in September 2010, and in surficial sediments collected in October and November 2010, but not in any of the control samples. Due to the relative recalcitrance and stability of polycyclic aromatic compounds, Cycloclasticus represents the most persistent microbial marker of seafloor hydrocarbon deposition that we could identify in this dataset. The bacterial imprint of the DWH oil spill had diminished in late November 2010, when the bacterial communities in oil-impacted sediment samples collected near the Macondo wellhead began to resemble their pre-spill counterparts and spatial controls. Samples collected in summer of 2011 did not show a consistent bacterial community signature, suggesting that the bacterial community was no longer shaped by the DWH fallout of oil-derived marine snow, but instead by location-specific and seasonal factors.

ROV: improving remotely operated vehicle (ROV) intervention capabilities for blowout preventer override systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lazar, Stephen [Christopher S. Mancini, Tomball, TX (United States)

2012-07-01

Events during 2010 have focused attention on increased ROV/BOP Intervention capabilities and standardization of BOP/ROV interfaces in the oil and gas offshore industry. Currently no enforced set standards for ROV intervention panels or manifold types for use on BOP Override systems are specified. The industry offers multiple configurations at present. This abstract will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various configurations in existence, trending toward suggested industry standards taking shape as requirements in the near term. Standards for the offshore industry or a set specification must be made to increase safety and functionality of BOP control systems. To date, ROV override capabilities have been added to existing engineered BOP systems. BOP designed closing times were not a critical consideration, only that the access was there to allow for ROV override. Increased ROV flow and pressure capabilities: no current minimum flow requirements for Emergency BOP Override pumps are established. Based on stack valving and configuration, a minimum, 7 gpm may be required to shift valving fully to allow BOP operator function. IADC/API minimum requirements may be proposed at 10 gpm at 3000psi. Based on shear pressures exceeding 3000psi, pressures of 5000psi should be considered. Current intervention skids/pump capabilities will be required if ROVs must achieve API 16D BOP minimum closing times. Remote or isolated accumulation for increased intervention capabilities offers possibilities when ANY ROV of opportunity can trigger a function (such as small inspection type ROVs). Increased volumes will be required. This is critical in functioning stack rams with an ROV of opportunity to achieve API 16D closing times. We now understand that higher flows and pressures are required along with standardization of stab types. Current recommendations: API 17H Hi-Flow manifolds should be added to essential ROV overrides. ROV skids will have a minimum requirement of 10gpm at 3000psi, but should have capabilities to achieve 5000psi and carry enough fluid volume to perform sub sea BOP ram function. Also, any additional isolated accumulator volume would be tied to ANY ROV of opportunity to override the BOP in an emergency situation. (author)

HERSCHEL -RESOLVED OUTER BELTS OF TWO-BELT DEBRIS DISKS—EVIDENCE OF ICY GRAINS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morales, F. Y.; Bryden, G.; Werner, M. W.; Stapelfeldt, K. R., E-mail: Farisa@jpl.nasa.gov [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)

2016-11-01

We present dual-band Herschel /PACS imaging for 59 main-sequence stars with known warm dust ( T {sub warm} ∼ 200 K), characterized by Spitzer . Of 57 debris disks detected at Herschel wavelengths (70 and/or 100 and 160 μ m), about half have spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that suggest two-ring disk architectures mirroring that of the asteroid–Kuiper Belt geometry; the rest are consistent with single belts of warm, asteroidal material. Herschel observations spatially resolve the outer/cold dust component around 14 A-type and 4 solar-type stars with two-belt systems, 15 of which for the first time. Resolved disks are typically observed with radii >100 AU, larger than expected from a simple blackbody fit. Despite the absence of narrow spectral features for ice, we find that the shape of the continuum, combined with resolved outer/cold dust locations, can help constrain the grain size distribution and hint at the dust’s composition for each resolved system. Based on the combined Spitzer /IRS+Multiband Imaging Photometer (5-to-70 μ m) and Herschel /PACS (70-to-160 μ m) data set, and under the assumption of idealized spherical grains, we find that over half of resolved outer/cold belts are best fit with a mixed ice/rock composition. Minimum grain sizes are most often equal to the expected radiative blowout limit, regardless of composition. Three of four resolved systems around the solar-type stars, however, tend to have larger minimum grains compared to expectation from blowout ( f {sub MB} = a {sub min}/ a {sub BOS} ∼ 5). We also probe the disk architecture of 39 Herschel -unresolved systems by modeling their SEDs uniformly, and find them to be consistent with 31 single- and 8 two-belt debris systems.

RESOLVING IONIZATION AND METALLICITY ON PARSEC SCALES ACROSS MRK 71 WITH HST-WFC3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James, Bethan L.; Auger, Matthew [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Aloisi, Alessandra [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Calzetti, Daniela [Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); Kewley, Lisa, E-mail: bjames@ast.cam.ac.uk [RSAA, Australian National University, Cotter Road, Weston Creek, ACT 2611 (Australia)

2016-01-01

Blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxies in the nearby universe provide a means for studying feedback mechanisms and star formation processes in low-metallicity environments in great detail. Owing to their vicinity, these local analogs to primordial young galaxies are well suited for high-resolution studies that are unfeasible for high-redshift galaxies. Here we present Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 observations of one such BCD, Mrk 71, one of the most powerful local starbursts known, in the light of [O ii], He ii, Hβ, [O iii], Hα, and [S ii]. At D ≃ 3.44 Mpc, this extensive suite of emission-line images enables us to explore the chemical and physical conditions of Mrk 71 on ∼2 pc scales. We use emission-line diagnostics to distinguish ionization mechanisms on a pixel-by-pixel basis and show that despite the previously reported hypersonic gas and superbubble blowout, the gas in Mrk 71 is photoionized, with no sign of shock-excited emission. He ii emission line images are used to identify up to six Wolf-Rayet stars, three of which lie on the edge of a blowout region. Using strong-line metallicity diagnostics, we present the first “metallicity image” of a galaxy, revealing chemical inhomogeneity on scales of <50 pc. We additionally demonstrate that while chemical structure can be lost at large scales, metallicity diagnostics can break down on spatial scales smaller than an H ii region. This study highlights not only the benefits of high-resolution spatially resolved observations in assessing the effects of feedback mechanisms but also the potential limitations when employing emission-line diagnostics; these results are particularly relevant as we enter the era of extremely large telescopes.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY OF THE IXTOC-I OIL SPILL IN CAMPECHE SOUND, SOUTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Arturo Soto

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The southwestern Gulf of Mexico constitutes an important subsystem within a Large Marine Ecosystem. Due to its high biodiversity, living resources and energy resources, this region is strategic in the national plans for social and economic development of Mexico. The discovery of fossil fuel reserves in the seabed of Campeche Sound in the 1970s promoted the rapid expansion of the national oil industry in offshore waters. Unfortunately, the accidental blowout of the most productive well (Ixtoc-I in June of 1979, caused the first–world massive oil spill in a tropical marine environment. More than 3.4 million of barrels of crude oil were liberated in an ecosystem formerly renowned for its pristine conditions. In the aftermath of this dreadful accident, an immediate concern emerged not only for the oil acute effects but also for the long-term environmental consequences derived from the residual hydrocarbon compounds accumulated in coastal environments of the southern Gulf of Mexico. The attempts to assess the magnitude of the environmental damage were strongly precluded by the lack of pre-spill information. Natural variability in the ecosystem and oil weathering-factors contributed to attenuate the acute pollution effects that lasted nine months. However, the post-spill environmental alterations caused by the Ixtoc-I blowout still remain unanswered. The sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the deep-waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico, in 2010 rekindled our concern for the great risk involved for human lives and the health of shallow and deep sea habitats. The authors of this contribution offer their views on this environmental riddle from their own perspective as direct witnesses of the Ixtoc-I environmental tragedy.

Linking irreplaceable landforms in a self-organizing landscape to sensitivity of population vital rates for an ecological specialist.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryberg, Wade A; Hill, Michael T; Painter, Charles W; Fitzgerald, Lee A

2015-06-01

Irreplaceable, self-organizing landforms and the endemic and ecologically specialized biodiversity they support are threatened globally by anthropogenic disturbances. Although the outcome of disrupting landforms is somewhat understood, little information exists that documents population consequences of landform disturbance on endemic biodiversity. Conservation strategies for species dependent upon landforms have been difficult to devise because they require understanding complex feedbacks that create and maintain landforms and the consequences of landform configuration on demography of species. We characterized and quantified links between landform configuration and demography of an ecological specialist, the dunes sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus), which occurs only in blowouts (i.e., wind-blown sandy depressions) of Shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) sand-dune landforms. We used matrix models to estimate vital rates from a multisite mark-recapture study of 6 populations occupying landforms with different spatial configurations. Sensitivity and elasticity analyses demonstrated demographic rates among populations varied in sensitivity to different landform configurations. Specifically, significant relationships between blowout shape complexity and vital rate elasticities suggested direct links between S. arenicolus demography and amount of edge in Shinnery oak sand-dune landforms. These landforms are irreplaceable, based on permanent transition of disturbed areas to alternative grassland ecosystem states. Additionally, complex feedbacks between wind, sand, and Shinnery oak maintain this landform, indicating restoration through land management practices is unlikely. Our findings that S. arenicolus population dynamics depended on landform configuration suggest that failure to consider processes of landform organization and their effects on species' population dynamics may lead to incorrect inferences about threats to endemic species and ineffective habitat

2009 review of the Deep Panuke Environmental Effects Monitoring Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

The Oceans, Habitat and Species at Risk branch of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada requested an update to the Environmental Management Plan for the construction of the Deep Panuke Project. Specifically, it requested expert advice on the 2009-2010 Drilling Environmental Protection Plan/Environmental Effects Monitoring Plan (EPP/EEMP), which outlines the measures that EnCana proposes take to avoid or minimize the effects of drilling in the marine environment. Although the proposed approach was deemed to be sufficient, the EPP/EEMP did not make reference to the potential effects of noise on marine species. The jack-up rig mobile offshore production unit that is proposed for well drilling and well re-entries was considered to produce lower noise levels than drillships and semi submersibles. It was concluded that jack up drilling at Deep Panuke would not likely require special noise mitigation measures, but more extensive measurement and documentation of acoustic noise levels around active rigs is recommended. The risk of well blowout or collapse was deemed low. Should such an event occur, the impact of the released hydrocarbon condensate would depend on the rate and duration of the release. Under typical conditions, the proponent's models reasonably show the blowout discharge drifting away from Sable Island. However, there is a very low risk that certain weather conditions would result in an oil spill reaching Sable Island. The EPP/EEMP does not address species at risk in any way, and mitigation measures are required and should be detailed in the monitoring plan. It was concluded that the proposed EPP/EEMP is sufficient in many areas, but since most mitigation measures are based on theoretical considerations alone, a plan for field monitoring at the drilling site is needed. 3 refs.

Metagenomic analysis and metabolite profiling of deep-sea sediments from the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikole Elizabeth Kimes

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Marine subsurface environments, such as deep-sea sediments, house abundant and diverse microbial communities that are believed to influence large-scale geochemical processes. These processes include the biotransformation and mineralization of numerous petroleum constituents. Thus, microbial communities in the Gulf of Mexico are thought to be responsible for the intrinsic bioremediation of crude oil released by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH oil spill. While hydrocarbon contamination is known to enrich for aerobic, oil-degrading bacteria in deep-seawater habitats, relatively little is known about the response of communities in deep-sea sediments, where low oxygen levels may hinder such a response. Here, we examined the hypothesis that increased hydrocarbon exposure results in an altered sediment microbial community structure that reflects the prospects for oil biodegradation under the prevailing conditions. We explore this hypothesis using metagenomic analysis and metabolite profiling of deep-sea sediment samples following the DWH oil spill. The presence of aerobic microbial communities and associated functional genes was consistent among all samples, whereas, a greater number of Deltaproteobacteria and anaerobic functional genes were found in sediments closest to the DWH blowout site. Metabolite profiling also revealed a greater number of putative metabolites in sediments surrounding the blowout zone relative to a background site located 127 km away. The mass spectral analysis of the putative metabolites revealed that alkylsuccinates remained below detection levels, but a homologous series of benzylsuccinates (with carbon chain lengths from 5 to 10 could be detected. Our findings suggest that increased exposure to hydrocarbons enriches for Deltaproteobacteria, which are known to be capable of anaerobic hydrocarbon metabolism. We also provide evidence for an active microbial community metabolizing aromatic hydrocarbons in deep-sea sediments of the

La banque de données platform de l'Institut français du pétrole : un outil de base pour des études de risque Ifp's Platform Databank: a Basic Implement for Risk Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bertrand A. R. V.

2006-11-01

information file, including a synthesis data sheet for each accident giving a selection of important facts (date, location, type of accident, etc. and summarizing the most probable sequence of events of the accident and their consequences, and (2 a computerized databank giving the most important facts for each accident in a strictly controlled language of codes and abbreviations for use in statistical analysis. The computerized databank contains 25 different parameters. Some are made up of multiple components (there are three preliminary factors, four sequences of events, etc. , and others are codes with sub-elements. Data has been entered in three different ways : as uncoded facts, as simple codes, or as complex codes. The latter have enabled a detailed analysis to be made of certain important factors, such as : (a 72 possible preliminary factors preceding the accident (b 74 different kinds of events making up a sequence of events (including 5 different types of blowout and 13 types of collision(c 196 countries, provinces or states (d 30 major geographic zones(e 139 different constructors of platforms, drillships or barges. An analysis of the number of accidents per year from 1972 to 1988 shows a good correlation with the evolution of the price of crude oil during the same period and that of world rig utilization. A comparison with the number of new rigs put onto the market from 1977 to 1988 shows a peak in accidents for the same years, reflecting the fact that new rigs are often subject to accidents at the start of operations. These comparisons serve to demonstrate the good correlation of the PLATFORM databank with results from other studies. PLATFORM can be used to draw up simple data sheets, such as the two lists given of the accidents having caused the most human casualties as well as those having caused the greatest oil spills. It can be used to furnish the probabilities of occurrence of unusual types of accidents, or to give a figure for well-known high-risk activities

Detection and control of combustion instability based on the concept of dynamical system theory

Science.gov (United States)

Gotoda, Hiroshi; Shinoda, Yuta; Kobayashi, Masaki; Okuno, Yuta; Tachibana, Shigeru

2014-02-01

We propose an online method of detecting combustion instability based on the concept of dynamical system theory, including the characterization of the dynamic behavior of combustion instability. As an important case study relevant to combustion instability encountered in fundamental and practical combustion systems, we deal with the combustion dynamics close to lean blowout (LBO) in a premixed gas-turbine model combustor. The relatively regular pressure fluctuations generated by thermoacoustic oscillations transit to low-dimensional intermittent chaos owing to the intermittent appearance of burst with decreasing equivalence ratio. The translation error, which is characterized by quantifying the degree of parallelism of trajectories in the phase space, can be used as a control variable to prevent LBO.

Comparison of the effects of nuclear power plants and thermal power plants on the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivintsev, Yu.V.; Teverovskij, E.N.

1976-01-01

A comparison of ecological effects produced by a thermal power station (TPS) and a nuclear power plant (NPP) of similar electric capacity has been made. The ecological advantages of NPP over TPS are revealed in analysis of aerosol and gas blow-out and its danger for the environment. From the above data it follows that TPS as compared with NPP of similar electric capacity produces a 100 and 1000 fold higher air pollution effect than the latter. The dose of TPS radiation effect is minimum 500 times higher than that of NPP at normal operation. Large-scale construction of NPP is one of the most perfect means of atmosphere protection against harmful industrial discharges

Complications of combined surgery and neutron radiation therapy in patients with advanced carcinoma of the head and neck

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffin, T.W.; Weisberger, E.C.; Laramore, G.E.; Tong, D.; Blasko, J.C.

1979-01-01

A total of 135 patients with advanced squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with cyclotron-generated fast neutrons. Thirty-eight had major surgery before or after irradiation. Major complications (fistula formation, carotid artery exposure or blowout requiring ligation, or major wound breakdown) occurred in 37%. The complication rates associated with surgery prior to irradiation, planned surgery following irradiation, and salvage surgery following irradiation were 0/12, 4/5, and 10/21, respectively. The complication rate for surgery following neutron irradiation alone was 73%; for surgery following mixed-beam irradiation it was 20%. The age of the patient and the interval between surgery and irradiation had no influence on the complication rate

Detection and control of combustion instability based on the concept of dynamical system theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Gotoda, Hiroshi; Shinoda, Yuta; Kobayashi, Masaki; Okuno, Yuta; Tachibana, Shigeru

2014-02-01

We propose an online method of detecting combustion instability based on the concept of dynamical system theory, including the characterization of the dynamic behavior of combustion instability. As an important case study relevant to combustion instability encountered in fundamental and practical combustion systems, we deal with the combustion dynamics close to lean blowout (LBO) in a premixed gas-turbine model combustor. The relatively regular pressure fluctuations generated by thermoacoustic oscillations transit to low-dimensional intermittent chaos owing to the intermittent appearance of burst with decreasing equivalence ratio. The translation error, which is characterized by quantifying the degree of parallelism of trajectories in the phase space, can be used as a control variable to prevent LBO.

Interstellar matter near the Pleiades. IV - The wake of the Pleiades through the interstellar medium in Taurus

Science.gov (United States)

White, Richard E.; Bally, John

1993-01-01

A large emission 'cavity' whose bright rims extend about 5 deg eastward from the Pleiades, and is pressurized by the soft-UV radiation of the cluster, has been revealed by a mosaic of IRAS images; the emission cavity delineates the wake of the Pleiades as it moves supersonically through the ISM. Photoelectric heating is identified as the most likely agent of the cluster-cloud interaction generating a shock wave, and prompts the hypothesis that transverse expansion of heated gas near the cluster plays a crucial role in driving the shock. The cloud trajectory can be traced back to an origin in Gould's Belt some 15 Myr ago, in a blowout of gas into the Galactic halo.

Encyclopedia of well logging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desbrandes, R.

1985-01-01

The 16 chapters of this book aim to provide students, trainees and engineers with a manual covering all well-logging measurements ranging from drilling to productions, from oil to minerals going by way of geothermal energy. Each chapter is a summary but a bibliography is given at the end of each chapter. Well-logging during drilling, wireline logging equipment and techniques, petroleum logging, data processing of borehole data, interpretation of well-logging, sampling tools, completion and production logging, logging in relief wells to kill off uncontrolled blowouts, techniques for high temperature geothermal energy, small-scale mining and hydrology, logging with oil-base mud and finally recommended logging programs are all topics covered. There is one chapter on nuclear well-logging which is indexed separately. (UK)

Bounds on the dynamics of sink populations with noisy immigration.

Science.gov (United States)

Eager, Eric Alan; Guiver, Chris; Hodgson, Dave; Rebarber, Richard; Stott, Iain; Townley, Stuart

2014-03-01

Sink populations are doomed to decline to extinction in the absence of immigration. The dynamics of sink populations are not easily modelled using the standard framework of per capita rates of immigration, because numbers of immigrants are determined by extrinsic sources (for example, source populations, or population managers). Here we appeal to a systems and control framework to place upper and lower bounds on both the transient and future dynamics of sink populations that are subject to noisy immigration. Immigration has a number of interpretations and can fit a wide variety of models found in the literature. We apply the results to case studies derived from published models for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and blowout penstemon (Penstemon haydenii). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Macondo-1 well oil-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mesozooplankton from the northern Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, Siddhartha; Kimmel, David G.; Snyder, Jessica; Scalise, Kimberly; McGlaughon, Benjamin D.; Roman, Michael R.; Jahn, Ginger L.; Pierson, James J.; Brandt, Stephen B.; Montoya, Joseph P.; Rosenbauer, Robert J.; Lorenson, T.D.; Wong, Florence L.; Campbell, Pamela L.

2012-01-01

Mesozooplankton (>200 μm) collected in August and September of 2010 from the northern Gulf of Mexico show evidence of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that distributions of PAHs extracted from mesozooplankton were related to the oil released from the ruptured British Petroleum Macondo-1 (M-1) well associated with the R/VDeepwater Horizon blowout. Mesozooplankton contained 0.03–97.9 ng g−1 of total PAHs and ratios of fluoranthene to fluoranthene + pyrene less than 0.44, indicating a liquid fossil fuel source. The distribution of PAHs isolated from mesozooplankton extracted in this study shows that the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill may have contributed to contamination in the northern Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

Flame Propagation and Blowout in Hydrocarbon Jets: Experiments to Understand the Stability and Structure

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-29

Wilson and Kevin M. Lyons. On Diluted-Fuel Combustion Issues in Burning Biogas Surrogates, ASME-JERT, (12 2009): . doi: 2010/01/07 10:47:38 2 TOTAL...four coflow velocities are used, resulting in eight additional flow configurations. Table 2 contains the data obtained for these configurations, as...counterflow have higher stability limits than those in an oblique configuration. 4.) Conclusions Based on the results obtained from this experiment, a

The Nigerian experience in health, safety, and environmental matters during oil and gas exploration and production operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oyekan, A.J.

1991-01-01

Since crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantities in the Country, in 1956, Nigerian oil and gas exploration and production activities have steadily increased as petroleum assumed strategic importance in the nation's economy. However, just as occurs in many parts of the world, crude oil and gas are found and produced in Nigeria sometimes in very hostile and unfavorable environments. The search for oil and gas takes explorers to the hot regions of the Northern parts of the country, the swamp jungle location of the Niger Delta, as well as offshore locations in the Atlantic Ocean. Each terrain, whether land, swamp or offshore, in deep or shallow waters, present unique health, safety and environmental implications and challenges to the operators, as well as, to the Government regulators. From a background of existing Nigerian Laws and operational experience, this paper details the programmes that have been put in place to guarantee a healthy workforce, ensure the safety of personnel and equipment, and protect the Nigerian environment during oil and gas exploration and production operations, as well as their documented effectiveness. The paper discusses the performance of the Petroleum Industry by analyzing the health, safety and environmental records available from 1956 - 1990. The records of major incidents related to safety and environment over the period are discussed and evaluated. The paper notes that relatively speaking, in spite of the Bomu 2 and Funiwa V oil well blow-outs in 1970 and 1980 respectively which caused extensive environmental damages and the Anieze, Oniku and KC 1 gas well blow-out of 1972, 1975 and 1989 respectively, which resulted in the loss of the rigs drilling the locations concerned, the safety performance records in the Nigerian oil and gas exploration and production activities in the past thirty-five years have been satisfactory compared with the records of similar operations in most other parts of the world

Optimal combustor dimensions for the catalytic combustion of methane-air mixtures in micro-channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Junjie; Song, Wenya; Xu, Deguang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The effect of combustor dimensions on the combustion stability was elucidated. • Wall thermal properties are important for optimizing combustor dimensions. • The optimal wall thickness increases with flow velocity. • The optimal combustor length depends on the wall thermal conductivity. • Stability diagrams were constructed and design recommendations were made. - Abstract: This paper addresses the question of choosing appropriate combustor dimensions for the self-sustained catalytic combustion in parallel plate micro-channels. The combustion characteristics and stability of methane-air mixtures over platinum in catalytic micro-combustors were studied, using a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with detailed chemistry and transport. The effects of gap size, wall thickness, and combustor length on the combustion stability and combustor performance were explored to provide guidelines for optimal design of combustor dimensions. Combustion stability diagrams were constructed, and design recommendations were made. The effect of wall thermal conductivity on the mechanisms of extinction and blowout, and its implications on optimal combustor geometry were studied. It was shown that combustor dimensions are vital in determining the combustion stability of the system. The choice of appropriate combustor dimensions is crucial in achieving stable combustion, due to a rather narrow operating space determined by stability, material, and conversion constraints. The optimal gap size depends on whether the flow velocity or flow rate is kept constant. For most practical wall materials in the range of metals to highly conductive ceramics, larger combustors are more stable at a fixed flow velocity, whereas smaller combustors are recommended for a fixed flow rate at the expense of hot spots. The optimal wall thickness increases with flow velocity. Higher flow velocities can be sustained in combustors with low-conductivity materials using

Environmental risk of oil spills in Northern Areas[Pollution abatement in Norway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoell, Espen

2006-07-01

The presentation discusses consequences and risks for the environment of oil spills and other pollution factors in the northern areas particularly in the north of Norway and the Barents Sea. Various environmental risk analysis are also discussed. The main conclusions are: Environmental risk for Obelix: The environmental risk is very low. The environmental risk for Obelix is less than 21% of Hydro's acceptance criteria for minor damage. The environmental risk is acceptable. DNV: The contingency planned for Obelix (barrier 1 and 2) will reduce the environmental risk further by approx. 60%, date: 2006-01-13. Question: Hydro Oil and Energy. Does the oil industry reach other conclusions than the national research institutes does for the Management Plan of the Barents Sea. The underlying studies (of the management plan) mainly consider the consequences of worst case events. Full rate (3000 m3/d), long duration (60 days). Blowout occurring at the worst time and place. They assume that consequences experienced by shipwreck accidents in the coastal zone are relevant also for offshore discharges. They do not consider: The probability for the worst case blowout to occur. The probability for the worst case consequences to be realized. The probability for less serious impact. The probable impact distribution. Overall conclusion: Environmental Risk of oil and gas activities in Lofoten and the Barents Sea Based on: 1) 40 years of experience in the Norwegian sector. 2) World leading risk reduction technology. 3) Systematic and thorough methods for analysis of environmental risk. 4) Several environmental risk analyses for Barents Sea and Lofoten drilling operations, indicating acceptable risk levels. 5) Recent ERA for Goliath drilling indicating similar low risk levels. 6) Well functioning contingency systems. We conclude that the environmental risk of oil and gas activities in the northern areas is low and acceptable to the Norwegian society. The environmental risk due to oil

Sustained in situ measurements of dissolved oxygen, methane and water transport processes in the benthic boundary layer at MC118, northern Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Martens, Christopher S.; Mendlovitz, Howard P.; Seim, Harvey; Lapham, Laura; D'Emidio, Marco

2016-07-01

Within months of the BP Macondo Wellhead blowout, elevated methane concentrations within the water column revealed a significant retention of light hydrocarbons in deep waters plus corresponding dissolved oxygen (DO) deficits. However, chemical plume tracking efforts were hindered by a lack of in situ monitoring capabilities. Here, we describe results from in situ time-series, lander-based investigations of physical and biogeochemical processes controlling dissolved oxygen, and methane at Mississippi Canyon lease block 118 ( 18 km from the oil spill) conducted shortly after the blowout through April 2012. Multiple sensor arrays plus open-cylinder flux chambers (;chimneys;) deployed from a benthic lander collected oxygen, methane, pressure, and current speed and direction data within one meter of the seafloor. The ROVARD lander system was deployed for an initial 21-day test experiment (9/13/2010-10/04/2010) at 882 m depth before a longer 160-day deployment (10/24/2011-4/01/2012) at 884 m depth. Temporal variability in current directions and velocities and water temperatures revealed strong influences of bathymetrically steered currents and overlying along-shelf flows on local and regional water transport processes. DO concentrations and temperature were inversely correlated as a result of water mass mixing processes. Flux chamber measurements during the 160-day deployment revealed total oxygen utilization (TOU) averaging 11.6 mmol/m2 day. Chimney DO concentrations measured during the 21-day deployment exhibited quasi-daily variations apparently resulting from an interaction between near inertial waves and the steep topography of an elevated scarp immediately adjacent to the 21-day deployment site that modulated currents at the top of the chimney. Variability in dissolved methane concentrations suggested significant temporal variability in gas release from nearby hydrocarbon seeps and/or delivery by local water transport processes. Free-vehicle (lander) monitoring

Kuwait summons more fire fighting teams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-08-05

Kuwait is calling in more muscle to help kill its wild wells. This paper reports on the latest action in Kuwait, the leasing of well control contracts to Abel Engineering/Well Control Inc., Houston, and China Petroleum Engineering Construction Co. (CPEC). Abel is the sixth North American well control company called to the scene, while CPEC is the first summoned from the East. In addition, the service responsible for combating well fires and blowouts in the U.S.S.R.'s Azerbaijan oil fields signed an agreement with Kuwait's government, apparently involving a contract valued at more than $100 million, to extinguish fires at 150 Kuwaiti wells, reported Eastern Bloc Energy, a publication of Eastern Bloc Research Ltd., Newton Kyme, U.K. More help likely is on the way.

Rotating preventers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tangedahl, M.J.; Stone, C.R.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that recent changes in the oil and gas industry and ongoing developments in horizontal and underbalanced drilling necessitated development of a better rotating head. A new device called the rotating blowout preventer (RBOP) was developed by Seal-Tech. It is designed to replace the conventional rotating control head on top of BOP stacks and allows drilling operations to continue even on live (underbalanced) wells. Its low wear characteristics and high working pressure (1,500 psi) allow drilling rig crews to drill safely in slightly underbalanced conditions or handle severe well control problems during the time required to actuate other BOPs in the stack. Drilling with a RBOP allows wellbores to be completely closed in tat the drill floor rather than open as with conventional BOPs

Laser dynamics in transversely inhomogeneous plasma and its relevance to wakefield acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Pathak, V. B.; Vieira, J.; Silva, L. O.; Nam, Chang Hee

2018-05-01

We present full set of coupled equations describing the weakly relativistic dynamics of a laser in a plasma with transverse inhomogeneity. We apply variational principle approach to obtain these coupled equations governing laser spot-size, transverse wavenumber, curvature, transverse centroid, etc. We observe that such plasma inhomogeneity can lead to stronger self-focusing. We further discuss the guiding conditions of laser in parabolic plasma channels. With the help of multi-dimensional particle in cell simulations the study is extended to the blowout regime of laser wakefield acceleration to show laser as well as self-injected electron bunch steering in plasma to generate unconventional particle trajectories. Our simulation results demonstrate that such transverse inhomogeneities due to asymmetric self focusing lead to asymmetric bubble excitation, thus inducing off-axis self-injection.

Star Formation in Dusty Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Lumsden, Stuart; Croom, Scott

2012-04-01

Quasar mode feedback is thought to be a crucial ingredient in galaxy formation for luminous merging and star-bursting systems at high redshift. The energy from the active nucleus should cause significant gas outflows, reducing the available free gas reservoir for future star formation. It is currently unknown which observational state best corresponds to the stage at which this "blowout" should occur. We intend to test one possible source population for this transition phase, by studying the molecular gas content in a small, statistically complete sample of 3 K-band selected reddened quasars from the AUS survey. All lie in the redshift range 2

An Analytical Method for Jack-Up Riser’s Fatigue Life Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fengde Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In order to determine whether a special sea area and its sea state are available for the jack-up riser with surface blowout preventers, an analytical method is presented to estimate the jack-up riser’s wave loading fatigue life in this study. In addition, an approximate formula is derived to compute the random wave force spectrum of the small-scale structures. The results show that the response of jack-up riser is a narrow band random vibration. The infinite water depth dispersion relation between wavenumber and wave frequency can be used to calculate the wave force spectrum of small-scale structures. The riser’s response mainly consists of the additional displacement response. The fatigue life obtained by the formula proposed by Steinberg is less than that of the Bendat method.

Simulação composicional de controle de poços

OpenAIRE

Claudio Henrique de Oliveira Loiola

2015-01-01

Resumo: A segurança operacional durante a perfuração de um poço de hidrocarbonetos é essencial e a prevenção de um blowout é um tema muito importante na indústria do petróleo e gás natural. Sabendo-se que a detecção de um kick é feita através da observação do nível dos tanques de retorno e vazão de retorno do fluido de perfuração, a crescente utilização de fluidos de perfuração de base sintética requer um melhor entendimento da interação do gás da formação com a base sintética, considerando-s...

Natural gas production by fracking in Germany; Erdgasgewinnung durch Fracking in Deutschland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muehlendahl, Karl Ernst v; Otto, Matthias [Kinderumwelt gGmbH der Deutschen Akademie fuer Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Osnabrueck (Germany)

2012-11-01

ExxonMobil is performing exploration tests in Lower Saxony concerning unconventional sources for natural gas production using hydraulic fracturing. The contribution is dealing with environmental policy related questions that affect public health and should be part of the information of physicians. The contribution covers information on the issues hydraulic fracturing, water consumption and application of chemicals, drilling accidents - blow-out, energy balance, legal questions, summarizing recommendations of neutral expert team, higher-ranking points of view with respect to environmental protection and compatibility. [German] Bei umweltpolitischen Fragen, die auch die Gesundheit der Bevoelkerung tangieren, sollten aerzte informiert sein, um ggf. sachkundig mitsprechen zu koennen. Der Bereitstellung einer notwendigen Basisinformation zu dem Thema Fracking, das in betroffenen Gebieten in Niedersachsen und im Muensterland viel diskutiert wird, dienen die nachfolgenden Ausfuehrungen.

A Wrapping Method for Inserting Titanium Micro-Mesh Implants in the Reconstruction of Blowout Fractures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tae Joon Choi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Titanium micro-mesh implants are widely used in orbital wall reconstructions because they have several advantageous characteristics. However, the rough and irregular marginal spurs of the cut edges of the titanium mesh sheet impede the efficacious and minimally traumatic insertion of the implant, because these spurs may catch or hook the orbital soft tissue, skin, or conjunctiva during the insertion procedure. In order to prevent this problem, we developed an easy method of inserting a titanium micro-mesh, in which it is wrapped with the aseptic transparent plastic film that is used to pack surgical instruments or is attached to one side of the inner suture package. Fifty-four patients underwent orbital wall reconstruction using a transconjunctival or transcutaneous approach. The wrapped implant was easily inserted without catching or injuring the orbital soft tissue, skin, or conjunctiva. In most cases, the implant was inserted in one attempt. Postoperative computed tomographic scans showed excellent placement of the titanium micro-mesh and adequate anatomic reconstruction of the orbital walls. This wrapping insertion method may be useful for making the insertion of titanium micro-mesh implants in the reconstruction of orbital wall fractures easier and less traumatic.

How Quasar Feedback May Shape the Co-evolutionary Paths

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishibashi, Wako, E-mail: wako.ishibashi@physik.uzh.ch [Physik-Institut, University of Zurich, Zürich (Switzerland)

2017-10-17

Observations point toward some form of “co-evolutionary sequence,” from dust-enshrouded starbursts to luminous unobscured quasars. Active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback is generally invoked to expel the obscuring dusty gas in a blow-out event, eventually revealing the hidden central quasar. However, the physical mechanism driving AGN feedback, either due to winds or radiation, remains uncertain and is still a source of much debate. We consider quasar feedback, based on radiation pressure on dust, which directly acts on the obscuring dusty gas. We show that AGN radiative feedback is capable of efficiently removing the obscuring cocoon, and driving powerful outflows on galactic scales, consistent with recent observations. I will discuss how such quasar feedback may provide a natural physical interpretation of the observed evolutionary path, and the physical implications in the broader context of black hole-host galaxy co-evolution.

Applications of science and engineering to quantify and control the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Science.gov (United States)

McNutt, Marcia K.; Chu, Steven; Lubchenco, Jane; Hunter, Tom; Dreyfus, Gabrielle; Murawski, Steven A.; Kennedy, David M.

2012-01-01

The unprecedented engagement of scientists from government, academia, and industry enabled multiple unanticipated and unique problems to be addressed during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. During the months between the initial blowout on April 20, 2010, and the final well kill on September 19, 2010, researchers prepared options, analyses of tradeoffs, assessments, and calculations of uncertainties associated with the flow rate of the well, well shut in, killing the well, and determination of the location of oil released into the environment. This information was used in near real time by the National Incident Commander and other government decision-makers. It increased transparency into BP’s proposed actions and gave the government confidence that, at each stage proposed, courses of action had been thoroughly vetted to reduce risk to human life and the environment and improve chances of success.

Time varying voltage combustion control and diagnostics sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Chorpening, Benjamin T [Morgantown, WV; Thornton, Jimmy D [Morgantown, WV; Huckaby, E David [Morgantown, WV; Fincham, William [Fairmont, WV

2011-04-19

A time-varying voltage is applied to an electrode, or a pair of electrodes, of a sensor installed in a fuel nozzle disposed adjacent the combustion zone of a continuous combustion system, such as of the gas turbine engine type. The time-varying voltage induces a time-varying current in the flame which is measured and used to determine flame capacitance using AC electrical circuit analysis. Flame capacitance is used to accurately determine the position of the flame from the sensor and the fuel/air ratio. The fuel and/or air flow rate (s) is/are then adjusted to provide reduced flame instability problems such as flashback, combustion dynamics and lean blowout, as well as reduced emissions. The time-varying voltage may be an alternating voltage and the time-varying current may be an alternating current.

A case study of consensus modelling for tracking oil spills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, Brian; Brushett, Ben; Lemckert, Charles

2010-01-01

Metocean forecast datasets are essential for the timely response to marine incidents and pollutant spill mitigation at sea. To effectively model the likely drift pattern and the area of impact for a marine spill, both wind and ocean current forecast datasets are required. There are two ocean current forecast models and two wind forecast models currently used operationally in the Australia and Asia Pacific region. The availability of several different forecast models provides a unique opportunity to compare the outcome of a particular modelling exercise with the outcome of another using a different model and determining whether there is consensus in the results. Two recent modelling exercises, the oil spill resulting from the damaged Pacific Adventurer (in Queensland) and the oil spill from the Montara well blowout (in Western Australia) are presented as case studies to examine consensus modelling.

Well safety in Brazil; Seguranca de poco no Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Otto L.A.; Sotomayor, Gabriel P.G.; Lage, Antonio C.M.; Scaringi Filho, Orlando; Martins, Francisco S.B. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2004-07-01

This article presents and discusses the actions taken in Brazil, in order to make drilling, completion and intervention operations safer. The implementation of these actions resulted in a reduction of the number of blowouts in the Country. They can be grouped into four categories: training and certification in well control of all personnel directly involved in drilling, completion and intervention operations (so far, more than 3800 well control certificates have been issued since the beginning of the certification program in 1993); rig inspections of the well control equipment and procedures and follow-up of the well control drills and rig crew certification; development of a program for writing regulations for several well control aspects such as design and operational procedures, equipment requirements, and practical recommendations for well control operations; and well control research projects specially those focused on deep waters. (author)

Experimental signatures of direct-laser-acceleration-assisted laser wakefield acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, J. L.; Lemos, N.; Marsh, K. A.; Froula, D. H.; Joshi, C.

2018-04-01

The direct laser acceleration (DLA) of electrons in a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) operating in the forced or quasi-blowout regimes has been investigated through experiment and simulation. When there is a significant overlap between the trapped electrons and the drive laser in a LWFA cavity, the resulting electrons can gain energy from both the LWFA and the DLA mechanisms. Experimental work investigates the properties of the electron beams produced in a LWFA with ionization injection by dispersing those beams in the direction perpendicular to the laser polarization. These electron beams show certain spectral features that are characteristic of DLA. These characteristic features are reproduced using particle-in-cell simulations, where particle tracking was used to elucidate the roles of LWFA and DLA to the energy gain of the electrons in this experimental regime and to demonstrate that such spectral features are definitive signatures of the presence of DLA in LWFA.

French crew for Ixtoc one oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dupuy, G

1979-08-30

In response to Mexico's July 1979 call for international bids to assist in cleaning up the oil slick from the Ixtoc No. 1 well blowout the French Government asked for responses from various organizations, to share the work under the leadership of the French Mission Interministerialle de la Mer (MISMER). Mexico called for 17 studies; among the French organizations, the Institut Geographique National and the Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP) were especially interested in tracking the slick and developing a model of the oil dispersion and diffusion, and the Office de Recherche Scientifique and Technique d'Outre-Mer was interested in the environmental impacts. CNEXO, with the IFP, selected projects on meteorological effects on the slick, and demographic studies of the marine and estuarine zones, and on the effects of the slick on deepwater near-surface resources, and deep sea and estuarine fish and shrimp. CEDRE suggested examining the hydrocarbon accumulations.

Stable, tunable, quasimonoenergetic electron beams produced in a laser wakefield near the threshold for self-injection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Banerjee

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Stable operation of a laser-plasma accelerator near the threshold for electron self-injection in the blowout regime has been demonstrated with 25–60 TW, 30 fs laser pulses focused into a 3–4 millimeter length gas jet. Nearly Gaussian shape and high nanosecond contrast of the focused pulse appear to be critically important for controllable, tunable generation of 250–430 MeV electron bunches with a low-energy spread, ∼10  pC charge, a few-mrad divergence and pointing stability, and a vanishingly small low-energy background. The physical nature of the near-threshold behavior is examined using three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Simulations indicate that properly locating the nonlinear focus of the laser pulse within the plasma suppresses continuous injection, thus reducing the low-energy tail of the electron beam.

Electron Acceleration in Wakefield and Supra-Bubble Regimes by Ultraintense Laser with Asymmetric Pulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maimaitiaili, Bake; Sayipjamal, Dulat; Aimierding, Aimidula; Xie Baisong

2011-01-01

Electron acceleration in plasma driven by circular polarized ultraintense laser with asymmetric pulse are investigated analytically and numerically in terms of oscillation-center Hamiltonian formalism. Studies include wakefield acceleration, which dominates in blow-out or bubble regime and snow-plow acceleration which dominates in supra-bubble regime. By a comparison with each other it is found that snow-plow acceleration has lower acceleration capability. In wakefield acceleration, there exists an obvious optimum pulse asymmetry or/and pulse lengths that leads to the high net energy gain while in snow-plow acceleration it is insensitive to the pulse lengths. Power and linear scaling laws for wakefield and snow-plow acceleration respetively are observed from the net energy gain depending on laser field amplitude. Moreover, there exists also an upper and lower limit on plasma density for an effective acceleration in both of regimes. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)

A numerical model for buoyant oil jets and smoke plumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, L.; Yapa, P. D.

1997-01-01

Development of a 3-D numerical model to simulate the behaviour of buoyant oil jets from underwater accidents and smoke plumes from oil burning was described. These jets/plumes can be oil-in-water, oil/gas mixture in water, gas in water, or gas in air. The ambient can have a 3-D flow structure, and spatially/temporally varying flow conditions. The model is based on the Lagrangian integral technique. The model formulation of oil jet includes the diffusion and dissolution of oil from the jet to the ambient environment. It is suitable to simulate well blowout accidents that can occur in deep waters, including that of the North Sea. The model has been thoroughly tested against a variety of data, including data from both laboratory and field experiments. In all cases the simulation data compared very well with experimental data. 26 refs., 10 figs

Methane flux to the atmosphere from the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster

Science.gov (United States)

Yvon-Lewis, Shari A.; Hu, Lei; Kessler, John

2011-01-01

The sea-to-air flux of methane from the blowout at the Deepwater Horizon was measured with substantial spatial and temporal resolution over the course of seven days in June 2010. Air and water concentrations were analyzed continuously from a flowing air line and a continuously flowing seawater equilibrator using cavity ring-down spectrometers (CRDS) and a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The results indicate a low flux of methane to the atmosphere (0.024 μmol m-2 d-1) with atmospheric and seawater equilibrium mixing ratios averaging 1.86 ppm and 2.85 ppm, respectively within the survey area. The oil leak, which was estimated to contain 30.2% methane by weight, was not a significant source of methane to the atmosphere during this study. Most of the methane emitted from the wellhead was dissolved in the deep ocean.

Encroachment of oriental bittersweet into Pitcher’s thistle habitat

Science.gov (United States)

Leicht-Young, Stacey A.; Pavlovic, Noel B.

2012-01-01

Common invasive species and rare endemic species can grow and interact at the ecotone between forested and non-forested dune habitats. To investigate these interactions, a comparison of the proximity and community associates of a sympatric invasive (Celastrus orbiculatus; oriental bittersweet) and native (C. scandens; American bittersweet) liana species to federally threatened Cirsium pitcheri (Pitcher's thistle) in the dunes habitats of Lake Michigan was conducted. Overall, the density of the invasive liana species was significantly greater in proximity to C. pitcheri than the native species. On the basis of composition, the three focal species occurred in both foredune and blowout habitats. The plant communities associated with the three focal species overlapped in ordination space, but there were significant differences in composition. The ability of C. orbiculatus to rapidly grow and change the ecological dynamics of invasion sites adds an additional threat to the successional habitats of C. pitcheri.

Game story space of professional sports: Australian rules football

Science.gov (United States)

Kiley, Dilan Patrick; Reagan, Andrew J.; Mitchell, Lewis; Danforth, Christopher M.; Dodds, Peter Sheridan

2016-05-01

Sports are spontaneous generators of stories. Through skill and chance, the script of each game is dynamically written in real time by players acting out possible trajectories allowed by a sport's rules. By properly characterizing a given sport's ecology of "game stories," we are able to capture the sport's capacity for unfolding interesting narratives, in part by contrasting them with random walks. Here we explore the game story space afforded by a data set of 1310 Australian Football League (AFL) score lines. We find that AFL games exhibit a continuous spectrum of stories rather than distinct clusters. We show how coarse graining reveals identifiable motifs ranging from last-minute comeback wins to one-sided blowouts. Through an extensive comparison with biased random walks, we show that real AFL games deliver a broader array of motifs than null models, and we provide consequent insights into the narrative appeal of real games.

Electron beam manipulation, injection and acceleration in plasma wakefield accelerators by optically generated plasma density spikes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wittig, Georg; Karger, Oliver S.; Knetsch, Alexander [Institute of Experimental Physics, University of Hamburg, 22761 Hamburg (Germany); Xi, Yunfeng; Deng, Aihua; Rosenzweig, James B. [Particle Beam Physics Laboratory, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Bruhwiler, David L. [RadiaSoft LLC, Boulder, CO 80304 (United States); RadiaBeam Technologies LLC (United States); Smith, Jonathan [Tech-X UK Ltd, Daresbury, Cheshire WA4 4FS (United Kingdom); Sheng, Zheng-Ming; Jaroszynski, Dino A.; Manahan, Grace G. [Physics Department, SUPA, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG (United Kingdom); Hidding, Bernhard [Institute of Experimental Physics, University of Hamburg, 22761 Hamburg (Germany); Physics Department, SUPA, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG (United Kingdom)

2016-09-01

We discuss considerations regarding a novel and robust scheme for optically triggered electron bunch generation in plasma wakefield accelerators [1]. In this technique, a transversely propagating focused laser pulse ignites a quasi-stationary plasma column before the arrival of the plasma wake. This localized plasma density enhancement or optical “plasma torch” distorts the blowout during the arrival of the electron drive bunch and modifies the electron trajectories, resulting in controlled injection. By changing the gas density, and the laser pulse parameters such as beam waist and intensity, and by moving the focal point of the laser pulse, the shape of the plasma torch, and therefore the generated trailing beam, can be tuned easily. The proposed method is much more flexible and faster in generating gas density transitions when compared to hydrodynamics-based methods, and it accommodates experimentalists needs as it is a purely optical process and straightforward to implement.

Rigid Finite Element Method in Analysis of Dynamics of Offshore Structures

CERN Document Server

Wittbrodt, Edmund; Maczyński, Andrzej; Wojciech, Stanisław

2013-01-01

This book describes new methods developed for modelling dynamics of machines commonly used in the offshore industry. These methods are based both on the rigid finite element method, used for the description of link deformations, and on homogeneous transformations and joint coordinates, which is applied to the modelling of multibody system dynamics. In this monograph, the bases of the rigid finite element method  and homogeneous transformations are introduced. Selected models for modelling dynamics of offshore devices are then verified both by using commercial software, based on the finite element method, as well as by using additional methods. Examples of mathematical models of offshore machines, such as a gantry crane for Blowout-Preventer (BOP) valve block transportation, a pedestal crane with shock absorber, and pipe laying machinery are presented. Selected problems of control in offshore machinery as well as dynamic optimization in device control are also discussed. Additionally, numerical simulations of...

A Novel Cardiotoxic Mechanism for a Pervasive Global Pollutant

Science.gov (United States)

Brette, Fabien; Shiels, Holly A.; Galli, Gina L. J.; Cros, Caroline; Incardona, John P.; Scholz, Nathaniel L.; Block, Barbara A.

2017-01-01

The Deepwater Horizon disaster drew global attention to the toxicity of crude oil and the potential for adverse health effects amongst marine life and spill responders in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The blowout released complex mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into critical pelagic spawning habitats for tunas, billfishes, and other ecologically important top predators. Crude oil disrupts cardiac function and has been associated with heart malformations in developing fish. However, the precise identity of cardiotoxic PAHs, and the mechanisms underlying contractile dysfunction are not known. Here we show that phenanthrene, a PAH with a benzene 3-ring structure, is the key moiety disrupting the physiology of heart muscle cells. Phenanthrene is a ubiquitous pollutant in water and air, and the cellular targets for this compound are highly conserved across vertebrates. Our findings therefore suggest that phenanthrene may be a major worldwide cause of vertebrate cardiac dysfunction.

Nonlinear dynamics in a Cournot duopoly with relative profit delegation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fanti, Luciano; Gori, Luca; Sodini, Mauro

2012-01-01

This paper analyses the dynamics of a nonlinear Cournot duopoly with managerial delegation and homogeneous players. We assume that the owners of both firms hire a manager and delegate output decisions to him or her. Each manager receives a fixed salary plus a bonus based on relative (profit) performance. Managers of both firms may collude or compete. In cases of both collusion and a low degree of competition, we find that synchronised dynamics take place. However, when the degree of competition is high, the dynamics may undergo symmetry-breaking bifurcations, which can cause significant global phenomena. Specifically, there is on–off intermittency and blow-out bifurcations for several parameter values. In addition, several attractors may coexist. The global behaviour of the noninvertible map is investigated through studying a transverse Lyapunov exponent and the folding action of the critical curves of the map. These phenomena are impossible under profit maximisation.

The Dimensions of the Orbital Cavity Based on High-Resolution Computed Tomography of Human Cadavers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Felding, Ulrik Ascanius; Bloch, Sune Land; Buchwald, Christian von

2016-01-01

for surface area. To authors' knowledge, this study is the first to have measured the entire surface area of the orbital cavity.The volume and surface area of the orbital cavity were estimated in computed tomography scans of 11 human cadavers using unbiased stereological sampling techniques. The mean (± SD......) total volume and total surface area of the orbital cavities was 24.27 ± 3.88 cm and 32.47 ± 2.96 cm, respectively. There was no significant difference in volume (P = 0.315) or surface area (P = 0.566) between the 2 orbital cavities.The stereological technique proved to be a robust and unbiased method...... that may be used as a gold standard for comparison with automated computer software. Future imaging studies in blow-out fracture patients may be based on individual and relative calculation involving both herniated volume and fractured surface area in relation to the total volume and surface area...

Self-Guiding of Ultrashort Relativistically Intense Laser Pulses to the Limit of Nonlinear Pump Depletion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ralph, J. E.; Marsh, K. A.; Pak, A. E.; Lu, W.; Clayton, C. E.; Fang, F.; Joshi, C.; Tsung, F. S.; Mori, W. B.

2009-01-01

A study of self-guiding of ultra short, relativistically intense laser pulses is presented. Here, the laser pulse length is on the order of the nonlinear plasma wavelength and the normalized vector potential is greater than one. Self-guiding of ultrashort laser pulses over tens of Rayliegh lengths is possible when driving a highly nonlinear wake. In this case, self-guiding is limited by nonlinear pump depletion. Erosion of the pulse due to diffraction at the head of the laser pulse is minimized for spot sizes close to the blow-out radius. This is due to the slowing of the group velocity of the photons at the head of the laser pulse. Using an approximately 10 TW Ti:Sapphire laser with a pulse length of approximately 50 fs, experimental results are presented showing self-guiding over lengths exceeding 30 Rayliegh lengths in various length Helium gas jets. Fully explicit 3D PIC simulations supporting the experimental results are also presented.

Dragon slayers: Canadian wild well tamers among the best in world

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polczer, S.

1999-10-01

The development of oil well fire fighting techniques, and some of the more famous fires in the Alberta oil patch such as the Atlantic 3 blowout at Leduc Alberta in 1955 and the Lodgepole fire in 1982, are described, leading up to a discussion of the outstanding work done by Canadian oilfield fire fighters in Kuwait. During the Gulf War in 1991 the retreating Iraqi forces blew up 732 oil wells, sparking the largest oilfield emergency in history. Fire fighters from the Drayton Valley, Alberta, firm of 'Safety Boss' snuffed out 180 wells in 200 days, establishing Canadian oil well fire fighters as among the best in the world. Since then, the company was called upon to assist in extinguishing fires at the Tupras Refinery following the earthquake in Turkey in the summer of 1999, and at the Hub Oil Ltd. fire in southeast Calgary, just a week prior to the earthquake in Turkey. 2 photos.

Shear Ram Verification Test Protocol (VTP) Best Practices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindley, Roy A. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Braun, Joseph C. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2017-01-01

A blowout preventer (BOP) is a critical component used on subsea oil and gas wells during drilling, completion, and workover operations on the U. S. outer continental shelf (OCS). The purpose of the BOP is to seal oil and gas wells, and in the case of an emergency well-control event, to prevent the uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons. One of the most important components of the BOP is the hydraulically operated blind shear ram (BSR) that shears drilling-related components, such as drill pipes, casings, tubings, and wire-related tools that may have been placed in the well. In addition to shearing these components, the BSR must form a seal to keep hydrocarbons within the well bore, even when under the highest well-fluid pressures expected. The purpose of this document is for Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to provide an independent view, based on current regulations, and best practices for testing and confirming the operability and suitability of BSRs under realistic (or actual) well conditions.

Leak in spiral weld in a 16 inches gas pipeline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fazzini, Pablo G; Bona, Jeremias de [GIE S.A., Mar del Plata (Argentina); Otegui, Jose L [University of Mar del Plata (Argentina)

2009-07-01

This paper discusses a failure analysis after a leak in the spiral weld of a 16 inches natural gas pipeline, in service since 1974. The leak was the result of the coalescence of two different defects, on each surface of the pipe wall, located in the center of the inner cord of the helical DSAW weld. Fractographic and metallographic studies revealed that the leak was a combination of three conditions. During fabrication of the pipe, segregation in grain boundary grouped in mid weld. During service, these segregations underwent a process of selective galvanic corrosion. One of these volumetric defects coincided with a tubular pore in the outer weld. Pigging of the pipeline in 2005 for cleaning likely contributed to the increase of the leak flow, when eliminating corrosion product plugs. Although these defects are likely to repeat, fracture mechanics shows that a defect of this type is unlikely to cause a blowout. (author)

A non-linear theory for the bubble regime of plasma wake fields in tailored plasma channels

CERN Document Server

Thomas, Johannes

2016-01-01

We introduce a first full analytical bubble and blow-out model for a radially inhomogeneous plasma in a quasi-static approximation. For both cases we calculate the accelerating and the focusing fields. In our model we also assume a thin electron layer that surrounds the wake field and calculate the field configuration within. Our theory holds for arbitrary radial density profiles and reduces to known models in the limit of a homogeneous plasma. From a previous study of hollow plasma channels with smooth boundaries for laser-driven electron acceleration in the bubble regime we know that pancake-like laser pulses lead to highest electron energies [Pukhov et al, PRL 113, 245003 (2014)]. As it was shown, the bubble fields can be adjusted to balance the laser depletion and dephasing lengths by varying the plasma density profile inside a deep channel. Now we show why the radial fields in the vacuum part of a channel become defocussing.

Dragon slayers: Canadian wild well tamers among the best in world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polczer, S.

1999-01-01

The development of oil well fire fighting techniques, and some of the more famous fires in the Alberta oil patch such as the Atlantic 3 blowout at Leduc Alberta in 1955 and the Lodgepole fire in 1982, are described, leading up to a discussion of the outstanding work done by Canadian oilfield fire fighters in Kuwait. During the Gulf War in 1991 the retreating Iraqi forces blew up 732 oil wells, sparking the largest oilfield emergency in history. Fire fighters from the Drayton Valley, Alberta, firm of 'Safety Boss' snuffed out 180 wells in 200 days, establishing Canadian oil well fire fighters as among the best in the world. Since then, the company was called upon to assist in extinguishing fires at the Tupras Refinery following the earthquake in Turkey in the summer of 1999, and at the Hub Oil Ltd. fire in southeast Calgary, just a week prior to the earthquake in Turkey. 2 photos

A New Method of Earlier Kick Assessment Using ANFIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatemeh Deregeh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The late detection of the kick (the entrance of underground fluids into oil wells leads to oil well blowouts. It causes human life loss and imposes a great deal of expenses on the petroleum industry. This paper presents the application of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system designed for an earlier kick detection using measurable drilling parameters. In order to generate the initial fuzzy inference system, subtractive clustering is utilized. The training set contains 50 data samples and there are 362 data samples for testing the proposed method. Also, ANFIS structure is examined at different radii (the parameter of subtractive clustering. Different conformations are tested to get the earliest detection and the lowest false alarms while facing kick. Eventually, ANFIS verifies the danger exposure depth of about 28.6 meters before the depth that the kick was sensed by crew. Such an assessment gives the rig crew enough time to prepare for the danger and stop the operation before being exposed to high pressure zones.

Coherent transition radiation from a laser wakefield accelerator as an electron bunch diagnostic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tilborg, J. van; Geddes, C.G.R.; Toth, C.; Esarey, E.; Schroeder, C.B.; Martin, M.C.; Hao, Z.; Leemans, W.P.

2004-01-01

The observation and modeling of coherent transition radiation from femtosecond laser accelerated electron bunches is discussed. The coherent transition radiation, scaling quadratically with bunch charge, is generated as the electrons transit the plasma-vacuum boundary. Due to the limited transverse radius of the plasma boundary, diffraction effects will strongly modify the angular distribution and the total energy radiated is reduced compared to an infinite transverse boundary. The multi-nC electron bunches, concentrated in a length of a few plasma periods (several tens of microns), experience partial charge neutralization while propagating inside the plasma towards the boundary. This reduces the space-charge blowout of the beam, allowing for coherent radiation at relatively high frequencies (several THz). The charge distribution of the electron bunch at the plasma-vacuum boundary can be derived from Fourier analysis of the coherent part of the transition radiation spectrum. A Michelson interferometer was used to measure the coherent spectrum, and electron bunches with duration on the order of 50 fs (rms) were observed

Fuel Class Higher Alcohols

KAUST Repository

Sarathy, Mani

2016-08-17

This chapter focuses on the production and combustion of alcohol fuels with four or more carbon atoms, which we classify as higher alcohols. It assesses the feasibility of utilizing various C4-C8 alcohols as fuels for internal combustion engines. Utilizing higher-molecular-weight alcohols as fuels requires careful analysis of their fuel properties. ASTM standards provide fuel property requirements for spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engines such as the stability, lubricity, viscosity, and cold filter plugging point (CFPP) properties of blends of higher alcohols. Important combustion properties that are studied include laminar and turbulent flame speeds, flame blowout/extinction limits, ignition delay under various mixing conditions, and gas-phase and particulate emissions. The chapter focuses on the combustion of higher alcohols in reciprocating SI and CI engines and discusses higher alcohol performance in SI and CI engines. Finally, the chapter identifies the sources, production pathways, and technologies currently being pursued for production of some fuels, including n-butanol, iso-butanol, and n-octanol.

Rigid finite element method in analysis of dynamics of offshore structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wittbrodt, Edmund [Gdansk Univ. of Technology (Poland); Szczotka, Marek; Maczynski, Andrzej; Wojciech, Stanislaw [Bielsko-Biala Univ. (Poland)

2013-07-01

This book describes new methods developed for modelling dynamics of machines commonly used in the offshore industry. These methods are based both on the rigid finite element method, used for the description of link deformations, and on homogeneous transformations and joint coordinates, which is applied to the modelling of multibody system dynamics. In this monograph, the bases of the rigid finite element method and homogeneous transformations are introduced. Selected models for modelling dynamics of offshore devices are then verified both by using commercial software, based on the finite element method, as well as by using additional methods. Examples of mathematical models of offshore machines, such as a gantry crane for Blowout-Preventer (BOP) valve block transportation, a pedestal crane with shock absorber, and pipe laying machinery are presented. Selected problems of control in offshore machinery as well as dynamic optimization in device control are also discussed. Additionally, numerical simulations of pipe-laying operations taking active reel drive into account are shown.

Assessment of near-surface dissolution at and near the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), southeastern New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bachman, G.O.

1985-07-01

The area at and near the WIPP site was examined for evidence of karst development on the geomorphic surface encompassing the site. Certain surficial depressions of initial concern were identified as blowouts in sand dune fields (shallow features unrelated to karstification). An ancient stream system active more than 500,000 yr ago contained more water than any system since. During that time (Gatuna, Middle Pleistocene), many karst features such as Clayton Basin and Nash Draw began to form in the region. Halite was probably dissolved from parts of the Rustler Formation at that time. Dissolution of halite and gypsum from intervals encountered in Borehole WIPP-33 west of the WIPP site occurred during later Pleistocene time (i.e., <450,000 yr ago). However, there is no evidence of active near-surface dissolution within a belt to the east of WIPP-33 in the vicinity of the WIPP shaft. 26 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab

Service alliances : new oilfield partnership techniques cut costs, put expertise to better use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curran, R.

1997-01-01

The co-operative relationship that is needed between service providers and oil companies was discussed. Oil exploration and oil production companies rely on members of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) for a wide range of specialties such as production testing, cementing and well stimulation, wireline data recording and perforating, drilling and completions, specialized trucking, pipe coating and inspection, blowout prevention, coring and tong services. For example, the Dowell division of Schlumberger Canada Ltd. has had long-term alliances with PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd., Chevron Canada Resources, Amoco Canada Petroleum Co., Suncor Energy Inc., Talisman Energy Inc., and Petro-Canada. Both the service providers and the oil companies work collaboratively to determine which processes should be used to achieve cost-cutting efficiency. The exchange of technological ideas is a definite advantage. In much the same manner, the Dominion Supply Co., (DOSCO) provides a wide variety of equipment and supplies to exploration and production firms, drilling contractors, and service contractors in the petroleum industry. 3 figs

δ(13)C and δ(15)N in deep-living fishes and shrimps after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Gulf of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Quintana-Rizzo, Ester; Torres, Joseph J; Ross, Steve W; Romero, Isabel; Watson, Kathleen; Goddard, Ethan; Hollander, David

2015-05-15

The blowout of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drill-rig produced a surface oil layer, dispersed micro-droplets throughout the water column, and sub-surface plumes. We measured stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in mesopelagic fishes and shrimps in the vicinity of DWH collected prior to, six weeks after, and one year after the oil spill (2007, 2010 and 2011). In 2010, the year of the oil spill, a small but significant depletion of δ(13)C was found in two mesopelagic fishes (Gonostoma elongatum and Chauliodus sloani) and one shrimp (Systellaspis debilis); a significant δ(15)N enrichment was identified in the same shrimp and in three fish species (G. elongatum, Ceratoscopelus warmingii, and Lepidophanes guentheri). The δ(15)N change did not suggest a change of trophic level, but did indicate a change in diet. The data suggest that carbon from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was incorporated into the mesopelagic food web of the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coral communities as indicators of ecosystem-level impacts of the Deepwater Horizon spill

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Charles R.; Demopoulos, Amanda W.J.; Cordes, Erik E.; Baums, Iliana B.; White, Helen K.; Bourque, Jill R.

2014-01-01

The Macondo oil spill released massive quantities of oil and gas from a depth of 1500 meters. Although a buoyant plume carried released hydrocarbons to the sea surface, as much as half stayed in the water column and much of that in the deep sea. After the hydrocarbons reached the surface, weathering processes, burning, and the use of a dispersant caused hydrocarbon-rich marine snow to sink into the deep sea. As a result, this spill had a greater potential to affect deep-sea communities than had any previous spill. Here, we review the literature on impacts on deep-sea communities from the Macondo blowout and provide additional data on sediment hydrocarbon loads and the impacts on sediment infauna in areas with coral communities around the Macondo well. We review the literature on the genetic connectivity of deep-sea species in the Gulf of Mexico and discuss the potential for wider effects on deep Gulf coral communities.

Deep soil mixing for reagent delivery and contaminant treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korte, N.; Gardner, F.G.; Cline, S.R.; West, O.R.

1997-01-01

Deep soil mixing was evaluated for treating clay soils contaminated with TCE and its byproducts at the Department of Energy's Kansas City Plant. The objective of the project was to evaluate the extent of limitations posed by the stiff, silty-clay soil. Three treatment approaches were tested. The first was vapor stripping. In contrast to previous work, however, laboratory treatability studies indicated that mixing saturated, clay soil was not efficient unless powdered lime was added. Thus, powder injection of lime was attempted in conjunction with the mixing/stripping operation. In separate treatment cells, potassium permanganate solution was mixed with the soil as a means of destroying contaminants in situ. Finally, microbial treatment was studied in a third treatment zone. The clay soil caused operational problems such as breakage of the shroud seal and frequent reagent blowouts. Nevertheless, treatment efficiencies of more than 70% were achieved in the saturated zone with chemical oxidation. Although expensive ($1128/yd 3 ), there are few alternatives for soils of this type

Hydrocarbons in Deep-Sea Sediments following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Blowout in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel C Romero

Full Text Available The Deepwater Horizon (DWH spill released 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM over 87 days. Sediment and water sampling efforts were concentrated SW of the DWH and in coastal areas. Here we present geochemistry data from sediment cores collected in the aftermath of the DWH event from 1000-1500 m water depth in the DeSoto Canyon, NE of the DWH wellhead. Cores were analyzed at high-resolution (at 2 mm and 5 mm intervals in order to evaluate the concentration, composition and input of hydrocarbons to the seafloor. Specifically, we analyzed total organic carbon (TOC, aliphatic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs, and biomarker (hopanes, steranes, diasteranes compounds to elucidate possible sources and transport pathways for deposition of hydrocarbons. Results showed higher hydrocarbon concentrations during 2010-2011 compared to years prior to 2010. Hydrocarbon inputs in 2010-2011 were composed of a mixture of sources including terrestrial, planktonic, and weathered oil. Our results suggest that after the DWH event, both soluble and highly insoluble hydrocarbons were deposited at enhanced rates in the deep-sea. We proposed two distinct transport pathways of hydrocarbon deposition: 1 sinking of oil-particle aggregates (hydrocarbon-contaminated marine snow and/or suspended particulate material, and 2 advective transport and direct contact of the deep plume with the continental slope surface sediments between 1000-1200 m. Our findings underline the complexity of the depositional event observed in the aftermath of the DWH event in terms of multiple sources, variable concentrations, and spatial (depth-related variability in the DeSoto Canyon, NE of the DWH wellhead.

A detailed examination of the LWFA in the Self-Guided Nonlinear Blowout Regime for 15-100 Joule Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Asher; Tableman, Adam; Yu, Peicheng; An, Weiming; Tsung, Frank; Mori, Warren; Lu, Wei; Fonseca, Ricardo

2017-10-01

We examine scaling laws for LWFA in the regime nonlinear, self-guided regime in detail using the quasi-3D version of the particle-in-cell code OSIRIS. We find that the scaling laws continue to work well when we fix the normalized laser amplitude while reducing plasma density. It is further found that the energy gain for fixed laser energy can be improved by shortening the pulse length until self-guiding almost no longer occurs and that the energy gain can be optimized by using lasers with asymmetric longitudinal profiles. We find that when optimized, a 15 J laser may yield particle energies as high as 5.3 GeV without the need of any external guiding. Detailed studies for optimizing energy gains from 30 J and 100 J lasers will also presented which indicate that energies in excess of 10 GeV can be possible in the near term without the need for external guiding. This work is supported by the NSF and DOE.

Major Accidents (Gray Swans) Likelihood Modeling Using Accident Precursors and Approximate Reasoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Khakzad, Nima; Khan, Faisal; Amyotte, Paul

2015-07-01

Compared to the remarkable progress in risk analysis of normal accidents, the risk analysis of major accidents has not been so well-established, partly due to the complexity of such accidents and partly due to low probabilities involved. The issue of low probabilities normally arises from the scarcity of major accidents' relevant data since such accidents are few and far between. In this work, knowing that major accidents are frequently preceded by accident precursors, a novel precursor-based methodology has been developed for likelihood modeling of major accidents in critical infrastructures based on a unique combination of accident precursor data, information theory, and approximate reasoning. For this purpose, we have introduced an innovative application of information analysis to identify the most informative near accident of a major accident. The observed data of the near accident were then used to establish predictive scenarios to foresee the occurrence of the major accident. We verified the methodology using offshore blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico, and then demonstrated its application to dam breaches in the United Sates. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Dragon slayers: Canadian wild well tamers among the best in the world

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polczer, S.

1999-08-01

Fighting oil fires is an extremely dangerous operation. Its roots trace back to the beginnings of the global petroleum industry. There are only four major well control companies around the world today, three of them in Houston, Texas and the fourth one -- Safety Boss -- in Drayton Valley, Alberta. This paper provides an historical account of how well fire fighting has developed since the early 1920s, when the technique of using dynamite to kill wild wells was pioneered by Myron Kinley of Texas. The paper also chronicles the development of `Safety Boss` formed in 1956 following the discovery of the Pembina Oilfield in the same year to meet the demands of a growing local industry. The two events which were primarily responsible for the worldwide reputation of the company -- the Lodgepole fire in 1982 and the Kuwaiti oil well fires following the Gulf War in 1991 -- are described in an effort to provide a context for the devastation of oil well blowouts and the constant danger, despite many improvements in techniques, in fighting them and bringing them under control.

Macrospicule Jets in On-Disk Coronal Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, M. L.; Sterling, A. C.; Moore, R. L.

2014-01-01

We examine the magnetic structure and dynamics of multiple jets found in coronal holes close to or on disk center. All data are from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We report on observations of six jets in an equatorial coronal hole spanning 2011 February 27 and 28. We show the evolution of these jets in AIA 193 A, examine the magnetic field configuration, and postulate the probable trigger mechanism of these events. We recently reported on another jet in the same coronal hole on 2011 February 27, approximately 13:04 Universal Time (Adams et al 2014, Astrophysical Journal, 783: 11); this jet is a previously-unrecognized variety of blowout jet. In this variety, the reconnection bright point is not made by interchange reconnection of initially-closed erupting field in the base of the jet with ambient open field. Instead, there is a miniature filament-eruption flare arcade made by internal reconnection of the legs of the erupting field.

Preliminary studies to determine the shelf life of HEPA filters. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, H.; Fretthold, J.K.; Rainer, F.; Bergman, W.; Beason, D.

1995-02-01

We have completed a preliminary study using filter media tests and filter qualification tests to investigate the effect of shelf-life on HEPA filter performance. Our media studies showed that the tensile strength decreased with age, but the data were not sufficient to establish a shelf-life. Thermogravimetric analyses demonstrated that one manufacturer had media with low tensile strength due to insufficient binder. The filter qualification tests (heated air and overpressure) conducted on different aged filters showed that filter age is not the primary factor affecting filter performance; materials and the construction design have a greater effect. An unexpected finding of our study was that sub-standard HEPA filters have been installed in DOE facilities despite existing regulations and filter qualification tests. We found that the filter with low tensile strength failed the overpressure test. The same filter had passed the heated air test, but left the filter so structurally weak, it was prone to blow-out. We recommend that DOE initiate a filter qualification program to prevent this occurrence

ITER pressure and thermal loads to containment HTS vault LOCA analysis. Draft final report EC Task SEA 3, Subtask 3-4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blomquist, R; Shen, K; Sjoeberg, A

1995-03-01

This study has been performed within the framework of the EC Task SEA 3 and its objective is to provide necessary data in supporting the design solution of the ITER secondary confinement around the primary heat transfer system equipment. These data relate to the required dimensions for the blow-out panels, the vent lines and the suppression tank following a LOCA in one of the HTS vaults, namely the first wall/shielding blanket(FW/SB) vault, divertor vault and vacuum vessel (VV) vault. In this report, we present the design and operational input and describe the identified accident sequences. The input data are in correspondence with ITER design data of November 1994. The computer codes used are RELAP5 (LOCA flows) and CONTAIN (secondary confinement thermal-hydraulics) and models of calculations are given. The results in the form of diagrams demonstrating transients of various variables after a LOCA, are presented. After some discussions of the results, we indicate some topics for the continuing study with the emphasis on optimization of the containment system. 10 refs, 29 figs.

Effect of the Particle Geometry and Adhesive Mass Percentage on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Particleboard made from Peanut Hull

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiyi Cheng

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Peanut hull residues were considered for the manufacturing of particleboards. Various concentrations of two types of adhesive—polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI and urea-formaldehyde (UF—were separately combined with four types of peanut hull particles (fine, mixed, coarse particles, and peanut hull powder to manufacture particleboards with a certain target density. The confidence level of the effect of the selected production parameters on the physical and mechanical properties of the panels was evaluated. The results showed that increasing the adhesive mass percentage significantly improved the dimensional stability of the boards. A better mechanical performance was achieved for the MDI-bonded boards compared with the UF-bonded boards. Superior bonding between the MDI adhesive and the peanut hulls with different particle geometries was also observed; the peanut hull powder and coarse particles were unsuitable for the manufacturing of panels, due to the risk of an internal blowout. The water resistance of the panels was poor, whereas the mechanical strength of the peanut hull particleboard met the class M-1 requirement of the ANSI A208.1 (2009 standard for wood particleboard.

Studies of emulsification, emulsion prevention and underwater dispersion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Celius, H.K.; Vassbotn, T.

1985-03-01

This is a report from the work performed under task 2: ''Effect of demulsifiers and despersants injected into a blowing oil stream'' of the research program ''Dispersion of oil on sea''. Three ad hoc experiments have been carried out involving laboratory studies in a small turbulent oil plume, tests with revolving flasks, and a small scale field test with a combined gas/oil plume. The results show that emulsion is formed in plume from underwater blowouts, and that this formation is prevented by small amounts (250 ppM) of demulsifiers or dispersants. Larger concentrations of dispersants (ca 2%) disperse the oil, and the oil is transported to the upper water layer in the gas/oil plume. None of the experiments have been designed as true scale tests, and the results cannot be directly transferred to operational, full scale conditions. The experiments have however narroved the necessary extent of studies, and allows for a simpler experimental procedure in the full scale field test planned for June 1985. 19 references.

The maxillae: integrated and applied anatomy relevant to dentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Du Tolt, D F; Nortjé, Curly

2003-09-01

The union of the two paired maxillae form the whole upper jaw. Individual components of the maxilla contribute to the formation of the face, nose, mouth and orbit. The bony surfaces are in relation to the infratemporal and pterygopalatine fossae. Grooves, openings and foramina lend passage to structures such as the infra-orbital, posterior superior alveolar, nasopalatine and greater palatine nerves. These nerves are of great importance for regional anaesthesia in dentistry. The maxillary antrum of Highmore is frequently affected by pathological processes such as accidental tooth root impaction during an extraction procedure, sinusitis, cysts, fractures (LeFort) and tumours. Fast-growing maxillary sinus tumours often breach the thin walls of this cavity and encroach upon adjacent structures such as the orbit, nose, cheek, infratemporal fossa and mouth. 'Blow-out' fractures through the orbital component may result in nerve and muscle entrapment. Alveolar processes form an arcade for the two incisors, one canine, two premolars and three molars on each side. Knowledge of regional and applied anatomy, relevant to the maxillae, is essential when considering diagnostic imaging by X-rays, CT, and MRI.

A multidimensional theory for electron trapping by a plasma wake generated in the bubble regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostyukov, I; Nerush, E; Pukhov, A; Seredov, V

2010-01-01

We present a theory for electron self-injection in nonlinear, multidimensional plasma waves excited by a short laser pulse in the bubble regime or by a short electron beam in the blowout regime. In these regimes, which are typical for electron acceleration in the last impressive experiments, the laser radiation pressure or the electron beam charge pushes out plasma electrons from some region, forming a plasma cavity or a bubble with a huge ion charge. The plasma electrons can be trapped in the bubble and accelerated by the plasma wakefields up to a very high energy. We derive the condition of the electron trapping in the bubble. The developed theory predicts the trapping cross section in terms of the bubble radius and the bubble velocity. It is found that the dynamic bubble deformations observed in the three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations influence the trapping process significantly. The bubble elongation reduces the gamma-factor of the bubble, thereby strongly enhancing self-injection. The obtained analytical results are in good agreement with the 3D PIC simulations.

ITER pressure and thermal loads to containment HTS vault LOCA analysis. Draft final report EC Task SEA 3, Subtask 3-4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blomquist, R.; Shen, K.; Sjoeberg, A.

1995-03-01

This study has been performed within the framework of the EC Task SEA 3 and its objective is to provide necessary data in supporting the design solution of the ITER secondary confinement around the primary heat transfer system equipment. These data relate to the required dimensions for the blow-out panels, the vent lines and the suppression tank following a LOCA in one of the HTS vaults, namely the first wall/shielding blanket(FW/SB) vault, divertor vault and vacuum vessel (VV) vault. In this report, we present the design and operational input and describe the identified accident sequences. The input data are in correspondence with ITER design data of November 1994. The computer codes used are RELAP5 (LOCA flows) and CONTAIN (secondary confinement thermal-hydraulics) and models of calculations are given. The results in the form of diagrams demonstrating transients of various variables after a LOCA, are presented. After some discussions of the results, we indicate some topics for the continuing study with the emphasis on optimization of the containment system. 10 refs, 29 figs

Features of a time domain simulation tool for rigid riser design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morooka, Celso K.; Brandt, Dustin M. [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica. Dept. de Engenharia de Petroleo; Matt, Cyntia G.C.; Franciss, Ricardo [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas

2008-07-01

This paper present a number of numerical implementations designed for the analysis of rigid riser's static and dynamic behavior that includes the effects of vortex induced vibrations (VIV) and marine hydrodynamic loads in time domain. Features include the ability to consider pipe with a free-span utilizing a soil/riser interaction model. An implementation of a numerical coupling scheme to couple the vertical riser and platform dynamics was developed to allow prediction of the sub sea Blow-Out Preventer (BOP) re-entry into a sub sea petroleum well when drilling different phases of deep and ultra-deep wells. The developments contains support for the consideration of the Self Standing Hybrid Riser (SSHR) configuration which has been shown to be a promising riser configuration in deep and ultra-deep waters. A graphical interface was also created to better grasp the results and aid in the modeling, processing and to help analyze the numerical simulations, contributing to enhance agility and quality of the riser design and analysis processes. (author)

Hydrodynamic effects of nuclear active galaxy winds on host galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schiano, A.V.R.

1984-01-01

In order to test the hypothesized existence of a powerful, thermal wind in active galactic nuclei, the hydrodynamic effects of such a wind on a model galactic interstellar medium (ISM) are investigated. The properties of several model ISMs are derived from observations of the Milky Way's ISM and those of nearby spiral and elliptical galaxies. The propagation of the wind into the low density gas component of the ISM is studied using the Kompaneets approximation of a strong explosion in an exponential atmosphere. Flattened gas distributions are shown to experience blow-out of wind gas along the symmetry axis. Next, the interaction of dense, interstellar clouds with the wind is investigated. The stability and mass loss of clouds in the wind are studied and it is proposed that clouds survive the encounter with the wind over large timescales. It is proposed that the narrow emission line regions (NELR) of active galaxies are the result of the interaction of active nuclei photons and a thermal wind on large, interstellar clouds

Effects of Pollution on Marine Organisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Mearns, Alan J; Reish, Donald J; Oshida, Philip S; Morrison, Ann Michelle; Rempel-Hester, Mary Ann; Arthur, Courtney; Rutherford, Nicolle; Pryor, Rachel

2017-10-01

This review covers selected 2016 articles on the biological effects of pollutants and human physical disturbances on marine and estuarine plants, animals, ecosystems and habitats. The review, based largely on journal articles, covers field and laboratory measurement activities (bioaccumulation of contaminants, field assessment surveys, toxicity testing and biomarkers) as well as pollution issues of current interest including endocrine disrupters, emerging contaminants, wastewater discharges, dredging and disposal etc. Special emphasis is placed on effects of oil spills and marine debris due largely to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. Several topical areas reviewed in the past (ballast water and ocean acidification) were dropped this year. The focus of this review is on effects, not pollutant fate and transport. There is considerable overlap across subject areas (e.g.some bioaccumulation papers may be cited in other topical categories). Please use keyword searching of the text to locate related but distributed papers. Use this review only as a guide and please consult the original papers before citing them.

Reducing contaminated soil rehabilitation costs - review of portable XRF performance on Australian soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowden-Smith, J.

2001-01-01

Mine owners and managers are often shocked by the financial costs involved in remediating metal contaminated soils, especially those associated with the closure of base metal mines. Lack of due consideration during planning, inappropriate operational controls for water and dust emissions, little monitoring data and new contaminated land legislation coupled with traditional owners seeking mining leases to be remediated to low (even background) levels are reasons for multi-million dollar cost blow-outs. At some base metal operations, emissions have travelled outside the mine lease impacting on neighbouring pastoral land and in some cases contaminating near-by communities. Traditional sampling and laboratory analysis costs have restricted the collection of data to adequately define the problem resulting in poor management of metal-contaminated soil. A portable analytical tool that provides on-site geochemistry could assist in identifying issues early, allowing for improved management practices and lower overall clean-up costs. This paper reviews independent evaluation studies for soil contaminated by heavy metal with XRF, using a new portable technology developed in the USA by the NITON Corporation

Preliminary studies to determine the shelf life of HEPA filters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilbert, H.; Fretthold, J.K.; Rainer, F. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA (United States)] [and others

1995-02-01

We have completed a preliminary study using filter media tests and filter qualification tests to investigate the effect of shelf-life on HEPA filter performance. Our media studies showed that the tensile strength decreased with age, but the data were not sufficient to establish a shelf-life. Thermogravimetric analyses demonstrated that one manufacturer had media with low tensile strength due to insufficient binder. The filter qualification tests (heated air and overpressure) conducted on different aged filters showed that filter age is not the primary factor affecting filter performance; materials and the construction design have a greater effect. An unexpected finding of our study was that sub-standard HEPA filters have been installed in DOE facilities despite existing regulations and filter qualification tests. We found that the filter with low tensile strength failed the overpressure test. The same filter had passed the heated air test, but left the filter so structurally weak, it was prone to blow-out. We recommend that DOE initiate a filter qualification program to prevent this occurrence.

Papers of the remediation technologies symposium 2005. CD-ROM ed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This conference was attended by over 500 delegates and provided an opportunity for industry, practitioners, researchers and regulators to discuss technical issues in environmental remediation research and recent innovations in soil and groundwater remediation. Sessions included presentations on in-situ, groundwater and surface water remediation. Issues concerning phytoremediation, natural attenuation, extraction and commercial redevelopment were examined. The aim of the conference was also to provide a forum for innovators in remediation to present new work. Topics included hydrocarbon and salt contamination; engineered soil cover for management of salt impacted sites; remediation and revegetation of tar sands composite tailings containing naphthenic acids; sorption of oil sands naphthenic acid mixtures; denitrification as a natural attenuation mechanism; sampling methodologies; variability assessments; stabilization treatment technologies; remediation of coal wastes; bioreactor landfills; well blowouts in Alberta; soil remediation in coarse gravelly soils; diesel-contaminated aquifers; gasoline spill remediation; soil vapour extraction systems; technological solutions for erosion control and water clarification; and cost-effective in-situ remediation strategies. Fifty-two technical presentations were given, of which 27 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database

Papers of the remediation technologies symposium 2005. CD-ROM ed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

This conference was attended by over 500 delegates and provided an opportunity for industry, practitioners, researchers and regulators to discuss technical issues in environmental remediation research and recent innovations in soil and groundwater remediation. Sessions included presentations on in-situ, groundwater and surface water remediation. Issues concerning phytoremediation, natural attenuation, extraction and commercial redevelopment were examined. The aim of the conference was also to provide a forum for innovators in remediation to present new work. Topics included hydrocarbon and salt contamination; engineered soil cover for management of salt impacted sites; remediation and revegetation of tar sands composite tailings containing naphthenic acids; sorption of oil sands naphthenic acid mixtures; denitrification as a natural attenuation mechanism; sampling methodologies; variability assessments; stabilization treatment technologies; remediation of coal wastes; bioreactor landfills; well blowouts in Alberta; soil remediation in coarse gravelly soils; diesel-contaminated aquifers; gasoline spill remediation; soil vapour extraction systems; technological solutions for erosion control and water clarification; and cost-effective in-situ remediation strategies. Fifty-two technical presentations were given, of which 27 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. tabs., figs.

What Will Classroom Teachers Do With Shared Research Results?

Science.gov (United States)

Passow, M. J.; Weissel, J. K.; Cormier, M.; Newman, K. R.

2005-12-01

Scientists are passionate about the research problems they investigate, and wish to share their discoveries as widely as possible. Similarly, classroom teachers who are passionate about their subject can better foster student learning. One way to enhance such passions involves bringing teachers and scientists together to discuss cutting-edge discoveries and develop curricular materials based on the respective strengths of educators and investigators. Our presentation describes one example of this approach based on research about gas blowout structures offshore Virginia and North Carolina. Methane venting processes along continental margins may have important climatic, geotechnical, hazard, and resource implications. In 2000, shipboard surveys documented that large structures offshore VA-NC resulted from massive gas expulsion. Gas appears to be trapped in shelf edge deltas and stresses resulting from downslope creep is favoring its release. Scientists undertook a new expedition in 2004 to determine if there is present-day discharge of methane-rich fluids through the floors or walls of the blowouts or whether these seepage sites are relict features, and to gain insight into the origin of the vented methane. In July 2005, 12 teachers from New York and New Jersey met with the co-PIs (Weissel and Cormier), graduate student (Newman), and educational specialist (Passow) over a 2-day workshop to learn about how scientific problems are identified, how a research cruise is organized, what was learned through the measurements and analysis, and what might be possible significant impacts from such understandings. Based on what they learned, participants began development of classroom activities, Internet-based investigations, and constructed-response assessment items utilizing data and concepts from the project and other sources. The resulting curriculum units are designed for use in middle and high school chemistry, physics, earth science, and technology courses. Curricular

A simple strategy to decrease fatal carotid blowout syndrome after stereotactic body reirradiaton for recurrent head and neck cancers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yazici, Gozde; Gurkaynak, Murat; Ozyigit, Gokhan; Sanlı, Tolga Yusuf; Cengiz, Mustafa; Yuce, Deniz; Gultekin, Melis; Hurmuz, Pervin; Yıldız, Ferah; Zorlu, Faruk; Akyol, Fadil

2013-01-01

This study aimed to compare the therapeutic outcomes and fatal carotid blow out syndrome (CBOS) incidence rates between two different stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) protocols. The study included 75 patients with inoperable locally recurrent head and neck cancer treated with SBRT in our department between June 2007 and March 2011. The first 43 patients were treated sequentially (group I). Then our SBRT protocol was changed due to the high rate of CBOS, and the following 32 patients were treated every other day in a prospective institutional protocol (group II). Median overall survival in group I and group II was 11 months and 23 months, respectively (P = 0.006). We observed 11 cases of CBOS. Only 1 of 7 patients (14%) with CBOS survived in group I, whereas 2 of 4 patients (50%) in group II remain alive. CBOS free median overall survivals were 9 months, and 23 months in group I and group II respectively (P = 0.002). The median radiation dose received by the carotid artery in patients with CBOS was 36.5 Gy (range: 34–42.8 Gy), versus 34.7 Gy (range: 0–44 Gy) in the patients that didn’t have CBOS (P = 0.15). CBOS did not occur in any of the patients with a maximum carotid artery radiation dose <34 Gy. Every other day SBRT protocol for re-irradiation of recurrent head and neck cancer is promising in terms of decreasing the incidence of fatal CBOS

AMOP (Arctic Marine Oil Spill Program) studies reviewed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-06-05

A discussion of the Arctic Marine Oil Spill Program organized in 1976 by the Canadian Federal Government includes: an Arctic Atlas compiled by Fenco Consultants Ltd. to give background information necessary for developing marine oil spill countermeasures for the Arctic north of 60/sup 0/ including the west Greenland coast and the Labrador shelf (geology, meteorology and oceanography, ice conditions, biology, and social factors); program in emergency transport of spill-combatting equipment; and the factors which influence the choice of conveyance, i.e., accessibility of the site, urgency for response, and quantity of material required; laboratory studies involving the release of oil under artificial sea ice in simulated ice formation and decay purposes to determine the interaction of crude oil and first-year sea ice; inability of companies and government to control a major spill in the Labrador Sea because of poor and inadequate transport facilities, communications, and navigational aids, severe environmental conditions, and logistics problems; and studies on the effects of oil-well blowouts in deep water, including formation of oil and gas hydrates, design of oil skimmers, the use of hovercraft, and specifications for an airborne multisensor system for oil detection in ice-infested waters.

An overview of uncertainty quantification techniques with application to oceanic and oil-spill simulations

KAUST Repository

Iskandarani, Mohamed; Wang, Shitao; Srinivasan, Ashwanth; Carlisle Thacker, W.; Winokur, Justin; Knio, Omar

2016-01-01

We give an overview of four different ensemble-based techniques for uncertainty quantification and illustrate their application in the context of oil plume simulations. These techniques share the common paradigm of constructing a model proxy that efficiently captures the functional dependence of the model output on uncertain model inputs. This proxy is then used to explore the space of uncertain inputs using a large number of samples, so that reliable estimates of the model's output statistics can be calculated. Three of these techniques use polynomial chaos (PC) expansions to construct the model proxy, but they differ in their approach to determining the expansions' coefficients; the fourth technique uses Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). An integral plume model for simulating the Deepwater Horizon oil-gas blowout provides examples for illustrating the different techniques. A Monte Carlo ensemble of 50,000 model simulations is used for gauging the performance of the different proxies. The examples illustrate how regression-based techniques can outperform projection-based techniques when the model output is noisy. They also demonstrate that robust uncertainty analysis can be performed at a fraction of the cost of the Monte Carlo calculation.

The Caroline interrogatory process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Degagne, D. (Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, Calgary, AB (Canada)); Gibson, T. (Gecko Management, Calgary, AB (Canada))

1999-01-01

Using the specific case study of the Caroline interrogatory process, an example is given of how an effective communications and public involvement program can re-establish trust and credibility levels within an community after an incident. The public is nervous about sour gas, especially about blowouts of gas from a pipeline. The post-approval period was marked by high expectations and a community consultation program which included a community advisory board, an emergency planning committee, socio-economic factors, and environmental monitoring and studies. Information and education involves newspaper articles, newsletters, tours, public consultation meetings, and weekly e-mail. Mercury was detected as a potential hazard at the site, and company actions are illustrated. Overall lessons learned included: starting early paid off, face to face resident contacts were the most effective, the willingness to make changes was the key to success, the community helped, knowing all the answers is not essential, and there is a need for empathy. The interrogatory process includes a hybrid technique that is comprised of four stages: 1) process review and public input, 2) identification and clarification of issues, 3) responses by industry and government, and 4) a public forum and follow-up action.

The Caroline interrogatory process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Degagne, D. [Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, Calgary, AB (Canada); Gibson, T. [Gecko Management, Calgary, AB (Canada)

1999-11-01

Using the specific case study of the Caroline interrogatory process, an example is given of how an effective communications and public involvement program can re-establish trust and credibility levels within an community after an incident. The public is nervous about sour gas, especially about blowouts of gas from a pipeline. The post-approval period was marked by high expectations and a community consultation program which included a community advisory board, an emergency planning committee, socio-economic factors, and environmental monitoring and studies. Information and education involves newspaper articles, newsletters, tours, public consultation meetings, and weekly e-mail. Mercury was detected as a potential hazard at the site, and company actions are illustrated. Overall lessons learned included: starting early paid off, face to face resident contacts were the most effective, the willingness to make changes was the key to success, the community helped, knowing all the answers is not essential, and there is a need for empathy. The interrogatory process includes a hybrid technique that is comprised of four stages: 1) process review and public input, 2) identification and clarification of issues, 3) responses by industry and government, and 4) a public forum and follow-up action.

Oil spill studies: A review of ecological effects

Science.gov (United States)

Teal, John M.; Howarth, Robert W.

1984-01-01

We reviewed seven particularly well known and/or studied oil spills that have occurred since the National Academy of Sciences 1975 report, “Petroleum in the Marine Environment” or that occurred prior to that report but about which significant new information has since been acquired. The spills studied were from the barge Florida, and tankers Arrow, Argo Merchant, Amoco Cadiz, and Tsesis and blowouts from the Bravo and Ixtoc I platforms. These “best” studies yield only limited insight into effects because they lack controls and have a high degree of natural variability. The Tsesis, Florida, and Amoco Cadiz cases are exceptional since they occurred in areas of ongoing research programs and had nearby areas suitable for controls. Oil spills have produced measurable effects on ecosystems that have not been readily predictable from laboratory studies on isolated organisms. However, ecosystemlevel interactions are poorly understood even without the complications resulting from effects of pollution. These generalizations emerge: oil regularly reaches sediments after a spill; oil in anoxic sediments is persistent; oil regularly contaminates Zooplankton and benthic invertebrates; fish are also contaminated, but to a lesser extent; oil contamination decreases the abundance and diversity of benthic communities.

Design of a high-lift experiment in water including active flow control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beutel, T; Schwerter, M; Büttgenbach, S; Leester-Schädel, M; Sattler, S; El Sayed, Y; Radespiel, R; Zander, M; Sinapius, M; Wierach, P

2014-01-01

This paper describes the structural design of an active flow-control experiment. The aim of the experiment is to investigate the increase in efficiency of an internally blown Coanda flap using unsteady blowing. The system uses tailor-made microelectromechanical (MEMS) pressure sensors to determine the state of the oncoming flow and an actuated lip to regulate the mass flow and velocity of a stream near a wall over the internally blown flap. Sensors and actuators are integrated into a highly loaded system that is extremely compact. The sensors are connected to a bus system that feeds the data into a real-time control system. The piezoelectric actuators using the d 33 effect at a comparable low voltage of 120 V are integrated into a lip that controls the blowout slot height. The system is designed for closed-loop control that efficiently avoids flow separation on the Coanda flap. The setup is designed for water-tunnel experiments in order to reduce the free-stream velocity and the system’s control frequency by a factor of 10 compared with that in air. This paper outlines the function and verification of the system’s main components and their development. (technical note)

A framework to quantify uncertainty in simulations of oil transport in the ocean

KAUST Repository

Gonçalves, Rafael C.

2016-03-02

An uncertainty quantification framework is developed for the DeepC Oil Model based on a nonintrusive polynomial chaos method. This allows the model\\'s output to be presented in a probabilistic framework so that the model\\'s predictions reflect the uncertainty in the model\\'s input data. The new capability is illustrated by simulating the far-field dispersal of oil in a Deepwater Horizon blowout scenario. The uncertain input consisted of ocean current and oil droplet size data and the main model output analyzed is the ensuing oil concentration in the Gulf of Mexico. A 1331 member ensemble was used to construct a surrogate for the model which was then mined for statistical information. The mean and standard deviations in the oil concentration were calculated for up to 30 days, and the total contribution of each input parameter to the model\\'s uncertainty was quantified at different depths. Also, probability density functions of oil concentration were constructed by sampling the surrogate and used to elaborate probabilistic hazard maps of oil impact. The performance of the surrogate was constantly monitored in order to demarcate the space-time zones where its estimates are reliable. © 2016. American Geophysical Union.

Parameter Estimation of a Delay Time Model of Wearing Parts Based on Objective Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Tang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The wearing parts of a system have a very high failure frequency, making it necessary to carry out continual functional inspections and maintenance to protect the system from unscheduled downtime. This allows for the collection of a large amount of maintenance data. Taking the unique characteristics of the wearing parts into consideration, we establish their respective delay time models in ideal inspection cases and nonideal inspection cases. The model parameters are estimated entirely using the collected maintenance data. Then, a likelihood function of all renewal events is derived based on their occurring probability functions, and the model parameters are calculated with the maximum likelihood function method, which is solved by the CRM. Finally, using two wearing parts from the oil and gas drilling industry as examples—the filter element and the blowout preventer rubber core—the parameters of the distribution function of the initial failure time and the delay time for each example are estimated, and their distribution functions are obtained. Such parameter estimation based on objective data will contribute to the optimization of the reasonable function inspection interval and will also provide some theoretical models to support the integrity management of equipment or systems.

Measurement of self-shaped ellipsoidal bunches from a photoinjector with postacceleration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brendan O’Shea

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Recent work has shown the possibility of generating self-shaped ellipsoidal beams with properties commensurate with the requirements of future light sources such as free-electron lasers and inverse Compton sources. In this so-termed “blowout” regime, short laser bunches are transformed via photoemission into short electron bunches which then self-consistently evolve into nearly uniform-density ellipsoids under space-charge forces. We report here on the first blowout studies conducted in collaboration between the UCLA Particle Beam Physics Lab and the Photo Injector Test Facility, Zeuthen (PITZ. The measurements conducted at the PITZ photoinjector facility examine the evolution of 750 pC, 2.7 ps FWHM electron bunches born in an L-band photoinjector and subsequently accelerated through a nine-cell L-band booster for a resulting energy of 12 MeV. These measurements represent the first observations of self-shaped ellipsoid evolution under postinjector acceleration, a key step in demonstrating the utility of such self-shaped beams at higher energy, where the advantages in both transverse and longitudinal and transverse phase space may be exploited in creating very high brightness beams.

Dispersant Effectiveness, In-Situ Droplet Size Distribution and ...

Science.gov (United States)

This report summarizes two projects covered under an Interagency Agreement between the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (BIO DFO), New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Dalhousie University. Both projects dovetail together in addressing the ability to differentiate physical from chemical dispersion effectiveness using dispersed oil simulations within a flume tank for improving forensic response monitoring tools. This report is split into separateTasks based upon the two projects funded by BSEE: 1) Dispersant Effectiveness, In-Situ Droplet Size Distribution and Numerical Modeling to Assess Subsurface Dispersant Injection as a Deepwater Blowout Oil Spill Response Option. 2) Evaluation of Oil Fluorescence Characteristics to Improve Forensic Response Tools. This report summarizes 2 collaborative projects funded through an Interagency Agreement with DOI BSEE and a Cooperative Agreement with DFO Canada. BSEE required that the projects be combined into one report as they are both covered under the one Interagency Agreement. Task B (Fluorescence of oils) is an SHC 3.62 FY16 product.

The possible environmental impacts of petroleum exploration activities on the Georges Bank ecosystem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boudreau, P.R.; Gordon, D.C.; Harding, G.C.

1999-01-01

This document contains a description of the Georges Bank ecosystem, the potential environmental impacts from petroleum exploration activities and the scientific information gathered to support a series of recommendations offered by the review panel. Input has been provided by Canadian and US government scientists, external reviewers, representatives of commercial fishing and petroleum industries. The overall consensus is that petroleum exploration activity might affect fish catch rates and spawning behaviour, however, such impacts are likely to be temporary and localized. Exploration drilling would cause a temporary loss of access to some fishing grounds, while seismic activity is likely to lead to some temporary space conflicts with fishing activity, especially during the summer months. Seismic activity could also impact on eggs and larvae of aquatic organisms, the extent depending on time of year and location. Large release of petroleum products from well blowout was considered unlikely. If occurred, it might affect population and ecosystem levels. Environmental impacts from production activities were not included in this assessment, however, they are believed to be substantially different from exploratory activities. Such impacts will be dependent upon the product being produced, the market, and the available technology. 140 refs., tabs., figs

Shape memory alloy actuated accumulator for ultra-deepwater oil and gas exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, Devendra; Song, Gangbing

2016-04-01

As offshore oil and gas exploration moves further offshore and into deeper waters to reach hydrocarbon reserves, it is becoming essential for the industry to develop more reliable and efficient hydraulic accumulators to supply pressured hydraulic fluid for various control and actuation operations, such as closing rams of blowout preventers and controlling subsea valves on the seafloor. By utilizing the shape memory effect property of nitinol, which is a type of shape memory alloy (SMA), an innovative SMA actuated hydraulic accumulator prototype has been developed and successfully tested at Smart Materials and Structure Laboratory at the University of Houston. Absence of gas in the developed SMA accumulator prototype makes it immune to hydrostatic head loss caused by water depth and thus reduces the number of accumulators required in deep water operations. Experiments with a feedback control have demonstrated that the proposed SMA actuated accumulator can provide precisely regulated pressurized fluids. Furthermore the potential use of ultracapacitors along with an embedded system to control the electric power supplied to SMA allows this accumulator to be an autonomous device for deployment. The developed SMA accumulator will make deepwater oil extraction systems more compact and cost effective.

Environmental factors along the Northern Sea Route

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fjeld, P.E.

1993-01-01

The Northern Sea Route runs ca 5,600 nautical miles across the top of Russia from Murmansk to Vladivostok, and includes half of the Arctic basin. An environmental impact assessment is needed for this route because of the potential for commercial shipping to disturb the vulnerable Arctic environment along the route. For example, Russian development of oil and gas resources in the area served by the route is expected to rise dramatically in the near future. Drilling in the route area offshore has already begun, and potential blowouts or tanker spills are of concern. A pilot study on the environment along this route was conducted in 1990/91, focusing on a study of the literature and communications with Russian scientists working on Arctic ecology. Existing data seem to be insufficient and generally only cover the westernmost and easternmost parts of the route. A five-year research plan is proposed to provide an inventory of Arctic species in the route area and levels of contaminants present, to assess the environmental sensitivity of the area, and analyze impacts that increased shipping might have on the environment. Protection measures will also be suggested. 1 fig

A review of the major marine environmental concerns off the Canadian East Coast in the 1980s

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harding, G.C.

1992-01-01

The natural environmental features of the Canadian east coast marine waters are described and anthropogenic influences that affect this environment are reviewed, with extensive reference to the literature. Effects from pollutants such as halogenated and aromatic hydrocarbons, trace metals, and radioactive materials are included, as well as effects from ozone depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, hydroelectric development, dredging and dumping, municipal sewage disposal, and coastal development in general. The most concentrated pollution in the Atlantic region is the St. Lawrence River valley and estuary, although there are a number of smaller sites associated with population centers such as St. John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Specific industries located along the coast have polluted local environments more than other activities. Sewage discharges have seriously affected expansion of the aquaculture industry. Hydroelectric development may have altered marine biological production, but more directed research is needed to assess the problem. Offshore exploration for oil and gas has had no observed adverse effects on the ecosystem to date, although the possibility for an environmental disaster from a well blowout or marine accident still exists. 177 refs., 3 figs

EPDM and fluorocarbon seal materials: a comparison of performance for nuclear fuel transport flasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chivers, T.C.; George, A.F.

2004-01-01

The lid seals on the flasks used to transport spent fuel from U.K. AGR and Magnox Power Stations are fluorocarbon elastomer 'O' rings. Currently, only this material is qualified for the purpose and it was decided to investigate the possibility of qualifying other materials. One material that is already in use in similar applications is an Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM). The work presented in this paper compares the performance of the existing material with three candidate types of EPDM. The areas considered were: Extrusion and blow-out resistance when subjected to various steam pressures and temperatures at a range of flange separations, Permeability to water, caesium salt solution and hydrogen (as a typical 'benchmark' gas) Radiation resistance in warm (60 C) aqueous conditions It is concluded that the performance of the EPDM materials is good in respect of mechanical properties, radiation and water resistance. However, while permeation rates for gas and water can be higher than for fluorocarbon, this might be mitigated by assessing the actual radioactive burden in the permeate. In the case of dissolved salts, the test results indicate that this will be very low

A framework to quantify uncertainty in simulations of oil transport in the ocean

KAUST Repository

Gonç alves, Rafael C.; Iskandarani, Mohamed; Srinivasan, Ashwanth; Thacker, W. Carlisle; Chassignet, Eric; Knio, Omar

2016-01-01

An uncertainty quantification framework is developed for the DeepC Oil Model based on a nonintrusive polynomial chaos method. This allows the model's output to be presented in a probabilistic framework so that the model's predictions reflect the uncertainty in the model's input data. The new capability is illustrated by simulating the far-field dispersal of oil in a Deepwater Horizon blowout scenario. The uncertain input consisted of ocean current and oil droplet size data and the main model output analyzed is the ensuing oil concentration in the Gulf of Mexico. A 1331 member ensemble was used to construct a surrogate for the model which was then mined for statistical information. The mean and standard deviations in the oil concentration were calculated for up to 30 days, and the total contribution of each input parameter to the model's uncertainty was quantified at different depths. Also, probability density functions of oil concentration were constructed by sampling the surrogate and used to elaborate probabilistic hazard maps of oil impact. The performance of the surrogate was constantly monitored in order to demarcate the space-time zones where its estimates are reliable. © 2016. American Geophysical Union.

An overview of uncertainty quantification techniques with application to oceanic and oil-spill simulations

KAUST Repository

Iskandarani, Mohamed

2016-04-22

We give an overview of four different ensemble-based techniques for uncertainty quantification and illustrate their application in the context of oil plume simulations. These techniques share the common paradigm of constructing a model proxy that efficiently captures the functional dependence of the model output on uncertain model inputs. This proxy is then used to explore the space of uncertain inputs using a large number of samples, so that reliable estimates of the model\\'s output statistics can be calculated. Three of these techniques use polynomial chaos (PC) expansions to construct the model proxy, but they differ in their approach to determining the expansions\\' coefficients; the fourth technique uses Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). An integral plume model for simulating the Deepwater Horizon oil-gas blowout provides examples for illustrating the different techniques. A Monte Carlo ensemble of 50,000 model simulations is used for gauging the performance of the different proxies. The examples illustrate how regression-based techniques can outperform projection-based techniques when the model output is noisy. They also demonstrate that robust uncertainty analysis can be performed at a fraction of the cost of the Monte Carlo calculation.

Understanding the build-up of supermassive black holes and galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Carrera, Francisco; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Georgakakis, Antonis

2016-07-01

One of the main open questions in modern Astrophysics is understanding the coupled growth of supermassive black holes by accretion and their host galaxies via star formation, from their peak at redshifts z~ 1-4 to the present time. The generic scenario proposed involves an early phase of intense black hole growth that takes place behind large obscuring columns of inflowing dust and gas clouds. It is postulated that this is followed by a blow-out stage during which some form of AGN feedback controls the fate of the interstellar medium and hence, the evolution of the galaxy. X-rays are essential for testing this scenario as they uniquely probe AGN at both the early heavily obscured stage and the later blow-out phase. X-ray spectral analysis can identify the smoking gun evidence of heavily obscured black hole growth (e.g. intense iron Kalpha line). It therefore provides the most robust method for compiling clean samples of deeply shrouded AGN with well-defined selection functions and unbiased determinations of their intrinsic properties (accretion luminosity, obscuring column). X-rays are also the best window for studying in detail AGN feedback. This process ultimately originates in the innermost regions close to the supermassive black hole and is dominated, in terms of energy and mass flux, by highly ionisedmaterial that remains invisible at other wavelengths. The most important epoch for investigating the relation between AGN and galaxies is the redshift range z~1-4, when most black holes and stars we see in the present-day Universe were put in place. Unfortunately, exhaustive efforts with current high-energy telescopes only scrape the tip of the iceberg of the most obscured AGN population. Moreover, Xray studies of the incidence, nature and energetics of AGN feedback are limited to the local Universe. The Athena observatory will provide the technological leap required for a breakthrough in our understanding of AGN and galaxy evolution at the heyday of the Universe

Understanding the build-up of SMBH and Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Carrera, Francisco; Georgakakis, Antonis; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Akylas, Thanassis; Lanzuisi, Giorgio; Castello, N.

2015-09-01

One of the main open questions in modern Astrophysics is understanding the coupled growth of supermassive black holes by accretion and their host galaxies via star formation, from their peak at redshifts z~ 1-4 to the present time. The generic scenario proposed involves an early phase of intense black hole growth that takes place behind large obscuring columns of inflowing dust and gas clouds. It is postulated that this is followed by a blow-out stage during which some form of AGN feedback controls the fate of the interstellar medium and hence, the evolution of the galaxy. X-rays are essential for testing this scenario as they uniquely probe AGN at both the early heavily obscured stage and the later blow-out phase. X-ray spectral analysis can identify the smoking gun evidence of heavily obscured black hole growth (e.g. intense iron Kalpha line). It therefore provides the most robust method for compiling clean samples of deeply shrouded AGN with well-defined selection functions and unbiased determinations of their intrinsic properties (accretion luminosity, obscuring column). X-rays are also the best window for studying in detail AGN feedback. This process ultimately originates in the innermost regions close to the supermassive black hole and is dominated, in terms of energy and mass flux, by highly ionised material that remains invisible at other wavelengths. The most important epoch for investigating the relation between AGN and galaxies is the redshift range z~1-4, when most black holes and stars we see in the present-day Universe were put in place. Unfortunately, exhaustive efforts with current high-energy telescopes only scrape the tip of the iceberg of the most obscured AGN population. Moreover, Xray studies of the incidence, nature and energetics of AGN feedback are limited to the local Universe. The Athena observatory will provide the technological leap required for a breakthrough in our understanding of AGN and galaxy evolution at the heyday of the Universe

Evolution of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Microbial Communities in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Well Blowout in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, G.; Dubinsky, E. A.; Chakraborty, R.; Hollibaugh, J. T.; Hazen, T. C.

2012-12-01

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill created large plumes of dispersed oil and gas that remained deep in the water column and stimulated growth of several deep-sea bacteria that can degrade hydrocarbons at cold temperatures. We tracked microbial community composition before, during and after the 83-day spill to determine relationships between microbial dynamics, and hydrocarbon and dissolved-oxygen concentrations. Dominant bacteria in plumes shifted drastically over time and were dependent on the concentration of hydrocarbons, and the relative quantities of insoluble and soluble oil fractions. Unmitigated flow from the wellhead early in the spill resulted in the highest concentrations of oil and relatively more n-alkanes suspended in the plume as small oil droplets. These conditions resulted in near complete dominance by alkane-degrading Oceanospirillales, Pseudomonas and Shewanella. Six-weeks into the spill overall hydrocarbon concentrations in the plume decreased and were almost entirely composed of BTEX after management actions reduced emissions into the water column. These conditions corresponded with the emergence of Colwellia, Pseudoalteromonas, Cycloclasticus and Halomonas that are capable of degrading aromatic compounds. After the well was contained dominant plume bacteria disappeared within two weeks after the spill and transitioned to an entirely different set of bacteria dominated by Flavobacteria, Methylophaga, Alteromonas and Rhodobacteraceae that were found in anomalous oxygen depressions throughout August and are prominent degraders of both high molecular weight organic matter as well as hydrocarbons. Bio-Sep beads amended with volatile hydrocarbons from MC-252 oil were used from August through September to create hydrocarbon-amended traps for attracting oil-degrading microbes in situ. Traps were placed at multiple depths on a drilling rig about 600-m from the original MC-252 oil spill site. Microbes were isolated on media using MC-252 oil as the sole carbon source and characterized. Pure cultures were obtained from bacteria similar to those found to dominate hydrocarbon plumes and anomalous oxygen depressions by molecular community analysis. Respirometry studies confirmed that the isolates were able to metabolize the MC-252 oil. Our results from both molecular and culture analysis indicate that indigenous psychrophilic consortia of microorganisms thriving at 5°C from the oil-plume depth water were able to rapidly respond to dispersed oil at depth. The microbial community was highly dynamic and structured by changes in hydrocarbon composition over time. The spill caused sustained alterations in subsurface microbial communities and impacted the deep ocean for at least months after well containment.

Assessment of impacts and evaluation of restoration methods on areas affected by a well blowout, Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warrick, G.D.; Kato, T.T.; Phillips, M.V. [and others

1996-12-01

In June 1994, an oil well on Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1 blew-out and crude oil was deposited downwind. After the well was capped, information was collected to characterize the release and to assess effects to wildlife and plants. Oil residue was found up to 13.7 km from the well site, but deposition was relatively light and the oil quickly dried to form a thin crust on the soil surface. Elevated levels of hydrocarbons were found in livers collected from Heermann`s kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni) from the oiled area but polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (known carcinogens or mutagens) were not detected in the livers. Restoration techniques (surface modification and bioremediation) and natural recovery were evaluated within three portions of the oiled area. Herbaceous cover and production, and survival and vigor of desert saltbush (Atriplex polycarpa) were also monitored within each trapping grid.

Experimental and Computational Study of Trapped Vortex Combustor Sector Rig with High-Speed Diffuser Flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. C. Hendricks

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The Trapped Vortex Combustor (TVC potentially offers numerous operational advantages over current production gas turbine engine combustors. These include lower weight, lower pollutant emissions, effective flame stabilization, high combustion efficiency, excellent high altitude relight capability, and operation in the lean burn or RQL modes of combustion. The present work describes the operational principles of the TVC, and extends diffuser velocities toward choked flow and provides system performance data. Performance data include EINOx results for various fuel-air ratios and combustor residence times, combustion efficiency as a function of combustor residence time, and combustor lean blow-out (LBO performance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD simulations using liquid spray droplet evaporation and combustion modeling are performed and related to flow structures observed in photographs of the combustor. The CFD results are used to understand the aerodynamics and combustion features under different fueling conditions. Performance data acquired to date are favorable compared to conventional gas turbine combustors. Further testing over a wider range of fuel-air ratios, fuel flow splits, and pressure ratios is in progress to explore the TVC performance. In addition, alternate configurations for the upstream pressure feed, including bi-pass diffusion schemes, as well as variations on the fuel injection patterns, are currently in test and evaluation phases.

Pulse-Wave Analysis of Optic Nerve Head Circulation Is Significantly Correlated with Kidney Function in Patients with and without Chronic Kidney Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomoaki Shiba

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. To determine whether there is a significant correlation between the optic nerve head (ONH circulation determined by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG and kidney function. Materials. Seventy-one subjects were investigated. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR and serum creatinine, cystatin C, and urinary albumin excretion were measured. The ONH circulation was determined by an analysis of the pulse wave of LSFG, and this parameter was named blowout time (BOT. Chronic kidney disease (CKD was defined to be present when the estimated GFR was <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationship between the BOT and the kidney function. We also examined whether there were significant differences in all parameters in patients with and without CKD. Results. BOT was significantly correlated with the level of creatinine (r=-0.24, P=0.04, the estimated GFR (r=0.42, P=0.0003, cystatin C (r=-0.29, P=0.01, and urinary albumin excretion (r=-0.29, P=0.01. The BOT level in subjects with CKD was significantly lower than that in subjects without CKD (P=0.002. Conclusion. BOT in ONH by LSFG can detect the organ damage such as kidney dysfunction, CKD.

Do oil dispersants make spilled oil more toxic to fish?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodson, P.

2010-01-01

The Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico was the world's largest oil spill in terms of duration and volume spilled. Clean-up operations, which involved the continuous and wide-spread use of oil dispersant at the surface and at the seabed discharge point at 1500 metres depth, gave rise to public concern about dispersant toxicity. Reports from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claimed little difference in acute toxicity to marine fish and invertebrate species among commonly available dispersants and between dispersed and non-dispersed Louisiana Sweet Crude. Technically, the toxicity of waterborne hydrocarbons does not vary with chemical dispersion. However, the EPA omitted any consideration of loading, and misled the public about the risks of dispersant use in oil clean-up. This study examined the chronic toxicity of dispersed oil to fish embryos. The study revealed that toxicity expressed as oil loading increases by a factor of 10 to 1000 times with dispersion, largely because 10 to 1000 times more oil enters the water column. Since the action of dispersant is on the exposure component of the risk equation, not on the potency of the toxic components of oil, then the risk of oil toxicity to fish increases an equivalent amount.

Effect of age on the structural integrity of HEPA filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, J.S.; Beason, D.G.; Smith, P.R.; Gregory, W.S.

1989-01-01

All of the controls on high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are based on rigid manufacturing standards with regard to filtration efficiency, temperature performance, pressure integrity, and strength. Third-party inspection and testing by the US Department of Energy increases the reliability of new HEPA filters, but only routine in-place testing is used to assure that an aging filter performs adequately. In 1980 the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory initiated a small evaluation to determine if age has a significant effect on the structural integrity of HEPA filters. A series of used uncontaminated filters dating back to 1965 was obtained for these tests. Tensile strength tests on the old media indicated a decrease in strength. To provide additional measurement of the filters' overall strength, several of these aged filters were subjected to pressure pulses equivalent to the NRC Region I tornado pulses and shock wave over pressures. Data from these tests indicate a decrease in breaking pressure of from 25-50%. A large increase in complete filter pack blow-out during the simulated NRC Region I tornado tests was also observed. The preliminary results indicate the need for an administrative lifetime for HEPA filters used in critical nuclear facilities. Due to the unique conditions in each facility, different administrative lifetimes may be necessary

Study of methane solubility in oil base used in oil base drilling fluid; Estudo da solubilidade de metano em base oleo utilizada em fluido de perfuracao base oleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Carolina Teixeira da; Mariolani, Jose Ricardo Lenzi [Universidade Estadual de Campinas, SP (Brazil); Ribeiro, Paulo Roberto; Lomba, Rosana Fatima Teixeira; Bonet, Euclides Jose

2004-07-01

During drilling a well, it is necessary to prevent and control high pressurized zones because while drilling on those zones, could occur a kick if the formation pressure were higher then downhole pressure, allowing the entering of undesirables fluids from the formation to the wellbore. If the well is not controlled this kick could became a blowout, generating damages to the environment, to the equipment and the human life. When drilling using oil-based mud, the concern related to the well control would be higher due the gas solubility in the mud, which could make it hard to detect the kick, especially in deep and ultra deep waters. In this work we have studied the interaction between methane and organic liquids used in drilling fluids, and the measurement and analysis of the thermodynamic properties of those gas liquid mixtures. There have been measured parameters like the oil formation volume factor (FVF{sub o}), bubble pressure, solubility (Rs) and the density of the saturated liquid in function of methane mole fraction and temperature. The results have shown that the gas solubility, at downhole conditions and during kick circulation, is a factor very important to the safety during well drilling in deep and ultra deep waters. (author)

Electric fields effect on liftoff and blowoff of nonpremixed laminar jet flames in a coflow

KAUST Repository

Kim, Minkuk

2010-01-01

The stabilization characteristics of liftoff and blowoff in nonpremixed laminar jet flames in a coflow have been investigated experimentally for propane fuel by applying AC and DC electric fields to the fuel nozzle with a single-electrode configuration. The liftoff and blowoff velocities have been measured by varying the applied voltage and frequency of AC and the voltage and the polarity of DC. The result showed that the AC electric fields extended the stabilization regime of nozzle-attached flame in terms of jet velocity. As the applied AC voltage increased, the nozzle-attached flame was maintained even over the blowout velocity without having electric fields. In such a case, a blowoff occurred directly without experiencing a lifted flame. While for the DC cases, the influence on liftoff was minimal. There existed three different regimes depending on the applied AC voltage. In the low voltage regime, the nozzle-detachment velocity of either liftoff or blowoff increased linearly with the applied voltage, while nonlinearly with the AC frequency. In the intermediate voltage regime, the detachment velocity decreased with the applied voltage and reasonably independent of the AC frequency. At the high voltage regime, the detachment was significantly influenced by the generation of discharges. © 2009 The Combustion Institute.

Oil release from Macondo well MC252 following the Deepwater Horizon accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Stewart K

2012-05-15

Oil flow rates and cumulative discharge from the BP Macondo Prospect well in the Gulf of Mexico are calculated using a physically based model along with wellhead pressures measured at the blowout preventer (BOP) over the 86-day period following the Deepwater Horizon accident. Parameters appearing in the model are determined empirically from pressures measured during well shut-in and from pressures and flow rates measured the preceding day. This methodology rigorously accounts for ill-characterized evolution of the marine riser, installation and removal of collection caps, and any erosion at the wellhead. The calculated initial flow rate is 67,100 stock-tank barrels per day (stbd), which decays to 54,400 stbd just prior to installation of the capping stack and subsequent shut-in. The calculated cumulative discharge is 5.4 million stock-tank barrels, of which 4.6 million barrels entered the Gulf. Quantifiable uncertainties in these values are -9.3% and +7.5%, yielding a likely total discharge in the range from 4.9 to 5.8 million barrels. Minimum and maximum credible values of this discharge are 4.6 and 6.2 million barrels. Alternative calculations using the reservoir and sea-floor pressures indicate that any erosion within the BOP had little affect on cumulative discharge.

Reirradiation of head and neck cancer focusing on hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ogita Mikio

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Reirradiation is a feasible option for patients who do not otherwise have treatment options available. Depending on the location and extent of the tumor, reirradiation may be accomplished with external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy, radiosurgery, or intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT. Although there has been limited experience with hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (hSRT, it may have the potential for curative or palliative treatment due to its advanced precision technology, particularly for limited small lesion. On the other hand, severe late adverse reactions are anticipated with reirradiation than with initial radiation therapy. The risk of severe late complications has been reported to be 20- 40% and is related to prior radiotherapy dose, primary site, retreatment radiotherapy dose, treatment volume, and technique. Early researchers have observed lethal bleeding in such patients up to a rate of 14%. Recently, similar rate of 10-15% was observed for fatal bleeding with use of modern hSRT like in case of carotid blowout syndrome. To determine the feasibility and efficacy of reirradiation using modern technology, we reviewed the pertinent literature. The potentially lethal side effects should be kept in mind when reirradiation by hSRT is considered for treatment, and efforts should be made to minimize the risk in any future investigations.

Exploding outhouses: Changing perspectives on waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, D.

1992-01-01

The changing attitudes of the public toward waste and environmental pollution by the oil and gas industry are discussed with reference to historical anecdotes from the Alberta oil and gas industry. In the Turner Valley, Alberta's first oil and gas field, residents used sour gas in their homes without pressure regulators, adverse health effects from hydrogen sulfide were common in the industry, and hydrogen sulfide scrubbed at the gas plant was simply vented to the atmosphere. In the late 1800s, a gas well blew wild in northern Alberta for 21 years until it was capped. At a well near Leduc, Alberta, a blowout in 1948 spilled 1.4 million bbl of oil onto a field, yet a spill eight times that of the Exxon Valdez spill is little remembered. In the 1920s, the city of Calgary begged Imperial Oil to build its refinery along the Bow River, and the refinery has been leaking oil into the river ever since. The change in attitudes toward an environmental consciousness is attributed to such factors as a higher living standard, less open spaces, a realization that economic growth is not linear, a lack of trust in the oil industry, and better knowledge of the problems with waste and pollution

The dark side of development : First Nations worry the oilsands is irreparably harming the environment and community health

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stonehouse, D.

2009-03-15

This article reported on the concerns of the First Nations communities living in northern Alberta where oilsand development has impacted the environment. There are significant worries about water use and health concerns, with reported incidents of unusual cancers in their communities. Although no direct evidence blaming the oilsands industry has emerged, many in the community are convinced development is to blame. The All Parties Core Agreement was signed between the Athabasca Tribal Council (ATC) and the oilsands industry in an effort to address environmental challenges. Under the agreement, industry funded 5 environmental coordinators for each of the First Nations in the Athabasca region. The All Parties Core Agreement will build a community-based monitoring system and a cumulative effects assessment for the region. In 2008, the Metis Nation of northern Alberta discovered that many of the province's in situ oilsands developments lie over a vast groundwater system that flows into the Athabasca River. The group is concerned that blowouts at thermal operations could pollute the water system. Despite these concerns, the First Nations in the Athabasca region still tentatively support oilsands development, but only on the condition that their concerns are answered and that development progresses in a safe and sustainable manner. 1 fig.

Mandibular reconstruction in the radiated patient: the role of osteocutaneous free tissue transfers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duncan, M.J.; Manktelow, R.T.; Zuker, R.M.; Rosen, I.B.

1985-01-01

This paper discusses our experience with the second metatarsal and iliac crest osteocutaneous transfers for mandibular reconstruction. The prime indication for this type of reconstruction was for anterior mandibular defects when the patient had been previously resected. Midbody to midbody defects were reconstructed with the metatarsal and larger defects with the iliac crest. In most cases, an osteotomy was done to create a mental angle. The evaluation of speech, oral continence, and swallowing revealed good results in all patients unless lip or tongue resection compromised function. Facial contour was excellent in metatarsal reconstructions. The iliac crest cutaneous flap provided a generous supply of skin for both intraoral reconstruction and external skin coverage but tended to be bulky, particularly when used in the submental area. Thirty three of 36 flaps survived completely. Flap losses were due to anastomosis thrombosis (1), pedicle compression (1), and pedicle destruction during exploration for suspected carotid blowout (1). Ninety three percent of bone junctions developed a solid bony union despite the mandible having had a full therapeutic dose of preoperative radiation. Despite wound infections in 8 patients, and intraoral dehiscence with bone exposure in 12 patients, all but one of these transfers went on to good bony union without infection in the bone graft

Mandibular reconstruction in the radiated patient: the role of osteocutaneous free tissue transfers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duncan, M.J.; Manktelow, R.T.; Zuker, R.M.; Rosen, I.B.

1985-12-01

This paper discusses our experience with the second metatarsal and iliac crest osteocutaneous transfers for mandibular reconstruction. The prime indication for this type of reconstruction was for anterior mandibular defects when the patient had been previously resected. Midbody to midbody defects were reconstructed with the metatarsal and larger defects with the iliac crest. In most cases, an osteotomy was done to create a mental angle. The evaluation of speech, oral continence, and swallowing revealed good results in all patients unless lip or tongue resection compromised function. Facial contour was excellent in metatarsal reconstructions. The iliac crest cutaneous flap provided a generous supply of skin for both intraoral reconstruction and external skin coverage but tended to be bulky, particularly when used in the submental area. Thirty three of 36 flaps survived completely. Flap losses were due to anastomosis thrombosis (1), pedicle compression (1), and pedicle destruction during exploration for suspected carotid blowout (1). Ninety three percent of bone junctions developed a solid bony union despite the mandible having had a full therapeutic dose of preoperative radiation. Despite wound infections in 8 patients, and intraoral dehiscence with bone exposure in 12 patients, all but one of these transfers went on to good bony union without infection in the bone graft.

Reirradiation of head and neck cancer focusing on hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Hideya; Kodani, Naohiro; Ogita, Mikio; Sato, Kengo; Himei, Kengo

2011-01-01

Reirradiation is a feasible option for patients who do not otherwise have treatment options available. Depending on the location and extent of the tumor, reirradiation may be accomplished with external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy, radiosurgery, or intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Although there has been limited experience with hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (hSRT), it may have the potential for curative or palliative treatment due to its advanced precision technology, particularly for limited small lesion. On the other hand, severe late adverse reactions are anticipated with reirradiation than with initial radiation therapy. The risk of severe late complications has been reported to be 20- 40% and is related to prior radiotherapy dose, primary site, retreatment radiotherapy dose, treatment volume, and technique. Early researchers have observed lethal bleeding in such patients up to a rate of 14%. Recently, similar rate of 10-15% was observed for fatal bleeding with use of modern hSRT like in case of carotid blowout syndrome. To determine the feasibility and efficacy of reirradiation using modern technology, we reviewed the pertinent literature. The potentially lethal side effects should be kept in mind when reirradiation by hSRT is considered for treatment, and efforts should be made to minimize the risk in any future investigations

Simulation of the landfall of the Deepwater Horizon oil on the shorelines of the Gulf of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Boufadel, Michel C; Abdollahi-Nasab, Ali; Geng, Xiaolong; Galt, Jerry; Torlapati, Jagadish

2014-08-19

We conducted simulations of oil transport from the footprint of the Macondo Well on the water surface throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including deposition on the shorelines. We used the U.S. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) model General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) and the same parameter values and input adopted by NOAA following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout. We found that the disappearance rate of oil off the water surface was most likely around 20% per day based on satellite-based observations of the disappearance rate of oil detected on the sea surface after the DWH wellhead was capped. The simulations and oil mass estimates suggest that the mass of oil that reached the shorelines was between 10,000 and 30,000 tons, with an expected value of 22,000 tons. More than 90% of the oil deposition occurred on the Louisiana shorelines, and it occurred in two batches. Simulations revealed that capping the well after 2 weeks would have resulted in only 30% of the total oil depositing on the shorelines, while capping after 3 weeks would have resulted in 60% deposition. Additional delay in capping after 3 weeks would have averted little additional shoreline oiling over the ensuing 4 weeks.

Endoscopic anatomy of the orbital floor and maxillary sinus.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Corey C; Bromwich, Matthew; Roth, Kathy; Matic, Damir B

2008-01-01

Endoscopic repair of orbital blow-out fractures could become a predictable and efficient treatment alternative to traditional methods. However, maxillary sinus endoscopy provides a complex and disorienting view of the orbital floor. To be a useful and consistent technique for providing access to the orbital floor, specific knowledge of maxillary endoscopic anatomy is required. The purpose of the study was to provide an anatomic description of the orbital floor via the endoscopic approach. Objectives include defining consistent landmarks for use in endoscopic repair of orbital floor fractures. Using 0- and 30-degree rigid endoscopes, 6 fresh cadavers (12 maxillary sinuses) were examined via a standard Caldwell-Luc approach. Computed tomographic scans, plastic molds, and digital images were used to compare observable averages within bony anatomy. Potential bony landmarks were correlated with soft-tissue anatomy in fresh specimens. The maxillary ostium, orbital floor, and lateral ethmoid air cells were visualized, and their structures were described. Observations were made in relation to the anatomy of the orbital floor and maxillary sinus, including fracture pattern and force transmission pathways. An "orbitomaxillary" sinus bony thickening was identified and described for the first time. This study provides the basis for further refinement of surgical technique and opens the door for future clinical trials using endoscopic repair.

Reconstruction of Orbital Floor With Auricular Concha.

Science.gov (United States)

Seven, Ergin; Tellioglu, Ali Teoman; Inozu, Emre; Ozakpinar, Hulda Rifat; Horoz, Ugur; Eryilmaz, Avni Tolga; Karamursel, Sebat

2017-10-01

Orbital floor fractures of varying sizes commonly occur after orbital injuries and remain a serious challenge. Serious complications of such fractures include enopthalmos, restriction of extraocular movement, and diplopia. There is a dearth of literature that can be applied widely, easily, and successfully in all such situations, and therefore there is no consensus on the treatment protocol of this pathology yet. Autogenous grafts and alloplastic and allogenic materials with a wide variety of advantages and disadvantages have been discussed. The value of preoperative and postoperative ophthalmological examination should be standard of care in all orbital fracture patients. An ideal reconstructed orbital floor fracture should accelerate the restoration of orbital function with acceptable cosmetic results. Management parameters of orbital fractures such as timing of surgery, incision type, and implant materials, though widely discussed, remain controversial. In this study, 55 patients with orbital floor fractures surgically reconstructed with conchal cartilage grafts between 2008 and 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. Complications and long-time follow-up visit results have been reported with clinical and radiographic findings. The aim of this study was to present the authors' clinical experiences of reconstruction of blow-out fractures with auricular conchal graft and to evaluate the other materials available for use.

Posttraumatic Orbital Emphysema: A Numerical Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Skorek

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Orbital emphysema is a common symptom accompanying orbital fracture. The pathomechanism is still not recognized and the usually assumed cause, elevated pressure in the upper airways connected with sneezing or coughing, does not always contribute to the occurrence of this type of fracture. Observations based on the finite model (simulating blowout type fracture of the deformations of the inferior orbital wall after a strike in its lower rim. Authors created a computer numeric model of the orbit with specified features—thickness and resilience modulus. During simulation an evenly spread 14400 N force was applied to the nodular points in the inferior rim (the maximal value not causing cracking of the outer rim, but only ruptures in the inferior wall. The observation was made from 1·10-3 to 1·10-2 second after a strike. Right after a strike dislocations of the inferior orbital wall toward the maxillary sinus were observed. Afterwards a retrograde wave of the dislocation of the inferior wall toward the orbit was noticed. Overall dislocation amplitude reached about 6 mm. Based on a numeric model of the orbit submitted to a strike in the inferior wall an existence of a retrograde shock wave causing orbital emphysema has been found.

The economics of exploiting gas hydrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Döpke, Lena-Katharina; Requate, Till

2014-01-01

We investigate the optimal exploitation of methane hydrates, a recent discovery of methane resources under the sea floor, mainly located along the continental margins. Combustion of methane (releasing CO2) and leakage through blow-outs (releasing CH4) contribute to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. A second externality arises since removing solid gas hydrates from the sea bottom destabilizes continental margins and thus increases the risk of marine earthquakes. We show that in such a model three regimes can occur: i) resource exploitation will be stopped in finite time, and some of the resource will stay in situ, ii) the resource will be used up completely in finite time, and iii) the resource will be exhausted in infinite time. We also show how to internalize the externalities by policy instruments. - Highlights: • We set up a model of optimal has hydrate exploitation • We incorporate to types of damages: contribution to global warming and geo-hazards • We characterize optimal exploitation paths and study decentralization with an exploitation tax. • Three regimes can occur: • i) exploitation in finite time and some of the stock remaining in situ, • ii) exploitation in finite time and the resource will be exhausted, • iii) exploitation and exhaustion in infinite time

CUSP-SHAPED STRUCTURE OF A JET OBSERVED BY IRIS AND SDO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yuzong; Zhang, Jun, E-mail: yuzong@nao.cas.cn, E-mail: zjun@nao.cas.cn [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2017-01-01

On 2014 August 29, the trigger and evolution of a cusp-shaped jet were captured in detail at 1330 Å by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph . At first, two neighboring mini-prominences arose in turn from the low solar atmosphere and collided with a loop-like system over them. The collisions between the loop-like system and the mini-prominences lead to the blowout, and then a cusp-shaped jet formed with a spire and an arch-base. In the spire, many brightening blobs originating from the junction between the spire and the arch-base moved upward in a rotating manner and then in a straight line in the late phase of the jet. In the arch-base, dark and bright material simultaneously tracked in a fan-like structure, and the majority of the material moved along the fan's threads. At the later phase of the jet's evolution, bidirectional flows emptied the arch-base, while downflows emptied the spire, thus making the jet entirely vanish. The extremely detailed observations in this study shed new light on how magnetic reconnection alters the inner topological structure of a jet and provides a beneficial complement for understanding current jet models.

A review on the technical basis for ACI 349 code revision to anchorage criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, N. H.; You, S. H.

1999-01-01

Anchors are widely used to attach structural and nonstructural elements to concrete in nuclear power plant construction. Anchorage to concrete in nuclear-related structure plant has been designed per ACI 349-90 Appendix B. However, a new criteria for anchorage based on the concrete capacity design(CCD) approach is ready for publication under the normal publication procedures by ACI 349 Code Committee. Both design procedures(ACI 349-90 and ACI 349-New) show rather different concrete capacities. Earlier comparable studies show that the CCD method is a more reliable predictor of concrete breakout than the 45-degree cone method(ACI 349-90), hence the CCD method adopted by ACI 349-New Code has been recommended. The philosophy of the current code is to design ductile fastenings, which requires a limit to guard against brittle concrete failure. On the other hand, the new code requires calculations for the concrete breakout strength, pullout strength, side-face blowout strength of fastener in tension, and concrete breakout strength, pryout strength of fastener in shear. Therefore, the new code can accurately predict the concrete failure capacity for different behavior of the anchorage system. In this review, the provisions of ACI 349-90 and ACI 349-New are compared to show the major differences with emphasis on the concrete breakout capacity

Large-eddy simulation study of oil/gas plumes in stratified fluid with cross current

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Di; Xiao, Shuolin; Chen, Bicheng; Chamecki, Marcelo; Meneveau, Charles

2017-11-01

Dynamics of the oil/gas plume from a subsea blowout are strongly affected by the seawater stratification and cross current. The buoyant plume entrains ambient seawater and lifts it up to higher elevations. During the rising process, the continuously increasing density difference between the entrained and ambient seawater caused by the stable stratification eventually results in a detrainment of the entrained seawater and small oil droplets at a height of maximum rise (peel height), forming a downward plume outside the rising inner plume. The presence of a cross current breaks the plume's axisymmetry and causes the outer plume to fall along the downstream side of the inner plume. The detrained seawater and oil eventually fall to a neutral buoyancy level (trap height), and disperse horizontally to form an intrusion layer. In this study, the complex plume dynamics is investigated using large-eddy simulation (LES). Various laboratory and field scale cases are simulated to explore the effect of cross current and stratification on the plume dynamics. Based on the LES data, various turbulence statistics of the plume are systematically quantified, leading to some useful insights for modeling the mean plume dynamics using integral plume models. This research is made possible by a RFP-V Grant from The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.

Ergonomic evaluation of ten single-channel pipettes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lichty, Monica G; Janowitz, Ira L; Rempel, David M

2011-01-01

Repetitive pipetting is a task that is associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and arm. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usability and ergonomic performance of commercially available pipettes as determined by user ratings and objective measurements. Participants were laboratory technicians and scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with experience performing pipetting tasks. Twenty-one experienced pipette users completed a standardized pipetting task with 5 manual and 5 electronic pipettes. After using each pipette, the user rated it for attributes of comfort and usability. Although no single pipette was rated significantly better than all of the others for every attribute tested, some significant differences were found between pipettes. The Rainin Pipet-Lite received the highest overall quality score among manual pipettes, while the Thermo Scientific Finnpipette Novus was the top-ranked electronic pipette. Features correlated with greater hand and arm comfort were lower tip ejection force, lower blowout force, and pipette balance in the hand. The findings, when considered with participant comments, provide insights into desirable pipette features and emphasize the value of user testing and the importance of the interactions between task, workplace layout, and pipette design. © 2011 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved

Calculation of anchor forces on penetration liners for the reactor vessel Schmehausen (Germany)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roennert, J.K.

1976-01-01

Penetrations through the walls of the single cavity PCPV Prestressed Concrete Pressure Vessel for the 300 MW(e) reactor are lined with steel penetration liners welded to the liner of the cavity. For gas-tightness of the system the penetrations are closed by covers. To secure their integration with the concrete, the liners are anchored to it by means of shear studs and/or angles. Being embedded in concrete, over the full width of the walls, the liners are exposed to lateral and longitudinal concrete deformations causing forces on the anchors. The axial blow-out force due to the pressure of the coolant on the closures must also be transferred through the anchors to the concrete. In the design of anchored penetration liners stress analyses are performed to determine anchor forces under different loading conditions and at several ages of the PCPV. The present paper deals with the mathematical estimation of the anchor forces on the basis of given concrete deformations, temperature of liners, and pressure in the vessel by the method of replacing the penetration liners and their anchors by a spring model with linear stiffness characteristics for both the liner and the anchors. An example of the computations on a digital computer is shown. (author)

Well Integrity for Natural Gas Storage in Depleted Reservoirs and Aquifers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freifeld, Barry M. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Oldenburg, Curtis M. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Jordan, Preston [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Pan, Lehua [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Perfect, Scott [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Morris, Joseph [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); White, Joshua [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Bauer, Stephen [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Blankenship, Douglas [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Roberts, Barry [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bromhal, Grant [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Glosser, Deborah [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Wyatt, Douglas [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Rose, Kelly [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States)

2016-09-02

Introduction Motivation The 2015-2016 Aliso Canyon/Porter Ranch natural gas well blowout emitted approximately 100,000 tonnes of natural gas (mostly methane, CH₄) over four months. The blowout impacted thousands of nearby residents, who were displaced from their homes. The high visibility of the event has led to increased scrutiny of the safety of natural gas storage at the Aliso Canyon facility, as well as broader concern for natural gas storage integrity throughout the country. Federal Review of Well Integrity In April of 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), announced the formation of a new Interagency Task Force on Natural Gas Storage Safety. The Task Force enlisted a group of scientists and engineers at the DOE National Laboratories to review the state of well integrity in natural gas storage in the U.S. The overarching objective of the review is to gather, analyze, catalogue, and disseminate information and findings that can lead to improved natural gas storage safety and security and thus reduce the risk of future events. The “Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016’’ or the ‘‘PIPES Act of 2016,’’which was signed into law on June 22, 2016, created an Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Leak Task Force led by the Secretary of Energy and consisting of representatives from the DOT, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Department of Commerce and the Department of Interior. The Task Force was asked to perform an analysis of the Aliso Canyon event and make recommendations on preventing similar incidents in the future. The PIPES Act also required that DOT/PHMSA promulgate minimum safety standards for underground storage that would take effect within two years. Background on the DOE

Evaluation of the potential effects of major oil spills on Grand Banks commercial fish species as a result of impacts on eggs and larvae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hurlbut, S.E.; French, D.P.; Taylor, B.J.

1991-01-01

The Natural Resource Damage Assessment Model for Coastal and Marine Environments (NRDAM/CME) developed by the US Department of the Interior was applied to determine potential catch losses of two commercially important species in the event of an oil spill on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. The model is made of a generalized physical fates model and a biological effects model; a fisheries component of the model estimates the ultimate impact on future adult fish populations and their harvesting. Inputs to the model include numbers of eggs and larvae, volume and nature of spill, chemical characteristics of the crude oil, and oceanographic and meteorological information specific to the spill location. To assess the sensitivity of the model predictions, different simulations each representing a specific combination of biological and physical conditions were carried out. In each case, the number of eggs and larvae killed and subsequent total lost catch as predicted by the model were directly proportional to the assumed egg and larval abundance. The impact on cod was three times that on plaice. In a worst-case situation involving a 90-d summer blowout at the maximum daily flow rate, the totals in lost catch of cod and plaice would be 21 and 7 tonnes respectively. These represent only 0.02% of the total annual Grand Banks catch for both species. 35 refs., 18 figs., 161 tabs

Global reach: Red Deer oilfield expertise, not least in taming disasters, lures international clientele

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorenz, A.

2002-10-07

The rise to international prominence of two Red Deer, Alberta, firms --Safety Boss and Red Flame -- by performing heroic feats in Kuwait's flaming oil fields, are chronicled. These two firms, along with several others in Red Deer, provide expertise in fire fighting that is sought after by petroleum companies in the farthest corners of the world. Red Deer companies can be found training Kazakhs, Russians, Kuwaitis, Iranians, and Turkmen in fighting oil well fires. Red Flame, for example developed a method called 'hot-tapping' while fighting blazing oil well fires in Kuwait, which they have since extended by developing hot-tapping equipment that would work on the highest pressure wells in the world. Last summer Red Flame personnel trained a Schlumberger crew in Kazakhstan working on custom-designed equipment that could perform at pressures of 5,000 psi. Red Flame also designed 'extended reach' hot-tapping in response to a request from Petro-Canada. Meanwhile, Safety Boss, the oldest and best known oil well fire fighting company in Canada, boasts of having extinguished 180 wells in their 1991 stint in Kuwait, while their closest competitor, Texas-based Wild Well, doused only 117. With improved safety policies and procedures the number of oil well blow-outs diminished dramatically in recent years, but there are always opportunities for the Red Deer expertise somewhere around the world.

Risk Management at NASA and Its Applicability to the Oil and Gas Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, David

2018-01-01

NASA has a world-class capability for quantitatively assessing the risk of highly-complex, isolated engineering structures operated in extremely hostile environments. In particular, the International Space Station (ISS) represents a reasonable risk analog for High Pressure, High Temperature drilling and production operations on deepwater rigs. Through a long-term U.S. Government Interagency Agreement, BSEE has partnered with NASA to modify NASA's Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) capabilities for application to deepwater drilling and production operations. The immediate focus of the activity will be to modify NASA PRA Procedure Guides and Methodology Documents to make them applicable to the Oil &Gas Industry. The next step will be for NASA to produce a PRA for a critical drilling system component, such as a Blowout Preventer (BOP). Subsequent activities will be for NASA and industry partners to jointly develop increasingly complex PRA's that analyze other critical drilling and production system components, including both hardware and human reliability. In the presentation, NASA will provide the objectives, schedule, and current status of its PRA activities for BSEE. Additionally, NASA has a Space Act Agreement with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to develop a PRA for a generic 20K BOP. NASA will summarize some of the preliminary insights gained to date from that 20K BOP PRA as an example of the distinction between quantitative versus qualitative risk assessment.

Overall analysis report on the fiscal 1994 geothermal development promotion survey. No.C-2. Wasabizawa area (secondary); 1994 nendo chinetsu kaihatsu sokushin chosa sogo kaiseki hokokusho. No.C-2. Wasabizawa chiiki (dainiji)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-01-01

The Wasabizawa area is located near the boundary between Yuzawa city south of Akita pref. and Ogachi-machi, Ogachi-gun, Akita pref, having a range of 3.0km northeast-southwest and 2.5km northwest-southeast of Wasabizawa almost as a center. The area for survey and its circumference are national forests, and the east and a part of the south of the area are designated as the Kurikoma quasi-national park third type special region. From the geochemical temperature distribution, it can be assumed that geothermal fluids of around 300{degree}C exist in the deep underground of the Kaminotai-Wasabizawa-Akinomiya area. From the distribution of density basements, the block structure of the basement can be estimated. Around the boundary of the ridge/sedimentation region of this density basement, fractures develop and the formation of reservoir structure is expected from the comparison with the result of the well survey. In the blowout test, obtained were 284.3{degree}C and 83.05 kgf/cm{sup 2} at a depth of 1,300m. In the geothermal system, it is assumed that reservoir structures of geothermal fluids develop in the deep underground of the central part of the area. The heat source to the geothermal system is supposed to be the magma reservoir remaining in Takamatsudake volcanic rocks. 110 refs., 177 figs., 105 tabs.

Method for calculating steady-state waves in an air cushion vehicle. Part 2; Air cushion vehicle no teijo zoha keisanho ni tsuite. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eguchi, T [Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

Discussions were given on a method to estimate resistance constituents in wave resistance made in an air chamber of an air cushion vehicle (ACV). An orthogonal coordinate system is considered, which uses the center of a hull as the zero point and is made dimensionless by using cushion length. Flow around the ACV is supposed as an ideal flow, whereas speed potential is defined in the flow field. Then, a linear free surface condition is hypothesized on water surface Z = 0. Number and density of waves were used to introduce a condition to be satisfied by the speed potential. A numerical calculation method arranged a blow-out panel on the water surface, and used a panel shift type Rankine source method which satisfies the free surface condition at Z = 0. Cushion pressure distribution becomes a step-like discontinuous function, and mathematical infinity is generated in the differentiation values. Under an assumption that the pressure rises per one panel where pressure jump is present, the distribution was approximated by providing one panel with inclination of the finite quantity therein. Estimation on wave height distribution in the cushion chamber showed a tendency of qualitatively agreeing with the experimental result, but the wave heights shown in the experiment had the average level decreased as it goes toward the rear of the hull. 5 refs., 5 figs.

Method for calculating wave resistance in a catamaran by using a simple panel method; Kanbenna panel ho ni yoru katamaran no zoha teiko keisanho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kataoka, K [Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1997-10-01

This paper describes a method for calculating wave resistance in a catamaran by using a simple panel method. Two Wigley models were put side by side to make a catamaran, speccular images were taken on a face symmetrical in the left and right sides, and only one side (the demi-hull) was used as a region to be calculated. Considering blow-out onto the demi-hull surface and still water surface, a model was constituted, in which discrete vortices were distributed on the demi-hull camber to flow the vortices out to an infinitely distance place from the stern. A free surface condition according to double model linearization by Dawson was derived for this model in terms of numerical analysis. The Kutta`s condition is incorporated when SQCM is used concurrently with the Rankine source method, but not incorporated when not used. Calculations were performed on both conditions. Wave resistance was derived by using pressure integral on the hull surface. It is better to consider the Kutta`s condition when the distance between the demi-hulls is small. However, if the distance is large, or speed is great for the boat length resulting in less interference between the demi-hulls, there is very little difference due to the Kutta`s condition. Difference in the wave shapes causes how waves are made to vary. 11 refs., 8 figs.

Seawater capacitance – a promising proxy for mapping and characterizing drifting hydrocarbon plumes in the deep ocean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. A. Fleming

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Hydrocarbons released into the deep ocean are an inevitable consequence of natural seep, seafloor drilling, and leaking wellhead-to-collection-point pipelines. The Macondo 252 (Deepwater Horizon well blowout of 2010 was even larger than the Ixtoc event in the Gulf of Campeche in 1979. History suggests it will not be the last accidental release, as deepwater drilling expands to meet an ever-growing demand. For those who must respond to this kind of disaster, the first line of action should be to know what is going on. This includes knowing where an oil plume is at any given time, where and how fast it is moving, and how it is evolving or degrading. We have experimented in the laboratory with induced polarization as a method to track hydrocarbons in the seawater column and find that finely dispersed oil in seawater gives rise to a large distributed capacitance. From previous sea trials, we infer this could potentially be used to both map and characterize oil plumes, down to a ratio of less than 0.001 oil-to-seawater, drifting and evolving in the deep ocean. A side benefit demonstrated in some earlier sea trials is that this same approach in modified form can also map certain heavy placer minerals, as well as communication cables, pipelines, and wrecks buried beneath the seafloor.

Simulation of Deepwater Horizon oil plume reveals substrate specialization within a complex community of hydrocarbon degraders.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Ping; Dubinsky, Eric A; Probst, Alexander J; Wang, Jian; Sieber, Christian M K; Tom, Lauren M; Gardinali, Piero R; Banfield, Jillian F; Atlas, Ronald M; Andersen, Gary L

2017-07-11

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) accident released an estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil and 10 10 mol of natural gas into the Gulf of Mexico, forming deep-sea plumes of dispersed oil droplets and dissolved gases that were largely degraded by bacteria. During the course of this 3-mo disaster a series of different bacterial taxa were enriched in succession within deep plumes, but the metabolic capabilities of the different populations that controlled degradation rates of crude oil components are poorly understood. We experimentally reproduced dispersed plumes of fine oil droplets in Gulf of Mexico seawater and successfully replicated the enrichment and succession of the principal oil-degrading bacteria observed during the DWH event. We recovered near-complete genomes, whose phylogeny matched those of the principal biodegrading taxa observed in the field, including the DWH Oceanospirillales (now identified as a Bermanella species), multiple species of Colwellia , Cycloclasticus , and other members of Gammaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria, and Rhodobacteria. Metabolic pathway analysis, combined with hydrocarbon compositional analysis and species abundance data, revealed substrate specialization that explained the successional pattern of oil-degrading bacteria. The fastest-growing bacteria used short-chain alkanes. The analyses also uncovered potential cooperative and competitive relationships, even among close relatives. We conclude that patterns of microbial succession following deep ocean hydrocarbon blowouts are predictable and primarily driven by the availability of liquid petroleum hydrocarbons rather than natural gases.

Feasibility study of Copahue geothermal development project, Argentina; Aruzenchin kyowakoku Copahue chiiki no chinetsu kaihatsu chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abe, M.; Yamada, M.; Nakanishi, S.; Todaka, N. [Electric Power Development Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Fujita, T.

1996-03-15

Geothermal resources have been evaluated in the Copahue district. For this survey administrated by JICA, drilling of a deep test well with a small bore (COP-3) and blowout tests were conducted. This district is located at the east side of the Andes elongated in the N-S direction. Volcanoes with similar active periods and active states are distributed in the N-S direction, which forms a divide with the Pacific Ocean side. The Copahue-Caviahue composite volcano in the surveyed area is located nearly in the central part of the volcanic zone, which forms a special ring topography. Geology of the Copahue district consists of volcanic effusive rocks during the Tertiary and Quaternary periods. There are five prospecting fields with geothermal indications in the surveyed area. From the survey, an area of about 13 km{sup 2} was evaluated as a geothermal resource field. Especially, in the area of about 4 km{sup 2} including COP-1, 2 and 3 wells, the steam predominant type reservoirs were found out. As a result of estimation of the geothermal resource potential by the volumetric method, a highly prospective power generation potential of 30 MW was evaluated in the field where the steam predominant type reservoirs were confirmed by the boring wells. 7 refs., 13 figs., 1 tab.

Families near proposed sour gas wells wary company can protect them

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon

2005-01-01

Public objections to the Compton Petroleum Corporation's intentions to add six new sour gas wells to an existing well it now operates near a residential area in the Calgary area, are discussed. Fifty-five families live within 15 km of the proposed wellsite; they are concerned about the safety of the plan, claiming that the company has not done enough to inform them about the potential hazards. Company officials assured residents that those living within the emergency zone (i.e. within four km of the wells) will be evacuated from the area before a blowout occurs. As far as residents outside the emergency zone are concerned, independent risk analysis experts testified that the risk to those residents is negligible. The company claims that Alberta law compels them to maximize the recovery of petroleum resources and by not drilling the proposed wells the company leaves itself open to charges for leaving some reserves in the ground. The Company also claims that by drilling the additional wells, it would be in a position to deplete the gas reserves faster, shut down the existing wells and return the land to the city much sooner than otherwise would be possible. Lawyers for the Coalition of Concerned Communities are challenging the Company's claim that the wells must be drilled so industry can make way for city expansion. 1 fig

The Canadian experience in frontier environmental protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, G.H.

1991-01-01

Early Canadian frontier exploration (from 1955 onshore and from 1966 for offshore drilling) caused insignificant public concern. The 1967-1968 Torrey Canyon Tanker and Santa Barbara disasters roused public opinion and governments. In Canada, 1969-1970 Arctic gas blowouts, a tanker disaster, and damage to the 'Manhattan' exacerbated concerns and resulted in new environmental regulatory constraints. From 1970, the Arctic Petroleum Operations Association learned to operate safely with environmental responsibility. It studied physical environment for design criteria, and the biological and human environment to ameliorate impact. APOA's research projects covered sea-ice, permafrost, sea-bottom, oil-spills, bird and mammal migration, fish habitat, food chains, oceanography, meteorology, hunters'/trappers' harvests, etc. In 1971 Eastcoast Petroleum Operators' Association and Alaska Oil and Gas Association followed APOA's cooperative research model. EPOA stressed icebergs and fisheries. Certain research was handled by the Canadian Offshore Oil Spill Research Association. By the mid-1980s these associations had undertaken $70,000,000 of environmental oriented research, with equivalent additional work by member companies on specific needs and similar sums by Federal agencies often working with industry on complementary research. The frontier associations then merged with the Canadian Petroleum Association, already active environmentally in western Canada. Working with government and informing environmental interest groups, the public, natives, and local groups, most Canadian frontier petroleum operations proceeded with minimal delay and environmental disturbance

Generation and measurement of velocity bunched ultrashort bunch of pC charge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. H. Lu

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we discuss the velocity compression in a short rf linac of an electron bunch from a rf photoinjector operated in the blowout regime. Particle tracking simulations shows that with a beam charge of 2 pC an ultrashort bunch duration of 16 fs can be obtained at a tight longitudinal focus downstream of the linac. A simplified coherent transition radiation (CTR spectrum method is developed to enable the measurement of ultrashort (sub-50 fs bunches at low bunch energy (5 MeV and low bunch charges (<10  pC. In this method, the ratio of the radiation energy selected by two narrow bandwidth filters is used to estimate the bunch length. The contribution to the coherent form factor of the large transverse size of the bunch suppresses the radiation signal significantly and is included in the analysis. The experiment was performed at the UCLA Pegasus photoinjector laboratory. The measurement results show bunches of sub-40 fs with 2 pC of charge well consistent with the simulation using actual experimental conditions. These results open the way to the generation of ultrashort bunches with time-duration below 10 fs once some of the limitations of the setup (rf phase jitter, amplitude instability and low field in the gun limited by breakdown are corrected.

Research on the Impact of Big Data on Marketing%大数据对市场营销的冲击研究

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

王旭; 罗巍

2016-01-01

基于当前全球数据量“井喷式”增长所形成的大数据现象，研究显示大数据促使消费行为更加理性、更有个性和幂律分布；营销决策仰仗数据驱动，关注实时处理及分析；营销战略注重协同发展，开展精准定位营销；营销要素发生革命性变革：产品按人定制，渠道加速缩短，价格透明度提高，促销倚重移动互联。%Based on the phenomenon of big data which formed by current global data 'blowout' growth, the research shows that large data to promote consumer behavior more rational,more personality and power law distribution;Marketing decisions rely on data driven,focus on real-time processing and analysis;Marketing strategy to focus on collaborative development,to carry out precision positioning marketing;Marketing elements of revolutionary change: product according to the custom, channel shortening,increased price transparency,promotion rely on mobile Internet.

Distribution of hydrocarbons released during the 2010 MC252 oil spill in deep offshore waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spier, Chelsea; Stringfellow, William T.; Hazen, Terry C.; Conrad, Mark

2013-01-01

The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform on April 20th, 2010 resulted in the second largest oil spill in history. The distribution and chemical composition of hydrocarbons within a 45 km radius of the blowout was investigated. All available certified hydrocarbon data were acquired from NOAA and BP. The distribution of hydrocarbons was found to be dispersed over a wider area in subsurface waters than previously predicted or reported. A deepwater hydrocarbon plume predicted by models was verified and additional plumes were identified. Because the samples were not collected systematically, there is still some question about the presence and persistence of an 865 m depth plume predicted by models. Water soluble compounds were extracted from the rising oil in deepwater, and were found at potentially toxic levels outside of areas previously reported to contain hydrocarbons. Application of subsurface dispersants was found to increase hydrocarbon concentration in subsurface waters. - Highlights: ► The hydrocarbon distribution was more widely spread than previously predicted or reported. ► 4 subsurface plumes were identified. ► More soluble compounds were preferentially extracted in the deepwater. ► Percentage of detectable results is a useful data analysis technique. ► Subsurface dispersants application increased hydrocarbons in subsurface waters. - All available certified Deepwater Horizon data was used to determine the spatial, temporal, and chemical distribution of hydrocarbons in subsurface of the Gulf of Mexico.

Discovery of a Pulsar Wind Nebula Candidate in the Cygnus Loop

Science.gov (United States)

Katsuda, Satoru; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Mori, Koji; Uchida, Hiroyuki; Petre, Robert; Yamada, Shin'ya; Tamagawa, Toru

2012-01-01

We report on a discovery of a diffuse nebula containing a point-like source in the southern blowout region of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant, based on Suzaku and XMM-Newton observations. The X-ray spectra from the nebula and the point-like source are well represented by an absorbed power-law model with photon indices of 2.2+/-0.1 and 1.6+/-0.2, respectively. The photon indices as well as the flux ratio of F(sub nebula)/F(sub point-like) approx. 4 lead us to propose that the system is a pulsar wind nebula, although pulsations have not yet been detected. If we attribute its origin to the Cygnus Loop supernova, then the 0.5-8 keV luminosity of the nebula is computed to be 2.1x10(exp 31)(d/540pc)(exp 2)ergss/2, where d is the distance to the Loop. This implies a spin-down loss-energy E approx. 2.6x10(exp 35)(d/540pc)(exp 2)ergs/s. The location of the neutron star candidate, approx.2deg away from the geometric center of the Loop, implies a high transverse velocity of approx.1850(theta/2deg)(d/540pc)(t/10kyr)/k/s assuming the currently accepted age of the Cygnus Loop.

Large Scale Behavior and Droplet Size Distributions in Crude Oil Jets and Plumes

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Joseph; Murphy, David; Morra, David

2013-11-01

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout introduced several million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Injected initially as a turbulent jet containing crude oil and gas, the spill caused formation of a subsurface plume stretching for tens of miles. The behavior of such buoyant multiphase plumes depends on several factors, such as the oil droplet and bubble size distributions, current speed, and ambient stratification. While large droplets quickly rise to the surface, fine ones together with entrained seawater form intrusion layers. Many elements of the physics of droplet formation by an immiscible turbulent jet and their resulting size distribution have not been elucidated, but are known to be significantly influenced by the addition of dispersants, which vary the Weber Number by orders of magnitude. We present experimental high speed visualizations of turbulent jets of sweet petroleum crude oil (MC 252) premixed with Corexit 9500A dispersant at various dispersant to oil ratios. Observations were conducted in a 0.9 m × 0.9 m × 2.5 m towing tank, where large-scale behavior of the jet, both stationary and towed at various speeds to simulate cross-flow, have been recorded at high speed. Preliminary data on oil droplet size and spatial distributions were also measured using a videoscope and pulsed light sheet. Sponsored by Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI).

Compact tunable Compton x-ray source from laser-plasma accelerator and plasma mirror

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, Hai-En; Wang, Xiaoming; Shaw, Joseph M.; Li, Zhengyan; Zgadzaj, Rafal; Henderson, Watson; Downer, M. C.; Arefiev, Alexey V.; Zhang, Xi; Khudik, V.; Shvets, G.

2015-01-01

We present an in-depth experimental-computational study of the parameters necessary to optimize a tunable, quasi-monoenergetic, efficient, low-background Compton backscattering (CBS) x-ray source that is based on the self-aligned combination of a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) and a plasma mirror (PM). The main findings are (1) an LPA driven in the blowout regime by 30 TW, 30 fs laser pulses produce not only a high-quality, tunable, quasi-monoenergetic electron beam, but also a high-quality, relativistically intense (a 0 ∼ 1) spent drive pulse that remains stable in profile and intensity over the LPA tuning range. (2) A thin plastic film near the gas jet exit retro-reflects the spent drive pulse efficiently into oncoming electrons to produce CBS x-rays without detectable bremsstrahlung background. Meanwhile, anomalous far-field divergence of the retro-reflected light demonstrates relativistic “denting” of the PM. Exploiting these optimized LPA and PM conditions, we demonstrate quasi-monoenergetic (50% FWHM energy spread), tunable (75–200 KeV) CBS x-rays, characteristics previously achieved only on more powerful laser systems by CBS of a split-off, counter-propagating pulse. Moreover, laser-to-x-ray photon conversion efficiency (∼6 × 10 −12 ) exceeds that of any previous LPA-based quasi-monoenergetic Compton source. Particle-in-cell simulations agree well with the measurements

Natural versus Urban dunes along the Emilia-Romagna coast, Northern Adriatic (Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

Corbau, Corinne; Simeoni, Umberto

2014-05-01

Beach-dune interaction models can be precious tools for land managers and policymakers. However, if the models are inaccurate, land use policies may be designed based on false pretences or assumptions leading to poor land management, long-term erosion and sustainability issues, and increased difficulties in maintaining the dynamic coastal systems. From the literature, it appears that even the most reliable beach-dunes interactions models are not applicable to all coastal systems (Short and Hesp, 1982; Psuty, 1988; Sherman and Bauer, 1993). The study aims to identify the morphological evolution of the Emilia-Romagna coastal dunes according to its natural and "human" characteristics and to classify groups of dunes with similar evolutionary patterns. The coastal area consists essentially of 130 km of low sandy coast, interrupted by vast lagoon areas, harbor jetties and numerous hard coastal defense structures that were built during the first half of the 20th century to protect the Emilia-Romagna coast against erosion. Today about 57% of the littoral is protected by hard defenses, which have modified the morphodynamic characteristics of the beach without inverting the negative coastal evolution's trend. From recent aerial photographs (2011), 62 coastal dunes have been identified and mapped. Furthermore, the dune analysis shows a variability of the "physical characteristics" of coastal-dune systems along the Emilia-Romagna coast. The dune height varies from 1 to 7 meters, the width of the beach and of the active dunes range respectively from 10 to 150 m and from 10 to 65 m. Three main factors may explain the variability of the "physical characteristics": 1- Firstly the frontal dunes may be of different states according to the classification of Hesp (2002) since they correspond to incipient foredunes, well-developed foredunes, blowouts, residual foredunes as well as reactivated relict foredunes, 2- This could also be related to a different orientation of the coastline

Captains of industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, L.

2000-01-01

The pivotal role of well-site supervisor in the successful drilling of an oil or gas well is described. In general, the well-site supervisor is the ultimate authority on the job-site; although often a contract employee, he represents the exploration and production companies, in contrast to the rig manger, commonly known as the tool push, who supervises the drilling staff. Well-site supervisors generally live at the drilling location, working for two-to-three week stretches with a week off to recuperate. They supervise anywhere from six to thirty-five people, depending on the activities conducted at the site ant any given time. They tend to be veterans of the industry, with vast experience on virtually all rungs of the oilfield employment ladder, well versed in all relevant machinery, people, the natural environment and the behaviour of underground geological forces. They have to be computer-literate; people skills also invariably rank high among the list of qualifications. Although the job is not taught in schools, well-site supervisors are certified in multiple skills, including well control, well service blow-out prevention, first aid, CPR, transportation of dangerous goods, workplace hazardous materials information systems, hydrogen sulfide rescue, surface casing minimum requirements, energy application and schedules development, and well abandonment. Major oil companies have their own well-site supervisors, but the industry-wide trend is outsourcing for expert help through engineering firms

Surface stability test plan for protective barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ligotke, M.W.

1989-01-01

Natural-material protective barriers for long-term isolation of buried waste have been identified as integral components of a plan to isolate a number of Hanford defense waste sites. Standards currently being developed for internal and external barrier performance will mandate a barrier surface layer that is resistant to the eolian erosion processes of wind erosion (deflation) and windborne particle deposition (formation of sand dunes). Thus, experiments are needed to measure rates of eolian erosion processes impacting those surfaces under different surface and climatological conditions. Data from these studies will provide information for use in the evaluation of selected surface layers as a means of providing stable cover over waste sites throughout the design life span of protective barriers. The multi-year test plan described in this plan is directed at understanding processes of wind erosion and windborne particle deposition, providing measurements of erosion rates for models, and suggesting construction materials and methods for reducing the effect of long-term eolian erosion on the barrier. Specifically, this plan describes possible methods to measure rates of eolian erosion, including field and laboratory procedure. Advantages and disadvantages of laboratory (wind tunnel) tests are discussed, and continued wind tunnel tests are recommended for wind erosion studies. A comparison between field and wind tunnel erosive forces is discussed. Plans for testing surfaces are described. Guidance is also presented for studying the processes controlling sand dune and blowout formation. 24 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs

Estimation of performance of a high-speed boat by using the Rankine source method; Kosokutei no rankinsosuho ni yoru seino suitei ni tsuite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eguchi, T [Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

This paper describes estimation of performance of a high-speed boat by using the Rankine source method. An orthogonal coordinate system is considered, which uses the center of a hull as the zero point, and is made dimensionless by using the hull length. The catamaran boat or the single hull boat being the subject of the discussion is supposed to have a transom stern, and to be sailing at a constant speed in the -X direction. A governing equation and a border condition were formulated using disturbance speed potential and X-direction speed differentiation. An inverse specular image was employed as a specular image system upon considering attitude change in the high-speed boat. As to the division of hull surface, the portions protruded above the static water surface were cut off from among the panel data of boat CAD. Considering a high speed condition in which the water surface is completely separated at the transom section, the water level at the transom section was supposed to be at the same height as at the rear end of the hull. Blow-out intensity at the water surface was derived in such a way that a CAD panel of the rear end of the hull is searched and wave height agrees with the height of the transom in the Z direction. A resistance curve may be obtained easily by using a personal computer. 4 refs., 8 figs.

Persistent impacts to the deep soft-bottom benthos one year after the Deepwater Horizon event.

Science.gov (United States)

Montagna, Paul A; Baguley, Jeffrey G; Cooksey, Cynthia; Hyland, Jeffrey L

2017-03-01

In fall 2010, several months after the Deepwater Horizon blowout was capped, zones of moderate and severe impacts to deep-sea, soft-bottom benthos were identified that together extended over an area of 172 km 2 . A subset of stations sampled in 2010 was resampled in May and June 2011, 10 to 11 months after the event, to determine whether the identified adverse effects were persisting. The design compared 20 stations from the combined moderate and severe impact zone to 12 stations in the reference zone that were sampled in both years. There were no statistically significant differences in contaminant concentrations between the impact and nonimpact zones from 2010 to 2011, which indicates contaminants persisted after 1 y. Whereas there were some signs of recovery in 2011 (particularly for the meiofauna abundance and diversity), there was evidence of persistent, statistically significant impacts to both macrofauna and meiofauna community structure. Macrofaunal taxa richness and diversity in 2011 were still 22.8% and 35.9% less, respectively, in the entire impact zone than in the surrounding nonimpact area, and meiofaunal richness was 28.5% less in the entire impact zone than in the surrounding area. The persistence of significant biodiversity losses and community structure change nearly 1 y after the wellhead was capped indicates that full recovery had yet to have occurred in 2011. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:342-351. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Flow deflection over a foredune

Science.gov (United States)

Hesp, Patrick A.; Smyth, Thomas A. G.; Nielsen, Peter; Walker, Ian J.; Bauer, Bernard O.; Davidson-Arnott, Robin

2015-02-01

Flow deflection of surface winds is common across coastal foredunes and blowouts. Incident winds approaching obliquely to the dune toe and crestline tend to be deflected towards a more crest-normal orientation across the stoss slope of the foredune. This paper examines field measurements for obliquely incident winds, and compares them to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of flow deflection in 10° increments from onshore (0°) to alongshore (90°) wind approach angles. The mechanics of flow deflection are discussed, followed by a comparative analysis of measured and modelled flow deflection data that shows strong agreement. CFD modelling of the full range of onshore to alongshore incident winds reveals that deflection of the incident wind flow is minimal at 0° and gradually increases as the incident wind turns towards 30° to the dune crest. The greatest deflection occurs between 30° and 70° incident to the dune crest. The degree of flow deflection depends secondarily on height above the dune surface, with the greatest effect near the surface and toward the dune crest. Topographically forced flow acceleration ("speed-up") across the stoss slope of the foredune is greatest for winds less than 30° (i.e., roughly perpendicular) and declines significantly for winds with more oblique approach angles. There is less lateral uniformity in the wind field when the incident wind approaches from > 60° because the effect of aspect ratio on topographic forcing and streamline convergence is less pronounced.

Equivalent Circulation Density Analysis of Geothermal Well by Coupling Temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiuhua Zheng

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The accurate control of the wellbore pressure not only prevents lost circulation/blowout and fracturing formation by managing the density of the drilling fluid, but also improves productivity by mitigating reservoir damage. Calculating the geothermal pressure of a geothermal well by constant parameters would easily bring big errors, as the changes of physical, rheological and thermal properties of drilling fluids with temperature are neglected. This paper researched the wellbore pressure coupling by calculating the temperature distribution with the existing model, fitting the rule of density of the drilling fluid with the temperature and establishing mathematical models to simulate the wellbore pressures, which are expressed as the variation of Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD under different conditions. With this method, the temperature and ECDs in the wellbore of the first medium-deep geothermal well, ZK212 Yangyi Geothermal Field in Tibet, were determined, and the sensitivity analysis was simulated by assumed parameters, i.e., the circulating time, flow rate, geothermal gradient, diameters of the wellbore, rheological models and regimes. The results indicated that the geothermal gradient and flow rate were the most influential parameters on the temperature and ECD distribution, and additives added in the drilling fluid should be added carefully as they change the properties of the drilling fluid and induce the redistribution of temperature. To ensure the safe drilling and velocity of pipes tripping into the hole, the depth and diameter of the wellbore are considered to control the surge pressure.

Retrospective examination of geothermal environmental assessments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Webb, J.W.; Eddlemon, G.K.; Reed, A.W.

1984-03-01

Since 1976, the Department of Energy (DOE) has supported a variety of programs and projects dealing with the exploration, development, and utilization of geothermal energy. This report presents an overview of the environmental impacts associated with these efforts. Impacts that were predicted in the environmental analyses prepared for the programs and projects are reviewed and summarized, along with measures that were recommended to mitigate these impacts. Also, for those projects that have gone forward, actual impacts and implemented mitigation measures are reported, based on telephone interviews with DOE and project personnel. An accident involving spills of geothermal fluids was the major environmental concern associated with geothermal development. Other important considerations included noise from drilling and production, emissions of H/sub 2/S and cooling tower drift, disposal of solid waste (e.g., from H/sub 2/S control), and the cumulative effects of geothermal development on land use and ecosystems. Mitigation measures were frequently recommended and implemented in conjunction with noise reduction; drift elimination; reduction of fugitive dust, erosion, and sedimentation; blowout prevention; and retention of wastes and spills. Monitoring to resolve uncertainties was often implemented to detect induced seismicity and subsidence, noise, drift deposition, concentrations of air and water pollutants, and effects on groundwater. The document contains an appendix, based on these findings, which outlines major environmental concerns, mitigation measures, and monitoring requirements associated with geothermal energy. Sources of information on various potential impacts are also listed.

Flow characterization and dilution effects of N2 and CO2 on premixed CH4/air flames in a swirl-stabilized combustor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Yue; Cai Guo-Biao; Wang Hai-Xing; Bruno Renou; Abdelkrim Boukhalfa

2014-01-01

Numerically-aided experimental studies are conducted on a swirl-stabilized combustor to investigate the dilution effects on flame stability, flame structure, and pollutant emissions of premixed CH 4 /air flames. Our goal is to provide a systematic assessment on combustion characteristics in diluted regimes for its application to environmentally-friendly approaches such as biogas combustion and exhaust-gas recirculation technology. Two main diluting species, N 2 and CO 2 , are tested at various dilution rates. The results obtained by means of optical diagnostics show that five main flame regimes can be observed for N 2 -diluted flames by changing excess air and dilution rate. CO 2 -diluted flames follow the same pattern evolution except that all the domains are shifted to lower excess air. Both N 2 and CO 2 dilution affect the lean blowout (LBO) limits negatively. This behavior can be counter-balanced by reactant preheating which is able to broaden the flammability domain of the diluted flames. Flame reactivity is degraded by increasing dilution rate. Meanwhile, flames are thickened in the presence of both diluting species. NO x emissions are significantly reduced with dilution and proved to be relevant to flame stability diagrams: slight augmentation in NO x emission profiles is related to transitional flame states where instability occurs. Although dilution results in increase in CO emissions at certain levels, optimal dilution rates can still be proposed to achieve an ideal compromise

Failed anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: analysis of factors leading to instability after primary surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yong; Ao, Ying-Fang; Yu, Jia-Kuo; Dai, Ling-Hui; Shao, Zhen-Xing

2013-01-01

Revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery can be expected to become more common as the number of primary reconstruction keeps increasing. This study aims to investigate the factors causing instability after primary ACL reconstruction, which may provide an essential scientific base to prevent surgical failure. One hundred and ten revision ACL surgeries were performed at our institute between November 2001 and July 2012. There were 74 men and 36 women, and the mean age at the time of revision was 27.6 years (range 16 - 56 years). The factors leading to instability after primary ACL reconstruction were retrospectively reviewed. Fifty-one knees failed because of bone tunnel malposition, with too anterior femoral tunnels (20 knees), posterior wall blowout (1 knee), vertical femoral tunnels (7 knees), too posterior tibial tunnels (12 knees), and too anterior tibial tunnels (10 knees). There was another knee performed with open surgery, where the femoral tunnel was drilled through the medial condyle and the tibial tunnel was too anterior. Five knees were found with malposition of the fixation. One knee with allograft was suspected of rejection and a second surgery had been made to take out the graft. Three knees met recurrent instability after postoperative infection. The other factors included traumatic (48 knees) and unidentified (12 knees). Technical errors were the main factors leading to instability after primary ACL reconstructions, while attention should also be paid to the risk factors of re-injury and failure of graft incorporation.

Report (summarized) for fiscal 2000 on survey for demonstration of geothermal exploration technologies. Development of exploration method using reservoir bed fluctuation (Theme 4. Development of seismic wave exploration method); 2000 nendo chinetsu tansa gijutsu to kensho chosa hokokusho (yoyaku). Choryuso hendo tansaho kaihatsu - 4 (jishinha tansaho kaihatsu)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-01

With an objective of developing a method effective to evaluate reservoir beds in the initial stage of development, to maintain output stability of power plants after having started the operation and to extract reservoirs existing in the vicinity of areas that have already been developed, research has been performed on a method to forecast spread of the reservoir beds and future variation, by identifying distribution of very small earthquakes generated by steam production activities, and change in three-dimensional velocity structure of elastic waves. This paper summarizes the achievements in fiscal 2000. In the research of the seismic wave variation monitoring technology, AE observation was performed during a long-term blowout test of geothermal survey wells in the Akinomiya area in Ak ita Prefecture, wherein it was verified that the reservoir bed fluctuation can be identified as the number of AE occurrence. In the research of the three dimensional seismic wave variation analysis, a three dimensional velocity structure analyzing program was used to analyze the status in the Kakkonda area. In the survey of elastic wave velocity structure, a survey was carried out in the Akinomiya area in Akita Prefecture by using the reflection method. As a result, sharp fall was verified in the western side of side tracks of basic rocks, which corresponds to the past survey result. A plurality of reflection events corresponding to depths of geothermal reservoir beds were detected successfully. (NEDO)

Experimental study on immiscible jet breakup using refractive index matched oil-water pair

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Xinzhi; Katz, Joseph

2016-11-01

A subsea oil well blowout creates an immiscible crude oil jet. This jet fragments shortly after injection, resulting in generation of a droplet cloud. Detailed understanding of the processes involved is crucial for modeling the fragmentation and for predicting the droplet size distribution. High density of opaque droplets near nozzle limits our ability to visualize and quantify the breakup process. To overcome this challenge, two immiscible fluids: silicone oil and sugar water with the same index of refraction (1.4015) are used as surrogates for crude oil and seawater, respectively. Their ratios of kinematic viscosity (5.64), density (0.83) and interfacial tension are closely matched with those of crude oil and seawater. Distribution of the oil phase is visualized by fluorescent tagging. Both phases are also seeded with particles for simultaneous PIV measurements. The measurements are performed within atomization range of Ohnesorge and Reynolds numbers. Index matching facilitates undistorted view of the phase distribution in illuminated section. Ongoing tests show that the jet surface initially rolls up into Kelvin-Helmholtz rings, followed by development of dispersed phase ligaments further downstream, which then break into droplets. Some of these droplets are re-entrained into the high momentum core, resulting in secondary breakup. As the oil layer and ligaments evolve, they often entrain water, resulting in generation of multiple secondary water droplets encapsulated within the oil droplets. This research is made possible by a Grant from Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.

Update on orbital reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chien-Tzung; Chen, Yu-Ray

2010-08-01

Orbital trauma is common and frequently complicated by ocular injuries. The recent literature on orbital fracture is analyzed with emphasis on epidemiological data assessment, surgical timing, method of approach and reconstruction materials. Computed tomographic (CT) scan has become a routine evaluation tool for orbital trauma, and mobile CT can be applied intraoperatively if necessary. Concomitant serious ocular injury should be carefully evaluated preoperatively. Patients presenting with nonresolving oculocardiac reflex, 'white-eyed' blowout fracture, or diplopia with a positive forced duction test and CT evidence of orbital tissue entrapment require early surgical repair. Otherwise, enophthalmos can be corrected by late surgery with a similar outcome to early surgery. The use of an endoscope-assisted approach for orbital reconstruction continues to grow, offering an alternative method. Advances in alloplastic materials have improved surgical outcome and shortened operating time. In this review of modern orbital reconstruction, several controversial issues such as surgical indication, surgical timing, method of approach and choice of reconstruction material are discussed. Preoperative fine-cut CT image and thorough ophthalmologic examination are key elements to determine surgical indications. The choice of surgical approach and reconstruction materials much depends on the surgeon's experience and the reconstruction area. Prefabricated alloplastic implants together with image software and stereolithographic models are significant advances that help to more accurately reconstruct the traumatized orbit. The recent evolution of orbit reconstruction improves functional and aesthetic results and minimizes surgical complications.

Large-scale deposition of weathered oil in the Gulf of Mexico following a deep-water oil spill.

Science.gov (United States)

Romero, Isabel C; Toro-Farmer, Gerardo; Diercks, Arne-R; Schwing, Patrick; Muller-Karger, Frank; Murawski, Steven; Hollander, David J

2017-09-01

The blowout of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drilling rig in 2010 released an unprecedented amount of oil at depth (1,500 m) into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Sedimentary geochemical data from an extensive area (∼194,000 km 2 ) was used to characterize the amount, chemical signature, distribution, and extent of the DWH oil deposited on the seafloor in 2010-2011 from coastal to deep-sea areas in the GoM. The analysis of numerous hydrocarbon compounds (N = 158) and sediment cores (N = 2,613) suggests that, 1.9 ± 0.9 × 10 4 metric tons of hydrocarbons (>C9 saturated and aromatic fractions) were deposited in 56% of the studied area, containing 21± 10% (up to 47%) of the total amount of oil discharged and not recovered from the DWH spill. Examination of the spatial trends and chemical diagnostic ratios indicate large deposition of weathered DWH oil in coastal and deep-sea areas and negligible deposition on the continental shelf (behaving as a transition zone in the northern GoM). The large-scale analysis of deposited hydrocarbons following the DWH spill helps understanding the possible long-term fate of the released oil in 2010, including sedimentary transformation processes, redistribution of deposited hydrocarbons, and persistence in the environment as recycled petrocarbon. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Evidence for Alfvén Waves in Source Flares of Impulsive Solar Energetic Particle Events

Science.gov (United States)

Bucik, R.; Innes, D.; Mason, G. M.; Wiedenbeck, M. E.; Gomez-Herrero, R.; Nitta, N.

2017-12-01

Impulsive solar energetic particle events, characterised by a peculiar elemental composition with the rare elements like 3He and ultra-heavy ions enhanced by factors up to ten thousand above their thermal abundance, have been puzzling for almost 50 years. The solar sources of these events have been commonly associated with coronal jets, believed to be a signature of magnetic reconnection involving field lines open to interplanetary space. Here we present some of the most intense events, highly enriched in both 3He and heavier ions. The corresponding high-resolution, extreme-ultraviolet imaging observations have revealed for the first time a helical structure in the source flare with a jet-like shape. A mini-filament at the base of the jet appears to trigger these events. The events were observed with the two Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories on the backside of the Sun, during the period of increased solar activity in 2014. During the last decade, it has been established that the helical motions in coronal jets represent propagating Alfvén waves. Revealing such magnetic-untwisting waves in the solar sources of highly enriched events in this study is consistent with a stochastic acceleration mechanism. An examination of jets in previously reported impulsive solar energetic particle events indicates that they tend to be large-scale blowout jets, sometimes cleanly showing a twisted configuration.The work of R. Bucik is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grant BU 3115/2-1.

Real-time forecasting of ICME shock arrivals at L1 during the "April Fool’s Day" epoch: 28 March – 21 April 2001

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Sun

Full Text Available The Sun was extremely active during the "April Fool’s Day" epoch of 2001. We chose this period between a solar flare on 28 March 2001 to a final shock arrival at Earth on 21 April 2001. The activity consisted of two presumed helmet-streamer blowouts, seven M-class flares, and nine X-class flares, the last of which was behind the west limb. We have been experimenting since February 1997 with real-time, end-to-end forecasting of interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME shock arrival times. Since August 1998, these forecasts have been distributed in real-time by e-mail to a list of interested scientists and operational USAF and NOAA forecasters. They are made using three different solar wind models. We describe here the solar events observed during the April Fool’s 2001 epoch, along with the predicted and actual shock arrival times, and the ex post facto correction to the real-time coronal shock speed observations. It appears that the initial estimates of coronal shock speeds from Type II radio burst observations and coronal mass ejections were too high by as much as 30%. We conclude that a 3-dimensional coronal density model should be developed for application to observations of solar flares and their Type II radio burst observations.

Key words. Interplanetary physics (flare and stream dynamics; interplanetary shocks – Magnetosheric physics (storms and substorms

Clinical use of AO three-dimensionally preformed titanium mesh plates for orbital fractures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Chen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available AIM:To evaluate the accuracy and practicability of three-dimensionally preformed Arbeitsgemeinschaft Osteosynthese AO titanium mesh plates for orbital fractures.METHODS:Forty-seven patients with isolated blow-out orbital fractures were included in this study. Fracture locations were as follows: floor/medial wall(n=26, 55%, medial wall(n=12, 26%, and floor(n=9, 19%. The floor fractures were exposed by a standard transconjunctival approach, whereas a combined transcaruncular transconjunctival approach was used in patients with medial wall fractures with temporary dissection of inferior oblique muscle. A three-dimensionally preformed AO titanium mesh plate was selected according to the size of the defect previously measured on the preoperative computed tomographic scan examination and fixed at the inferior orbital rim with 2 screws. The accuracy of plate positioning of the reconstructed orbit was assessed on the postoperative computed tomography(CTscan. The practicability of clinical use of AO three-dimensionally preformed titanium mesh plates was assessed on the preoperative and postoperative clinical data.RESULTS: Postoperative orbital CT scan showed an anatomic three-dimensional placement of the orbital mesh plates in all of the patients. All patients had a successful treatment outcome without clinical complications. 40 patients(87%had a successful enophthalmos correction. 25 patients(86%had a successful recovery from diplopia.CONCLUSION: Three-dimensionally preformed AO titanium mesh plates for orbital fracture reconstruction results in an accurate anatomic restoration of the bony orbital contour with a high rate of success to correctenophthalmos and diplopia.

Flame Interactions and Thermoacoustics in Multiple-Nozzle Combustors

Science.gov (United States)

Dolan, Brian

The first major chapter of original research (Chapter 3) examines thermoacoustic oscillations in a low-emission staged multiple-nozzle lean direct injection (MLDI) combustor. This experimental program investigated a relatively practical combustor sector that was designed and built as part of a commercial development program. The research questions are both practical, such as under what conditions the combustor can be safely operated, and fundamental, including what is most significant to driving the combustion oscillations in this system. A comprehensive survey of operating conditions finds that the low-emission (and low-stability) intermediate and outer stages are necessary to drive significant thermoacoustics. Phase-averaged and time-resolved OH* imaging show that dramatic periodic strengthening and weakening of the reaction zone downstream of the low-emission combustion stages. An acoustic modal analysis shows the pressure wave shapes and identifies the dominant thermoacoustic behavior as the first longitudinal mode for this combustor geometry. Finally, a discussion of the likely significant coupling mechanisms is given. Periodic reaction zone behavior in the low-emission fuel stages is the primary contributor to unsteady heat release. Differences between the fuel stages in the air swirler design, the fuel number of the injectors, the lean blowout point, and the nominal operating conditions all likely contribute to the limit cycle behavior of the low-emission stages. Chapter 4 investigates the effects of interaction between two adjacent swirl-stabilized nozzles using experimental and numerical tools. These studies are more fundamental; while the nozzle hardware is the same as the lean direct injection nozzles used in the MLDI combustion concept, the findings are generally applicable to other swirl-stabilized combustion systems as well. Much of the work utilizes a new experiment where the distance between nozzles was varied to change the level of interaction

Methane emissions from oceans, coasts, and freshwater habitats: New perspectives and feedbacks on climate

Science.gov (United States)

Hamdan, Leila J.; Wickland, Kimberly P.

2016-01-01

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and atmospheric concentrations have risen 2.5 times since the beginning of the Industrial age. While much of this increase is attributed to anthropogenic sources, natural sources, which contribute between 35% and 50% of global methane emissions, are thought to have a role in the atmospheric methane increase, in part due to human influences. Methane emissions from many natural sources are sensitive to climate, and positive feedbacks from climate change and cultural eutrophication may promote increased emissions to the atmosphere. These natural sources include aquatic environments such as wetlands, freshwater lakes, streams and rivers, and estuarine, coastal, and marine systems. Furthermore, there are significant marine sediment stores of methane in the form of clathrates that are vulnerable to mobilization and release to the atmosphere from climate feedbacks, and subsurface thermogenic gas which in exceptional cases may be released following accidents and disasters (North Sea blowout and Deepwater Horizon Spill respectively). Understanding of natural sources, key processes, and controls on emission is continually evolving as new measurement and modeling capabilities develop, and different sources and processes are revealed. This special issue of Limnology and Oceanography gathers together diverse studies on methane production, consumption, and emissions from freshwater, estuarine, and marine systems, and provides a broad view of the current science on methane dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. Here, we provide a general overview of aquatic methane sources, their contribution to the global methane budget, and key uncertainties. We then briefly summarize the contributions to and highlights of this special issue.

Spitzer IRS Spectroscopy of the 10 Myr-Old EF Cha Debris Disk: Evidence for Phyllosilicate-Rich Dust in the Terrestrial Zone

Science.gov (United States)

Currie, Thayne; Lisse, Carey M.; Sicillia-Aguilar, Aurora; Rieke, George H.; Su, Kate Y. L.

2011-01-01

We describe Spitzer IRS spectroscopic observations of the approx. 10 Myr-old star, EF Chao Compositional modeling of the spectra from 5 micron to 35 micron confirms that it is surrounded by a luminous debris disk with L(sub D)/L(sub *) approx. 10(exp -3), containing dust with temperatures between 225 K and 430 K characteristic of the terrestrial zone. The EF Cha spectrum shows evidence for many solid-state features, unlike most cold, low-luminosity debris disks but like some other 10-20 Myr-old luminous, warm debris disks (e.g. HD 113766A). The EF Cha debris disk is unusually rich in a species or combination of species whose emissivities resemble that of finely-powdered, laboratory-measured phyllosilicate species (talc, saponite, and smectite), which are likely produced by aqueous alteration of primordial anhydrous rocky materials. The dust and, by inference, the parent bodies of the debris also contain abundant amorphous silicates and metal sulfides, and possibly water ice. The dust's total olivine to pyroxene ratio of approx. 2 also provides evidence of aqueous alteration. The large mass volume of grains with sizes comparable to or below the radiation blow-out limit implies that planetesimals may be colliding at a rate high enough to yield the emitting dust but not so high as to devolatize the planetesimals via impact processing. Because phyllosilicates are produced by the interactions between anhydrous rock and warm, reactive water, EF Cha's disk is a likely signpost for water delivery to the terrestrial zone of a young planetary system.

DEBRIS DISKS IN THE SCORPIUS–CENTAURUS OB ASSOCIATION RESOLVED BY ALMA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lieman-Sifry, Jesse; Hughes, A. Meredith; Flaherty, Kevin M. [Department of Astronomy, Van Vleck Observatory, Wesleyan University, 96 Foss Hill Drive, Middletown, CT 06459 (United States); Carpenter, John M. [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Gorti, Uma [SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA (United States); Hales, Antonio [Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array, Joint ALMA Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura 763-0355, Santiago (Chile)

2016-09-01

We present a CO(2-1) and 1240 μ m continuum survey of 23 debris disks with spectral types B9-G1, observed at an angular resolution of 0.″5–1″ with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). The sample was selected for large infrared excess and age ∼10 Myr, to characterize the prevalence of molecular gas emission in young debris disks. We identify three CO-rich debris disks, plus two additional tentative (3 σ) CO detections. Twenty disks were detected in the continuum at the >3 σ level. For the 12 disks in the sample that are spatially resolved by our observations, we perform an independent analysis of the interferometric continuum visibilities to constrain the basic dust disk geometry, as well as a simultaneous analysis of the visibilities and broadband spectral energy distribution to constrain the characteristic grain size and disk mass. The gas-rich debris disks exhibit preferentially larger outer radii in their dust disks, and a higher prevalence of characteristic grain sizes smaller than the blowout size. The gas-rich disks do not exhibit preferentially larger dust masses, contrary to expectations for a scenario in which a higher cometary destruction rate would be expected to result in a larger mass of both CO and dust. The three debris disks in our sample with strong CO detections are all around A stars: the conditions in disks around intermediate-mass stars appear to be the most conducive to the survival or formation of CO.

RESOLVED MILLIMETER-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF DEBRIS DISKS AROUND SOLAR-TYPE STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steele, Amy; Hughes, A. Meredith [Department of Astronomy, Van Vleck Observatory, Wesleyan University, 96 Foss Hill Drive, Middletown, CT, 06459 (United States); Carpenter, John [Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, MC249-17, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Ricarte, Angelo [J. W. Gibbs Laboratory, Department of Astronomy, Yale University, 260 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511 (United States); Andrews, Sean M.; Wilner, David J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, MS-42, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Chiang, Eugene, E-mail: asteele@wesleyan.edu [Department of Astronomy, 501 Campbell Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States)

2016-01-01

The presence of debris disks around young main-sequence stars hints at the existence and structure of planetary systems. Millimeter-wavelength observations probe large grains that trace the location of planetesimal belts. The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems Spitzer Legacy survey of nearby young solar analogues yielded a sample of five debris disk-hosting stars with millimeter flux suitable for interferometric follow-up. We present observations with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy at ∼2″ resolution that spatially resolve the debris disks around these nearby (d ∼ 50 pc) stars. Two of the five disks (HD 377, HD 8907) are spatially resolved for the first time and one (HD 104860) is resolved at millimeter wavelengths for the first time. We combine our new observations with archival SMA and Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array data to enable a uniform analysis of the full five-object sample. We simultaneously model the broadband photometric data and resolved millimeter visibilities to constrain the dust temperatures and disk morphologies, and perform a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis to fit for basic structural parameters. We find that the radii and widths of the cold outer belts exhibit properties consistent with scaled-up versions of the Solar System's Kuiper Belt. All the disks exhibit characteristic grain sizes comparable to the blowout size, and all the resolved observations of emission from large dust grains are consistent with an axisymmetric dust distribution to within the uncertainties. These results are consistent with comparable studies carried out at infrared wavelengths.

Surgical Management of Subaxial Cervical Spine Trauma: A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hasan Emre Aydın

2015-04-01

Full Text Available These days, as a consequence of the improvement in technology and increase in the use of motor vehicles, spine injuries have become common. Spine traumas, which often occur after motor vehicle accidents, are observed mostly in cervical regions, particularly in the subaxial cervical region, which is also known as the subcervical region, and neurological damage occurs in 70% of the patients. Despite still being controversial, the common ranging for neurological evaluation is the American Spinal Injury Association ranging, which includes the motor and sensory loss and accordingly, the impairment rate. In subaxial cervical traumas, acute neurological deterioration is an indication and therefore requires urgent surgical treatment. The choice of anterior or posterior approach substantially depends on the traumatization mechanism, affected tissues, and neurological deterioration occurring after. The state of patient and instability are the most two important factors affecting the treatment decision. Although the anterior approach is accepted as a routinely available and easily applicable surgical technique, it lacks in the burst fractures involving the three colons, which shows a stabilization disorder. The anterior plate screw technique and posterior lateral mass screw application applied in our clinic are reviewed in literature and are discussed in two cases. Although the best clinical results are achieved in cases where only anterior surgery is performed and in cases where instability is excessive, in unstable compression and blow-out fractures, even if neurological deficit and three colon involvement are not observed in the patient, the requirement of posterior fusion is observed.

Botulinum Toxin A for Oral Cavity Cancer Patients: In Microsurgical Patients BTX Injections in Major Salivary Glands Temporarily Reduce Salivary Production and the Risk of Local Complications Related to Saliva Stagnation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartolo Corradino

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In patients suffering from oral cavity cancer surgical treatment is complex because it is necessary to remove carcinoma and lymph node metastasis (through a radical unilateral or bilateral neck dissection and to reconstruct the affected area by means of free flaps. The saliva stagnation in the post-operative period is a risk factor with regard to local complications. Minor complications related to saliva stagnation (such as tissue maceration and wound dehiscence could become major complications compromising the surgery or the reconstructive outcome. In fact the formation of oro-cutaneous fistula may cause infection, failure of the free flap, or the patient’s death with carotid blow-out syndrome. Botulinum injections in the major salivary glands, four days before surgery, temporarily reduces salivation during the healing stage and thus could reduce the incidence of saliva-related complications. Forty three patients with oral cancer were treated with botulinum toxin A. The saliva quantitative measurement and the sialoscintigraphy were performed before and after infiltrations of botulinum toxin in the major salivary glands. In all cases there was a considerable, but temporary, reduction of salivary secretion. A lower rate of local complications was observed in the post-operative period. The salivary production returned to normal within two months, with minimal side effects and discomfort for the patients. The temporary inhibition of salivary secretion in the post-operative period could enable a reduction in saliva-related local complications, in the incidence of oro-cutaneous fistulas, and improve the outcome of the surgery as well as the quality of residual life in these patients.

Botulinum toxin A for oral cavity cancer patients: in microsurgical patients BTX injections in major salivary glands temporarily reduce salivary production and the risk of local complications related to saliva stagnation.

Science.gov (United States)

Corradino, Bartolo; Di Lorenzo, Sara; Moschella, Francesco

2012-10-24

In patients suffering from oral cavity cancer surgical treatment is complex because it is necessary to remove carcinoma and lymph node metastasis (through a radical unilateral or bilateral neck dissection) and to reconstruct the affected area by means of free flaps. The saliva stagnation in the post-operative period is a risk factor with regard to local complications. Minor complications related to saliva stagnation (such as tissue maceration and wound dehiscence) could become major complications compromising the surgery or the reconstructive outcome. In fact the formation of oro-cutaneous fistula may cause infection, failure of the free flap, or the patient’s death with carotid blow-out syndrome. Botulinum injections in the major salivary glands, four days before surgery, temporarily reduces salivation during the healing stage and thus could reduce the incidence of saliva-related complications. Forty three patients with oral cancer were treated with botulinum toxin A. The saliva quantitative measurement and the sialoscintigraphy were performed before and after infiltrations of botulinum toxin in the major salivary glands. In all cases there was a considerable, but temporary, reduction of salivary secretion. A lower rate of local complications was observed in the post-operative period. The salivary production returned to normal within two months, with minimal side effects and discomfort for the patients. The temporary inhibition of salivary secretion in the post-operative period could enable a reduction in saliva-related local complications, in the incidence of oro-cutaneous fistulas, and improve the outcome of the surgery as well as the quality of residual life in these patients.

Flashback Characteristics of Syngas-Type Fuels Under Steady and Pulsating Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tim Lieuwen

2007-09-30

The objective of this project was to improve understanding and modeling of flashback, a significant issue in low emissions combustors containing high levels of hydrogen. Experimental studies were performed over a range of fuel compositions, flow velocities, reactant temperatures, and combustor pressures to study the factors leading to flashback. In addition, high speed imaging of the flashback phenomenon was obtained. One of the key conclusions of this study was that there existed multiple mechanisms which lead to flashback, each with different underlying parametric dependencies. Specifically, two mechanisms of 'flashback' were noted: rapid flashback into the premixer, presumably through the boundary layer, and movement of the static flame position upstream along the centerbody. The former and latter mechanisms were observed at high and low hydrogen concentrations. In the latter mechanism, flame temperature ratio, not flame speed, appeared to be the key parameter describing flashback tendencies. We suggested that this was due to an alteration of the vortex breakdown location by the adverse pressure gradient upstream of the flame, similar to the mechanism proposed by Sattelmayer and co-workers [1]. As such, a key conclusion here was that classical flashback scalings derived from, e.g., Bunsen flames, were not relevant for some parameter regimes found in swirling flames. In addition, it was found that in certain situations, pure H2 flames could not be stabilized, i.e., the flame would either flashback or blowout at ignition. This result could have significant implications on the development of future high hydrogen turbine systems.

Microbial activities and dissolved organic matter dynamics in oil-contaminated surface seawater from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site.

Science.gov (United States)

Ziervogel, Kai; McKay, Luke; Rhodes, Benjamin; Osburn, Christopher L; Dickson-Brown, Jennifer; Arnosti, Carol; Teske, Andreas

2012-01-01

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill triggered a complex cascade of microbial responses that reshaped the dynamics of heterotrophic carbon degradation and the turnover of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in oil contaminated waters. Our results from 21-day laboratory incubations in rotating glass bottles (roller bottles) demonstrate that microbial dynamics and carbon flux in oil-contaminated surface water sampled near the spill site two weeks after the onset of the blowout were greatly affected by activities of microbes associated with macroscopic oil aggregates. Roller bottles with oil-amended water showed rapid formation of oil aggregates that were similar in size and appearance compared to oil aggregates observed in surface waters near the spill site. Oil aggregates that formed in roller bottles were densely colonized by heterotrophic bacteria, exhibiting high rates of enzymatic activity (lipase hydrolysis) indicative of oil degradation. Ambient waters surrounding aggregates also showed enhanced microbial activities not directly associated with primary oil-degradation (β-glucosidase; peptidase), as well as a twofold increase in DOC. Concurrent changes in fluorescence properties of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) suggest an increase in oil-derived, aromatic hydrocarbons in the DOC pool. Thus our data indicate that oil aggregates mediate, by two distinct mechanisms, the transfer of hydrocarbons to the deep sea: a microbially-derived flux of oil-derived DOC from sinking oil aggregates into the ambient water column, and rapid sedimentation of the oil aggregates themselves, serving as vehicles for oily particulate matter as well as oil aggregate-associated microbial communities.

Operational verification of a blow out preventer utilizing fiber Bragg grating based strain gauges

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Alan L.; Loustau, Philippe; Thibodeau, Dan

2015-05-01

Ultra-deep water BOP (Blowout Preventer) operation poses numerous challenges in obtaining accurate knowledge of current system integrity and component condition- a salient example is the difficulty of verifying closure of the pipe and shearing rams during and after well control events. Ascertaining the integrity of these functions is currently based on a manual volume measurement performed with a stop watch. Advances in sensor technology now permit more accurate methods of BOP condition monitoring. Fiber optic sensing technology and particularly fiber optic strain gauges have evolved to a point where we can derive a good representation of what is happening inside a BOP by installing sensors on the outside shell. Function signatures can be baselined to establish thresholds that indicate successful function activation. Based on this knowledge base, signal variation over time can then be utilized to assess degradation of these functions and subsequent failure to function. Monitoring the BOP from the outside has the advantage of gathering data through a system that can be interfaced with risk based integrity management software and/or a smart monitoring system that analyzes BOP control redundancies without the requirement of interfacing with OEM control systems. The paper will present the results of ongoing work on a fully instrumented 13-½" 10,000 psi pipe ram. Instrumentation includes commonly used pressure transducers, accelerometers, flow meters, and optical strain gauges. Correlation will be presented between flow, pressure, acceleration signatures and the fiber optic strain gauge's response as it relates to functional verification and component level degradation trending.

HERSCHEL OBSERVATIONS AND UPDATED SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF FIVE SUNLIKE STARS WITH DEBRIS DISKS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dodson-Robinson, Sarah E.; Su, Kate Y. L.; Bryden, Geoff; Harvey, Paul; Green, Joel D.

2016-01-01

Observations from the Herschel Space Observatory have more than doubled the number of wide debris disks orbiting Sunlike stars to include over 30 systems with R  > 100 AU. Here, we present new Herschel PACS and reanalyzed Spitzer MIPS photometry of five Sunlike stars with wide debris disks, from Kuiper Belt size to R  > 150 AU. The disk surrounding HD 105211 is well resolved, with an angular extent of >14″ along the major axis, and the disks of HD 33636, HD 50554, and HD 52265 are extended beyond the PACS point-spread function size (50% of energy enclosed within radius 4.″23). HD 105211 also has a 24 μ m infrared excess, which was previously overlooked, because of a poorly constrained photospheric model. Archival Spitzer IRS observations indicate that the disks have small grains of minimum radius a min  ∼ 3 μ m, although a min is larger than the radiation-pressure blowout size in all systems. If modeled as single-temperature blackbodies, the disk temperatures would all be <60 K. Our radiative transfer models predict actual disk radii approximately twice the radius of a model blackbody disk. We find that the Herschel photometry traces dust near the source population of planetesimals. The disk luminosities are in the range 2 × 10 −5  ⩽  L / L ⊙  ⩽ 2 × 10 −4 , consistent with collisions in icy planetesimal belts stirred by Pluto-size dwarf planets.

HERSCHEL OBSERVATIONS AND UPDATED SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF FIVE SUNLIKE STARS WITH DEBRIS DISKS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dodson-Robinson, Sarah E. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, 217 Sharp Lab, Newark, DE 19716 (United States); Su, Kate Y. L. [Steward Observatory, Department of Astronomy, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Bryden, Geoff [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Harvey, Paul; Green, Joel D., E-mail: sdr@udel.edu [Astronomy Department, University of Texas, 2515 Speedway Drive C1400, Austin, TX 78712 (United States)

2016-12-20

Observations from the Herschel Space Observatory have more than doubled the number of wide debris disks orbiting Sunlike stars to include over 30 systems with R  > 100 AU. Here, we present new Herschel PACS and reanalyzed Spitzer MIPS photometry of five Sunlike stars with wide debris disks, from Kuiper Belt size to R  > 150 AU. The disk surrounding HD 105211 is well resolved, with an angular extent of >14″ along the major axis, and the disks of HD 33636, HD 50554, and HD 52265 are extended beyond the PACS point-spread function size (50% of energy enclosed within radius 4.″23). HD 105211 also has a 24 μ m infrared excess, which was previously overlooked, because of a poorly constrained photospheric model. Archival Spitzer IRS observations indicate that the disks have small grains of minimum radius a {sub min} ∼ 3 μ m, although a {sub min} is larger than the radiation-pressure blowout size in all systems. If modeled as single-temperature blackbodies, the disk temperatures would all be <60 K. Our radiative transfer models predict actual disk radii approximately twice the radius of a model blackbody disk. We find that the Herschel photometry traces dust near the source population of planetesimals. The disk luminosities are in the range 2 × 10{sup −5} ⩽  L / L {sub ⊙} ⩽ 2 × 10{sup −4}, consistent with collisions in icy planetesimal belts stirred by Pluto-size dwarf planets.

A GMOS-N IFU study of the central H II region in the blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 4449: kinematics, nebular metallicity and star formation

Science.gov (United States)

Kumari, Nimisha; James, Bethan L.; Irwin, Mike J.

2017-10-01

We use integral field spectroscopic (IFS) observations from the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph North (GMOS-N) to study the central H II region in a nearby blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy NGC 4449. The IFS data enable us to explore the variation of physical and chemical conditions of the star-forming region and the surrounding gas on spatial scales as small as 5.5 pc. Our kinematical analysis shows possible signatures of shock ionization and shell structures in the surroundings of the star-forming region. The metallicity maps of the region, created using direct Te and indirect strong line methods (R23, O3N2 and N2), do not show any chemical variation. From the integrated spectrum of the central H II region, we find a metallicity of 12 + log(O/H) = 7.88 ± 0.14 ({˜ }0.15^{+0.06}_{-0.04} Z⊙) using the direct method. Comparing the central H II region metallicity derived here with those of H II regions throughout this galaxy from previous studies, we find evidence of increasing metallicity with distance from the central nucleus. Such chemical inhomogeneities can be due to several mechanisms, including gas loss via supernova blowout, galactic winds or metal-poor gas accretion. However, we find that the localized area of decreased metallicity aligns spatially with the peak of star-forming activity in the galaxy, suggesting that gas accretion may be at play here. Spatially resolved IFS data for the entire galaxy are required to confirm the metallicity inhomogeneity found in this study and determine its possible cause.

Experiments on hydraulically-compensated Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system using large-diameter vertical pipe two-phase flow test facility: test facility and test procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohtsu, Iwao; Murata, Hideo; Kukita, Yutaka; Kumamaru, Hiroshige.

1996-07-01

JAERI, the University of Tokyo, the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry and Shimizu Corporation jointing performed and experimental study on two-phase flow in the hydraulically-compensated Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system with a large-diameter vertical pipe two-phase flow test facility from 1993 to 1995. A hydraulically-compensated CAES system is a proposed, conceptual energy storage system where energy is stored in the form of compressed air in an underground cavern which is sealed by a deep (several hundred meters) water shaft. The shaft water head maintains a constant pressure in the cavern, of several mega Pascals, even during loading or unloading of the cavern with air. The dissolved air in the water, however, may create voids in the shaft when the water rises through the shaft during the loading, being forced by the air flow into the cavern. The voids may reduce the effective head of the shaft, and thus the seal may fail, if significant bubbling should occur in the shaft. This bubbling phenomenon (termed 'Champaign effect') and potential failure of the water seal ('blowout') are simulated in a scaled-height, scaled-diameter facility. Carbon dioxide is used to simulate high solubility of air in the full-height, full-pressure system. This report describes the expected and potential two-phase flow phenomena in a hydraulically-compensated CAES system, the test facility and the test procedure, a method to estimate quantities which are not directly measured by using measured quantities and hydrodynamic basic equations, and desirable additional instrumentation. (author)

Generating multi-GeV electron bunches using single stage laser wakefield acceleration in a 3D nonlinear regime

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Lu

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The extraordinary ability of space-charge waves in plasmas to accelerate charged particles at gradients that are orders of magnitude greater than in current accelerators has been well documented. We develop a phenomenological framework for laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA in the 3D nonlinear regime, in which the plasma electrons are expelled by the radiation pressure of a short pulse laser, leading to nearly complete blowout. Our theory provides a recipe for designing a LWFA for given laser and plasma parameters and estimates the number and the energy of the accelerated electrons whether self-injected or externally injected. These formulas apply for self-guided as well as externally guided pulses (e.g. by plasma channels. We demonstrate our results by presenting a sample particle-in-cell (PIC simulation of a 30   fs, 200 TW laser interacting with a 0.75 cm long plasma with density 1.5×10^{18}  cm^{-3} to produce an ultrashort (10 fs monoenergetic bunch of self-injected electrons at 1.5 GeV with 0.3 nC of charge. For future higher-energy accelerator applications, we propose a parameter space, which is distinct from that described by Gordienko and Pukhov [Phys. Plasmas 12, 043109 (2005PHPAEN1070-664X10.1063/1.1884126] in that it involves lower plasma densities and wider spot sizes while keeping the intensity relatively constant. We find that this helps increase the output electron beam energy while keeping the efficiency high.

Experimental study of slight temperature rise combustion in trapped vortex combustors for gas turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, R.C.; Fan, W.J.; Xing, F.; Song, S.W.; Shi, Q.; Tian, G.H.; Tan, W.L.

2015-01-01

Interstage turbine combustion used for improving efficiency of gas turbine was a new type of combustion mode. Operating conditions and technical requirements for this type of combustor were different from those of traditional combustor. It was expected to achieve engineering application in both ground-based and aviation gas turbine in the near future. In this study, a number of modifications in a base design were applied and examined experimentally. The trapped-vortex combustion technology was adopted for flame stability under high velocity conditions, and the preheating-fuel injection technology was used to improve the atomization and evaporation performance of liquid fuel. The experimental results indicated that stable and efficient combustion with slight temperature-rise can be achieved under the high velocity conditions of combustor inlet. Under all experimental conditions, the excess air coefficients of ignition and lean blow-out were larger than 7 and 20, respectively; pollutant emission index of NO x and the maximum wall temperature were below 2.5 g/(kg fuel) and 1050 K, respectively. Moreover, the effects of fuel injection and overall configuration on the combustion characteristics were analyzed in detail. The number increase, area increase and depth increase of fuel injectors had different influences on the stability, combustion characteristic and temperature distribution. - Highlights: • The combustion mode of slight temperature-rise (200 K) was achieved. • Effect of fuel and air injection on stability characteristic was investigated. • Impact of overall configuration on combustion performance was analyzed. • The feasibility of scheme was determined.

Field observations of artificial sand and oil agglomerates

Science.gov (United States)

Dalyander, Patricia (Soupy); Long, Joseph W.; Plant, Nathaniel G.; McLaughlin, Molly R.; Mickey, Rangley C.

2015-01-01

Oil that comes into the surf zone following spills, such as occurred during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout, can mix with local sediment to form heavier-than-water sand and oil agglomerates (SOAs), at times in the form of mats a few centimeters thick and tens of meters long. Smaller agglomerates that form in situ or pieces that break off of larger mats, sometimes referred to as surface residual balls (SRBs), range in size from sand-sized grains to patty-shaped pieces several centimeters (cm) in diameter. These mobile SOAs can cause beach oiling for extended periods following the spill, on the scale of years as in the case of DWH. Limited research, including a prior effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigating SOA mobility, alongshore transport, and seafloor interaction using numerical model output, focused on the physical dynamics of SOAs. To address this data gap, we constructed artificial sand and oil agglomerates (aSOAs) with sand and paraffin wax to mimic the size and density of genuine SOAs. These aSOAs were deployed in the nearshore off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida, during a field experiment to investigate their movement and seafloor interaction. This report presents the methodology for constructing aSOAs and describes the field experiment. Data acquired during the field campaign, including videos and images of aSOA movement in the nearshore (1.5-meter and 0.5-meter water depth) and in the swash zone, are also presented in this report.

Petroleum : a social choice, but at what price?; Le petrole : un choix de societe, mais a quel prix?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gregoire, M.

2010-10-01

This article summarized an interview with the chief executive officer of Total, the fifth largest integrated oil company in the world. The interview addressed a range of issues, including oil price trends, industry costs and the company's investment strategy. Total has just invested $1.5 billion in Alberta's oil sands. BP's oil rig blowout and massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2010 will likely generate interest in the world's second largest hydrocarbon reserves. The main challenge currently facing the CEO of Total is to remake the image of the industry at a time when politics and environmental concerns prevent oil companies from developing, or exploring for, hydrocarbon resources that are needed to meet growing energy demands. Issues of peak oil were also discussed. The CEO emphasized that new technologies continuously allow companies to explore deeper both underwater and underground, but these resources will cost more and be more expensive to operate, particularly if environmental impacts are to be minimized. Safety standards for exploration will likely be enhanced after the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, despite the fact that very strict rules already exist in areas such as the North Sea and elsewhere. However, offshore oil will not be suddenly replaced by the oil sands, which generate their own environmental problems and have been the subject of attacks from environmentalists and Aboriginal communities. Carbon dioxide emissions, water use and water pollution have been singled out as the primary environmental concerns facing development of Alberta's oil sands. 3 figs.

Petroleum : a social choice, but at what price?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregoire, M.

2010-01-01

This article summarized an interview with the chief executive officer of Total, the fifth largest integrated oil company in the world. The interview addressed a range of issues, including oil price trends, industry costs and the company's investment strategy. Total has just invested $1.5 billion in Alberta's oil sands. BP's oil rig blowout and massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2010 will likely generate interest in the world's second largest hydrocarbon reserves. The main challenge currently facing the CEO of Total is to remake the image of the industry at a time when politics and environmental concerns prevent oil companies from developing, or exploring for, hydrocarbon resources that are needed to meet growing energy demands. Issues of peak oil were also discussed. The CEO emphasized that new technologies continuously allow companies to explore deeper both underwater and underground, but these resources will cost more and be more expensive to operate, particularly if environmental impacts are to be minimized. Safety standards for exploration will likely be enhanced after the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, despite the fact that very strict rules already exist in areas such as the North Sea and elsewhere. However, offshore oil will not be suddenly replaced by the oil sands, which generate their own environmental problems and have been the subject of attacks from environmentalists and Aboriginal communities. Carbon dioxide emissions, water use and water pollution have been singled out as the primary environmental concerns facing development of Alberta's oil sands. 3 figs.

Microbial activities and dissolved organic matter dynamics in oil-contaminated surface seawater from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Ziervogel

Full Text Available The Deepwater Horizon oil spill triggered a complex cascade of microbial responses that reshaped the dynamics of heterotrophic carbon degradation and the turnover of dissolved organic carbon (DOC in oil contaminated waters. Our results from 21-day laboratory incubations in rotating glass bottles (roller bottles demonstrate that microbial dynamics and carbon flux in oil-contaminated surface water sampled near the spill site two weeks after the onset of the blowout were greatly affected by activities of microbes associated with macroscopic oil aggregates. Roller bottles with oil-amended water showed rapid formation of oil aggregates that were similar in size and appearance compared to oil aggregates observed in surface waters near the spill site. Oil aggregates that formed in roller bottles were densely colonized by heterotrophic bacteria, exhibiting high rates of enzymatic activity (lipase hydrolysis indicative of oil degradation. Ambient waters surrounding aggregates also showed enhanced microbial activities not directly associated with primary oil-degradation (β-glucosidase; peptidase, as well as a twofold increase in DOC. Concurrent changes in fluorescence properties of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM suggest an increase in oil-derived, aromatic hydrocarbons in the DOC pool. Thus our data indicate that oil aggregates mediate, by two distinct mechanisms, the transfer of hydrocarbons to the deep sea: a microbially-derived flux of oil-derived DOC from sinking oil aggregates into the ambient water column, and rapid sedimentation of the oil aggregates themselves, serving as vehicles for oily particulate matter as well as oil aggregate-associated microbial communities.

Implications of the presence of petroleum resources on the integrity of the WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, M.K.

1994-06-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a facility of the US Department of Energy (DOE), designed and constructed for the permanent disposal of transuranic (TRU) defense waste. The WIPP is surrounded by reserves of potash, crude oil, and natural gas. These are attractive targets for exploratory drilling which could disrupt the integrity of the transuranic waste repository. The performance assessment calculations published to date have identified future drilling for oil and gas reserves as an event that may disrupt the repository and may release radionuclides in excess of the standards. Therefore, the probability of inadvertent human intrusion into the repository by drilling and its impact on the integrity of the repository must be carefully assessed. This report evaluates: (1) the studies funded by the DOE to examine the crude oil potential in the immediate vicinity of the WIPP; (2) the use of an elicitation exercise to predict future drilling rates for use in the calculation of the repository performance; and (3) the observed limitations of institutional controls. This report identifies the following issues that remain to be resolved: (1) the limited performance of blowout preventers after drilling into high pressure zones immediately adjacent to the WIPP Site Boundary; (2) reported problems with waterflooding operations in southeastern New Mexico; (3) reported water level rises in several wells completed in the Rustler Formation, south of the WIPP Site, possibly due to oil and gas wells or leaking injection wells; and (4) reports of inadequate well abandonment practices on BLM leases and the continued absence of enforceable regulations

Ocular Blood Flow Measurements in Healthy White Subjects Using Laser Speckle Flowgraphy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolaus Luft

Full Text Available To assess the feasibility and reliability of Laser Speckle Flowgraphy (LSFG to measure ocular perfusion in a sample of healthy white subjects and to elucidate the age-dependence of the parameters obtained.This cross-sectional study included 80 eyes of 80 healthy, non-smoking white subjects of Western European descent between 19 and 79 years of age. A commercial LSFG instrument was applied to measure ocular blood flow at the optic nerve head (ONH three successive times before and after pharmacological pupil dilation. The mean blur rate (MBR, a measure of relative blood flow velocity, was obtained for different regions of the ONH. Eight parameters of ocular perfusion derived from the pulse-waveform analysis of MBR including blowout time (BOT and falling rate (FR were also recorded.Artifact-free LSFG images meeting the quality criteria for automated image analysis were obtainable in 93.8% without pupil dilation and in 98.8% with pharmacological pupil dilation. Measurements of MBR showed excellent repeatability with intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.937 and were barely affected by pupil dilation. The majority of pulse-waveform derived variables exhibited equally high repeatability. MBR-related blood flow indices exhibited significant age dependence (p<0.001. FR (r = 0.747, p<0.001 and BOT (r = -0.714, p<0.001 most strongly correlated with age.LSFG represents a reliable method for the quantitative assessment of ocular blood flow in white subjects. Our data affirms that the LSFG-derived variables FR and BOT may be useful biomarkers for age-related changes in ocular perfusion.

Beaufort Region Environmental Assessment and Monitoring program (BREAM). Final report for 1992/1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vonk, P.; Duval, W.; Thomas, D.

1993-01-01

The Beaufort Region Environmental Assessment and Monitoring (BREAM) program was established to identify environmental research and monitoring priorities related to future hydrocarbon development activities in the Beaufort Sea and Mackenzie Delta region. The activities occurring during the third year of BREAM focused on major oil spills. Three planning meetings were held: a Project Initiation Meeting and technical meetings of the Community-Based Concerns and Catastrophic Oil Spill Working Groups. The initiation meeting had goals that included identifying specific tasks to be completed by the two Working Groups, discussion of contents and scope of materials being prepared for an oil spill workshop, and determining project schedules. The Community-Based Concerns group focused its work on identifying ecological concerns related to oil spills and their cleanup, identifying community-based ecological issues and concerns, and incorporating local and traditional knowledge into the BREAM program. The group suggested changes to the wording of existing impact hypotheses and oil spill scenarios, and recommended changes in a list of valued ecosystem components. The oil spill group reviewed ecological concerns related to oil spills, and reviewed each oil spill scenario and impact hypothesis selected for an interdisciplinary workshop held in February 1993. The workshop evaluated four of the most important oil spill impact hypotheses (offshore platform blowout, river barge spill of diesel fuel, under-ice spill from a pipeline river crossing, and a pipeline spill affecting mammals). Further research and monitoring related to a number of impact hypotheses was recommended by workshop participants. 57 refs., 29 figs., 12 tabs

Potential effects of the Hawaii Geothermal Project on ground-water resources on the island of Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

Sorey, M.L.; Colvard, E.M.

1994-01-01

In 1990, the State of Hawaii proposed the Hawaii Geothermal Project for the development of as much as 500 MW of electric power from the geothermal system in the East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano. This report uses data from 31 wells and 8 springs to describe the properties of the ground-water system in and adjacent to the East Rift Zone. Potential effects of this project on ground-water resources are also discussed. Data show differences in ground-water chemistry and heads within the study area that appear to be related to mixing of waters of different origins and ground-water impoundment by volcanic dikes. East of Pahoa, the ground-water system within the rift is highly transmissive and receives abundant recharge from precipitation; therefore, the pumping of freshwater to support geothermal development in that part of the rift zone would have a minimal effect on ground-water levels. To the southwest of Pahoa, dike impoundment reduces the transmissivity of the ground-water system to such an extent that wells might not be capable of supplying sufficient fresh water to support geothermal operations. Contamination of ground-water resources by accidental release of geothermal fluids into shallow aquifers is possible because of corrosive conditions in the geothermal wells, potential well blowouts, and high ground-water velocities in parts of the region. Hydrologic monitoring of water level, temperature, and chemistry in observation wells should continue throughout development of geothermal resources for the Hawaii Geothermal Project for early detection of leakage and migration of geothermal fluids within the groundwater system.

High Resolution DNS of Turbulent Flows using an Adaptive, Finite Volume Method

Science.gov (United States)

Trebotich, David

2014-11-01

We present a new computational capability for high resolution simulation of incompressible viscous flows. Our approach is based on cut cell methods where an irregular geometry such as a bluff body is intersected with a rectangular Cartesian grid resulting in cut cells near the boundary. In the cut cells we use a conservative discretization based on a discrete form of the divergence theorem to approximate fluxes for elliptic and hyperbolic terms in the Navier-Stokes equations. Away from the boundary the method reduces to a finite difference method. The algorithm is implemented in the Chombo software framework which supports adaptive mesh refinement and massively parallel computations. The code is scalable to 200,000 + processor cores on DOE supercomputers, resulting in DNS studies at unprecedented scale and resolution. For flow past a cylinder in transition (Re = 300) we observe a number of secondary structures in the far wake in 2D where the wake is over 120 cylinder diameters in length. These are compared with the more regularized wake structures in 3D at the same scale. For flow past a sphere (Re = 600) we resolve an arrowhead structure in the velocity in the near wake. The effectiveness of AMR is further highlighted in a simulation of turbulent flow (Re = 6000) in the contraction of an oil well blowout preventer. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Applied Mathematics program under Contract Number DE-AC02-05-CH11231.

Methane rising from the Deep: Hydrates, Bubbles, Oil Spills, and Global Warming

Science.gov (United States)

Leifer, I.; Rehder, G. J.; Solomon, E. A.; Kastner, M.; Asper, V. L.; Joye, S. B.

2011-12-01

Elevated methane concentrations in near-surface waters and the atmosphere have been reported for seepage from depths of nearly 1 km at the Gulf of Mexico hydrate observatory (MC118), suggesting that for some methane sources, deepsea methane is not trapped and can contribute to atmospheric greenhouse gas budgets. Ebullition is key with important sensitivity to the formation of hydrate skins and oil coatings, high-pressure solubility, bubble size and bubble plume processes. Bubble ROV tracking studies showed survival to near thermocline depths. Studies with a numerical bubble propagation model demonstrated that consideration of structure I hydrate skins transported most methane only to mid-water column depths. Instead, consideration of structure II hydrates, which are stable to far shallower depths and appropriate for natural gas mixtures, allows bubbles to survive to far shallower depths. Moreover, model predictions of vertical methane and alkane profiles and bubble size evolution were in better agreement with observations after consideration of structure II hydrate properties as well as an improved implementation of plume properties, such as currents. These results demonstrate the importance of correctly incorporating bubble hydrate processes in efforts to predict the impact of deepsea seepage as well as to understand the fate of bubble-transported oil and methane from deepsea pipeline leaks and well blowouts. Application to the DWH spill demonstrated the importance of deepsea processes to the fate of spilled subsurface oil. Because several of these parameters vary temporally (bubble flux, currents, temperature), sensitivity studies indicate the importance of real-time monitoring data.

A disrupted molecular torus around Eta Carinae as seen in 12CO with ALMA

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Nathan; Ginsburg, Adam; Bally, John

2018-03-01

We present Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of 12CO 2-1 emission from circumstellar material around the massive star Eta Carinae (η Car). These observations reveal new structural details about the cool equatorial torus located ˜4000 au from the star. The CO torus is not a complete azimuthal loop, but rather, is missing its near side, which appears to have been cleared away. The missing material matches the direction of apastron in the eccentric binary system, making it likely that η Car's companion played an important role in disrupting portions of the torus soon after ejection. Molecular gas seen in ALMA data aligns well with the cool dust around η Car previously observed in mid-infrared (IR) maps, whereas hot dust resides at the inner surface of the molecular torus. The CO also coincides with the spatial and velocity structure of near-IR H2 emission. Together, these suggest that the CO torus seen by ALMA is actually the pinched waist of the Homunculus polar lobes, which glows brightly because it is close to the star and warmer than the poles. The near side of the torus appears to be a blowout, associated with fragmented equatorial ejecta. We discuss implications for the origin of various features north-west of the star. CO emission from the main torus implies a total gas mass in the range of 0.2-1 M⊙ (possibly up to 5 M⊙ or more, although with questionable assumptions). Deeper observations are needed to constrain CO emission from the cool polar lobes.

Environmental consequences associated with a large-scale blowout of oil in the former disputed area between Norway and Russia in the Barents Sea (a case study)

OpenAIRE

Rasmussen, Sigve Evenssønn

2011-01-01

Master's thesis in Environmental technology The former disputed area between Norway and Russia in the Barents Sea is of increasing interest when it comes to oil and gas exploration and production. The area is likely to open for exploration in the near future as the maritime delimitation and cooperation agreement between Norway and Russia concerning the Barents Sea were ratified by the Russian State Duma and signed by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev during the spring of 2011. The impact o...

Geomicrobiology of Archaeal Communities Isolated from an Off-axis Abyssal Hill Fault Scarp on the East Pacific Rise Flank at 9° 27'N

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrhardt, C. J.; Haymon, R.; Holden, P.; Lamontagne, M.

2003-12-01

Although heat flow studies suggest that ~70% of the hydrothermal heat loss in the oceans occurs in the abyssal hill terrain on the flanks of mid-ocean ridges, very few off-axis hydrothermal sites have been discovered. In May 2002, sedimentary blowout structures of probable hydrothermal origin were discovered along East Pacific Rise at 9° 27'N on an off-axis abyssal hill bounded by a fault scarp covered with orange-brown microbial flocculations. Recovered samples of these flocculations have presented an opportunity to study the unknown nature and role of thermophilic and hyperthermophilic microbial communities on the ridge flanks. Furthermore, the archaeal communities that we have identified in the samples are useful "microbial tracers" which can be used to locate off-axis areas of moderate-to-high temperature fluid flow (>50° C). In this study, we used molecular techniques to isolate, amplify, and sequence community archaeal RNA sequences from fault scarp flocculations collected with a slurp pump system mounted in the Alvin basket. Molecular phylogenies based on 16S rRNA were constructed. Phylogenetic relationships of isolated clones were used to infer temperature preferences of archaeal communities. We identified 12 clones that clustered within thermophilic or hyperthermophilic clades within Archaea suggesting that moderately high temperature fluid (>50° C) exited the seafloor along this abyssal hill fault scarp. Our studies also suggest that these communities mediate the formation of Fe-sulfide mineral phases. Analysis of the samples with an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) and X-ray energy dispersive analysis (EDS) revealed unique iron sulfide mineral phases with anomalously low Fe/S ratios in direct association with microbial communities.

Pollutant Formation during the Occurrence of Flame Instabilities under Very-Lean Combustion Conditions in a Liquid-Fuel Burner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Grazia De Giorgi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Recent advances in gas turbine combustor design are aimed at achieving low exhaust emissions, hence modern aircraft jet engines are designed with lean-burn combustion systems. In the present work, we report an experimental study on lean combustion in a liquid fuel burner, operated under a non-premixed (single point injection regime that mimics the combustion in a modern aircraft engine. The flame behavior was investigated in proximity of the blow-out limit by an intensified high rate Charge-Coupled Device (CCD camera equipped with different optical filters to selectively record single species chemiluminescence emissions (e.g., OH*, CH*. Analogous filters were also used in combination with photomultiplier (PMT tubes. Furthermore this work investigates well-mixed lean low NOx combustion where mixing is good and generation of solid carbon particulate emissions should be very low. An analysis of pollutants such as fine particles and gaseous emissions was also performed. Particle number concentrations and size distributions were measured at the exhaust of the combustion chamber by two different particle size measuring instruments: a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS and an Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI. NOx concentration measurements were performed by using a cross-flow modulation chemiluminescence detection system; CO concentration emissions were acquired with a Cross-flow modulation Non-dispersive infrared (NDIR absorption method. All the measurements were completed by diagnostics of the fundamental combustor parameters. The results herein presented show that at very-lean conditions the emissions of both particulate matter and CO was found to increase most likely due to the occurrence of flame instabilities while the NOx were observed to reduce.

Comparative analysis of bacterial community-metagenomics in coastal Gulf of Mexico sediment microcosms following exposure to Macondo oil (MC252)

KAUST Repository

Koo, Hyunmin

2014-09-10

The indigenous bacterial communities in sediment microcosms from Dauphin Island (DI), Petit Bois Island (PB) and Perdido Pass (PP) of the coastal Gulf of Mexico were compared following treatment with Macondo oil (MC252) using pyrosequencing and culture-based approaches. After quality-based trimming, 28,991 partial 16S rRNA sequence reads were analyzed by rarefaction, confirming that analyses of bacterial communities were saturated with respect to species diversity. Changes in the relative abundances of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes played an important role in structuring bacterial communities in oil-treated sediments. Proteobacteria were dominant in oil-treated samples, whereas Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were either the second or the third most abundant taxa. Tenericutes, members of which are known for oil biodegradation, were detected shortly after treatment, and continued to increase in DI and PP sediments. Multivariate statistical analyses (ADONIS) revealed significant dissimilarity of bacterial communities between oil-treated and untreated samples and among locations. In addition, a similarity percentage analysis showed the contribution of each species to the contrast between untreated and oil-treated samples. PCR amplification using DNA from pure cultures of Exiguobacterium,  Pseudoalteromonas,  Halomonas and Dyadobacter, isolated from oil-treated microcosm sediments, produced amplicons similar to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading genes. In the context of the 2010 Macondo blowout, the results from our study demonstrated that the indigenous bacterial communities in coastal Gulf of Mexico sediment microcosms responded to the MC252 oil with altered community structure and species composition. The rapid proliferation of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria suggests their involvement in the degradation of the spilt oil in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

Maxillofacial fracture experiences: a review of 152 cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Aydin, Osman Enver; Tan, Onder; Algan, Said; Kuduban, Selma Denktas; Barin, Ensar Zafer; Cinal, Hakan; Sarici, Murat; Avsar, Umit

2012-12-01

The fractures of facial structures lead to great morbidity. Cross-sectional studies are needed to evaluate the current state of maxillofacial traumas. Thus, this study aims to evaluate these experiences and to compare these results with the current literature. The medical records of the maxillofacial fracture cases hospitalized between January 2004 and November 2011 were examined. The age, sex, etiology, fracture localization and treatment method for each case were documented. The affected facial bones were grouped as mandible, maxilla, zygoma, naso-orbitoethmoid complex (NOEC) and blow-out. Nasal fractures were excluded. The cases were assigned to 3 groups with respect to age (below 16, above 65 and between 17 and 64). The chi Square test was used to assess the significance of the difference in mandibular fracture rates in the pediatric population compared to others. The total number of cases was 152. The total number of fractures was 185. Of the 152 cases, 117 were male and 35 were female. The average age was 31.4 (±18.3), ranging between 2 and 81. Thirty-one cases were 16 years old or less. Nine cases were 65 years old or more. Mandibular and zygomatic fractures were the most prevalent fractures in the adult group. Mandibular fractures were significantly more common in the pediatric age group compared to rest of the population (X(2), pOpen reduction and internal fixation was the most frequently conducted treatment modality in all age groups. Retrospective studies are important for the projection of future prospects. In summary, our results indicate that pediatric fractures are mostly in the lower face and usually affect the condylar region, which is consistent with the literature.

Fatigue assessment of a double submerged arc welded gas pipeline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fazzini, Pablo; Otegui, Jose Luis [Universidad Nacional Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata (Argentina). Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Materiales (INTEMA); Teutonico, Mauricio; Manfredi, Carlos [GIE S.A., Mar del Plata (Argentina)

2005-07-01

An uncommon blowout in a 24'' diameter, 7 mm thick API 5L X52 gas pipeline was due to fracture at the longitudinal double submerged arc weld. Oddly enough for gas pipelines, it was found that fatigue cracks had propagated from a large embedded weld defect of lack of fusion resulting from severe geometrical mismatch between inner and outer weld passes. What makes this failure particularly interesting is that: previous in line inspections failed to detect any defect, no evidence of third party damage was found, and very few large pressure cycles had been recorded during the last 5 years of service, which were believed to be representative of the entire service life of the pipeline. Fatigue tests were carried out to characterize propagation of fatigue cracks in weld metal, it was found that a large Paris exponent made the few large amplitude cycles most contributing to crack propagation. Crack growth path and striation patterns were studied. Fatigue growth was modelled by integrating experimental results and by extrapolating striation spacing in the fracture surface of the failed pipe. Crack growth path and striation patterns were studied. It was found that microstructure discontinuities govern propagation at low {delta}K, but one striation per cycle was produced at large {delta}K, due to a mostly ductile propagation mode. Fatigue growth was modelled by integrating experimental results and by extrapolating striation spacing in the fracture surface of the failed pipe. It was found that in the early life of the line many more large pressure cycles than expected had occurred. Good correspondence between predicted and actual fatigue lives was in this way obtained (author)

Health Impact Assessment of an oil drilling project in California

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lindsay C. McCallum

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The Health Impact Assessment (HIA was conducted to evaluate the potential community health implications of a proposed oil drilling and production project in Hermosa Beach, California. The HIA considered 17 determinants of health that fell under 6 major categories (i.e., air quality, water and soil quality, upset conditions, noise and light emissions, traffic, and community livability. Material and Methods: This paper attempts to address some of the gaps within the HIA practice by presenting the methodological approach and results of this transparent, comprehensive HIA; specifically, the evaluation matrix and decision-making framework that have been developed for this HIA and form the basis of the evaluation and allow for a clear conclusion to be reached in respect of any given health determinant (i.e., positive, negative, neutral. Results: There is a number of aspects of the project that may positively influence health (e.g., increased education funding, ability to enhance green space, and at the same time there have been potential negative effects identified (e.g., odor, blowouts, property values. Except for upset conditions, the negative health outcomes have been largely nuisance-related (e.g., odor, aesthetics without irreversible health impacts. The majority of the health determinants, that had been examined, have revealed that the project would have no substantial effect on the health of the community. Conclusions: Using the newly developed methodology and based on established mitigation measures and additional recommendations provided in the HIA, the authors have concluded that the project will have no substantial effect on community health. This approach and methodology will assist practitioners, stakeholders and decision-makers in advancing the HIA as a useful, reproducible, and informative tool.

Seismic attributes and advanced computer algorithm to predict formation pore pressure: Qalibah formation of Northwest Saudi Arabia

Science.gov (United States)

Nour, Abdoulshakour M.

Oil and gas exploration professionals have long recognized the importance of predicting pore pressure before drilling wells. Pre-drill pore pressure estimation not only helps with drilling wells safely but also aids in the determination of formation fluids migration and seal integrity. With respect to the hydrocarbon reservoirs, the appropriate drilling mud weight is directly related to the estimated pore pressure in the formation. If the mud weight is lower than the formation pressure, a blowout may occur, and conversely, if it is higher than the formation pressure, the formation may suffer irreparable damage due to the invasion of drilling fluids into the formation. A simple definition of pore pressure is the pressure of the pore fluids in excess of the hydrostatic pressure. In this thesis, I investigated the utility of advance computer algorithm called Support Vector Machine (SVM) to learn the pattern of high pore pressure regime, using seismic attributes such as Instantaneous phase, t*Attenuation, Cosine of Phase, Vp/Vs ratio, P-Impedance, Reflection Acoustic Impedance, Dominant frequency and one well attribute (Mud-Weigh) as the learning dataset. I applied this technique to the over pressured Qalibah formation of Northwest Saudi Arabia. The results of my research revealed that in the Qalibah formation of Northwest Saudi Arabia, the pore pressure trend can be predicted using SVM with seismic and well attributes as the learning dataset. I was able to show the pore pressure trend at any given point within the geographical extent of the 3D seismic data from which the seismic attributes were derived. In addition, my results surprisingly showed the subtle variation of pressure within the thick succession of shale units of the Qalibah formation.

Influence of the Steam Addition on Premixed Methane Air Combustion at Atmospheric Pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mao Li

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Steam-diluted combustion in gas turbine systems is an effective approach to control pollutant emissions and improve the gas turbine efficiency. The primary purpose of the present research is to analyze the influence of steam dilution on the combustion stability, flame structures, and CO emissions of a swirl-stabilized gas turbine model combustor under atmospheric pressure conditions. The premixed methane/air/steam flame was investigated with three preheating temperatures (384 K/434 K/484 K and the equivalence ratio was varied from stoichiometric conditions to the flammability limits where the flame was physically blown out from the combustor. In order to represent the steam dilution intensity, the steam fraction Ω defined as the steam to air mass flow rate ratio was used in this work. Exhaust gases were sampled with a water-cooled emission probe which was mounted at the combustor exit. A 120 mm length quartz liner was used which enabled the flame visualization and optical measurement. Time-averaged CH chemiluminescence imaging was conducted to characterize the flame location and it was further analyzed with the inverse Abel transform method. Chemical kinetics calculation was conducted to support and analyze the experimental results. It was found that the LBO (lean blowout limits were increased with steam fraction. CH chemiluminescence imaging showed that with a high steam fraction, the flame length was elongated, but the flame structure was not altered. CO emissions were mapped as a function of the steam fraction, inlet air temperature, and equivalence ratios. Stable combustion with low CO emission can be achieved with an appropriate steam fraction operation range.

A Guide to Axial-Flow Turbine Off-Design Computer Program AXOD2

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shu-Cheng S.

2014-01-01

A Users Guide for the axial flow turbine off-design computer program AXOD2 is composed in this paper. This Users Guide is supplementary to the original Users Manual of AXOD. Three notable contributions of AXOD2 to its predecessor AXOD, both in the context of the Guide or in the functionality of the code, are described and discussed in length. These are: 1) a rational representation of the mathematical principles applied, with concise descriptions of the formulas implemented in the actual coding. Their physical implications are addressed; 2) the creation and documentation of an Addendum Listing of input namelist-parameters unique to AXOD2, that differ from or are in addition to the original input-namelists given in the Manual of AXOD. Their usages are discussed; and 3) the institution of proper stoppages of the code execution, encoding termination messaging and error messages of the execution to AXOD2. These measures are to safe-guard the integrity of the code execution, such that a failure mode encountered during a case-study would not plunge the code execution into indefinite loop, or cause a blow-out of the program execution. Details on these are discussed and illustrated in this paper. Moreover, this computer program has since been reconstructed substantially. Standard FORTRAN Langue was instituted, and the code was formatted in Double Precision (REAL*8). As the result, the code is now suited for use in a local Desktop Computer Environment, is perfectly portable to any Operating System, and can be executed by any FORTRAN compiler equivalent to a FORTRAN 9095 compiler. AXOD2 will be available through NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) Software Repository.

Autoignited and non-autoignited lifted flames of pre-vaporized n-heptane in coflow jets at elevated temperatures

KAUST Repository

Choi, Sangkyu

2013-09-01

The characteristics of laminar lifted flames of pre-vaporized n-heptane in coflow jets were investigated under both non-autoignited and autoignited conditions by varying the initial temperature. The fuel tested was n-heptane considering the importance as a primary reference fuel for gasoline and its low temperature ignition behavior at relatively low pressure. The results showed that the lifted flame edge in the non-autoignited regime had a tribrachial structure with lean and rich premixed flame wings together with a trailing diffusion flame. The liftoff heights correlated reasonably well with the fuel jet velocity scaled by the stoichiometric laminar burning velocity regardless of the initial temperature and the nitrogen dilution. The liftoff velocity multiplied by the buoyancy-induced velocity and the blowout velocity scaled by the mole fraction of the fuel correlated well with the stoichiometric laminar burning velocity. When the initial temperature was above 900. K, flames were autoignited without any external ignition source. Autoignited lifted flames with both tribrachial edges and mild combustion characteristics were observed. The correlation of the liftoff height with the calculated adiabatic ignition delay time was weak, unlike in cases with gaseous fuels of C1-C4 hydrocarbons in which the liftoff height of the autoignited flames correlated well with the square of the adiabatic ignition delay time. When the mole fraction of the fuel was small, mild combustion behaviors were exhibited with edge flames without distinct tribrachial structures. The liftoff height was correlated with the fuel jet velocity scaled by the initial fuel mass fraction, while the dependence on the ignition delay time was weak when compared with the gaseous fuels. © 2013 The Combustion Institute.

An approach for estimating toxic releases of H2S-containing natural gas.

Science.gov (United States)

Jianwen, Zhang; Da, Lei; Wenxing, Feng

2014-01-15

China is well known being rich in sulfurous natural gas with huge deposits widely distributed all over the country. Due to the toxic nature, the release of hydrogen sulfide-containing natural gas from the pipelines intends to impose serious threats to the human, society and environment around the release sources. CFD algorithm is adopted to simulate the dispersion process of gas, and the results prove that Gaussian plume model is suitable for determining the affected region of the well blowout of sulfide hydrogen-containing natural gas. In accordance with the analysis of release scenarios, the present study proposes a new approach for estimating the risk of hydrogen sulfide poisoning hazards, as caused by sulfide-hydrogen-containing natural gas releases. Historical accident-statistical data from the EGIG (European Gas Pipeline Incident Data Group) and the Britain Gas Transco are integrated into the approach. Also, the dose-load effect is introduced to exploit the hazards' effects by two essential parameters - toxic concentration and exposure time. The approach was applied to three release scenarios occurring on the East-Sichuan Gas Transportation Project, and the individual risk and societal risk are classified and discussed. Results show that societal risk varies significantly with different factors, including population density, distance from pipeline, operating conditions and so on. Concerning the dispersion process of hazardous gas, available safe egress time was studied from the perspective of individual fatality risks. The present approach can provide reliable support for the safety management and maintenance of natural gas pipelines as well as evacuations that may occur after release incidents. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental Study of Hydrogen Addition Effects on a Swirl-Stabilized Methane-Air Flame

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mao Li

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The effects of H2 addition on a premixed methane-air flame was studied experimentally with a swirl-stabilized gas turbine model combustor. Experiments with 0%, 25%, and 50% H2 molar fraction in the fuel mixture were conducted under atmospheric pressure. The primary objectives are to study the impacts of H2 addition on flame lean blowout (LBO limits, flame shapes and anchored locations, flow field characteristics, precessing vortex core (PVC instability, as well as the CO emission performance. The flame LBO limits were identified by gradually reducing the equivalence ratio until the condition where the flame physically disappeared. The time-averaged CH chemiluminescence was used to reveal the characteristics of flame stabilization, e.g., flame structure and stabilized locations. In addition, the inverse Abel transform was applied to the time-averaged CH results so that the distribution of CH signal on the symmetric plane of the flame was obtained. The particle image velocimetry (PIV was used to detect the characteristics of the flow field with a frequency of 2 kHz. The snapshot method of POD (proper orthogonal decomposition and fast Fourier transform (FFT were adopted to capture the most prominent coherent structures in the turbulent flow field. CO emission was monitored with an exhaust probe that was installed close to the combustor exit. The experimental results indicated that the H2 addition extended the flame LBO limits and the operation range of low CO emission. The influence of H2 addition on the flame shape, location, and flow field was observed. With the assistance of POD and FFT, the combustion suppression impacts on PVC was found.

See Also:Mechanics of Cohesive-frictional MaterialsCopyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Get Sample CopyFree Online Trial -->Recommend to Your LibrarianSave Title to My ProfileSet E-Mail Alert var homepagelinks = new Array(new Array("Journal Home","/cgi-bin/jhome/3312",""),new Array("Issues","/cgi-bin/jtoc/3312/",""),new Array("Early View","/cgi-bin/jeview/3312/",""),new Array("News","/cgi-bin/jabout/3312/News.html","e"),new Array("","","s"),new Array("Product Information","/cgi-bin/jabout/3312/ProductInformation.html",""),new Array("Editorial Board","/cgi-bin/jabout/3312/EditorialBoard.html",""),new Array("For Authors","/cgi-bin/jabout/3312/ForAuthors.html",""),new Array("Subscribe","http://jws-edcv.wiley.com/jcatalog/JournalsCatalogOrder/JournalOrder?PRINT_ISSN=0363-9061",""),new Array("Advertise","/cgi-bin/jabout/3312/Advertise.html",""),new Array("Contact","/cgi-bin/jabout/3312/Contact.html",""),new Array("","","x"));writeJournalLinks("", "3312"); Previous Issue | Next Issue >Volume 28, Issue12 (October 2004)Articles in the Current Issue:Research ArticleModelling poroelastic hollow cylinder experiments with realistic boundary conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Jourine, S.; Valkó, P. P.; Kronenberg, A. K.

2004-10-01

A general poroelastic solution for axisymmetrical plane strain problems with time dependent boundary conditions is developed in Laplace domain. Time-domain results are obtained using numerical inversion of the Laplace transform. Previously published solutions can be considered as special cases of the proposed solution. In particular, we could reproduce numerical results for solid and hollow poroelastic cylinders with suddenly applied load/pressure (Rice and Cleary, Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 1976; 14:227; Schmitt, Tait and Spann, Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 1993; 30:1057; Cui and Abousleiman, ASCE J. Eng. Mech. 2001; 127:391).The new solution is used to model laboratory tests on thick-walled hollow cylinders of Berea sandstone subjected to intensive pressure drawdown. In the experiments, pressure at the inner boundary of the hollow cylinder is observed to decline exponentially with a decay constant of 3-5 1/s.It is found that solutions with idealized step-function type inner boundary conditions overestimate the induced tensile radial stresses considerably. Although basic poroelastic phenomena can be modelled properly at long time following a stepwise change in pressure, realistic time varying boundary conditions predict actual rock behaviour better at early time. Experimentally observed axial stresses can be matched but appear to require different values for α and than are measured at long time.The proposed solution can be used to calculate the stress and pore pressure distributions around boreholes under infinite/finite boundary conditions. Prospective applications include investigating the effect of gradually changing pore pressure, modelling open-hole cavity completions, and describing the phenomenon of wellbore collapse (bridging) during oil or gas blowouts. Copyright

CATALYTIC COMBUSTION OF METHANE OVER Pt/γ-Al2O3 IN MICRO-COMBUSTOR WITH DETAILED CHEMICAL KINETIC MECHANISMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JUNJIE CHEN

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Micro-scale catalytic combustion characteristics and heat transfer processes of preheated methane-air mixtures (φ = 0.4 in the plane channel were investigated numerically with detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms. The plane channel of length L = 10.0 mm, height H =1.0 mm and wall thickness δ = 0.1 mm, which inner horizontal surfaces contained Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalyst washcoat. The computational results indicate that the presence of the gas phase reactions extends mildly the micro-combustion stability limits at low and moderate inlet velocities due to the strong flames establishment, and have a more profound effect on extending the high-velocity blowout limits by allowing for additional heat release originating mainly from the incomplete CH4 gas phase oxidation in the plane channel. When the same mass flow rate (ρin × Vin is considered, the micro-combustion stability limits at p: 0.1 MPa are much narrower than at p: 0.6 MPa due to both gas phase and catalytic reaction activities decline with decreasing pressure. Catalytic micro-combustor can achieve stable combustion at low solid thermal conductivity ks < 0.1 W∙m-1•K-1, while the micro-combustion extinction limits reach their larger extent for the higher thermal conductivity ks = 20.0-100.0 W∙m-1•K-1. The existence of surface radiation heat transfers significantly effects on the micro-combustion stability limits and micro-combustors energy balance. Finally, gas phase combustion in catalytic micro-combustors can be sustained at the sub-millimeter scale (plane channel height of 0.25 mm.

Cutaneous Complications Related to Tattoos: 31 Cases from Finland.

Science.gov (United States)

Kluger, Nicolas

2017-01-01

Cutaneous complications related to permanent tattoos affect 2-30% of those patients who have tattooed their skin. Little is known about the cases of tattoo complications in Finland. The aim of this study was to conduct a retrospective review of a series of Finnish patients with cutaneous tattoo reactions. We collected cases of tattoo reactions from the Department of Dermatology at Helsinki University Central Hospital, from members of the Finnish dermatological society and from various other sources (author's private practice, tattooists, professional internet forum). We analysed the demographics, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and microscopic findings on the skin biopsies, and evaluated the therapeutic outcome. Thirty-one patients (16 men and 15 women, mean age 37.8) were included from 9 cities, mainly from Helsinki. Fifty-two percent (16/31) presented with an allergic tattoo reaction mainly against the red colour (75%, 12/16). Reactions were clinically polymorph ranging from scattered papules or nodules to complete infiltration of a colour. Lesions were itchy and sometimes painful. The reactions were lichenoid, granulomatous, pseudolymphomatous or less specific with a dermal lympho-histiocytic or plasmocytic infiltrate. Other diagnoses included tattoo blow-out (13%), melanoma within a tattoo, naevi within a tattoo (10% each), lichen planus (6%), granulomatous reaction with uveitis, sarcoidosis and dermatofibroma (3% each). Allergic tattoo reactions were mainly treated with local corticosteroid (CS) ointments, CS infiltration or surgical removal. This review is the largest series of tattoo complications in the Baltic area. It illustrates the wide spectrum of complications. Prospective, controlled therapeutic studies are necessary to assess the best treatment protocols for tattoo allergies and tattoo reaction management in general. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Transtibial, Anteromedial Portal, and Outside-In Femoral Tunnel Drilling in Single-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Robin, Brett N; Jani, Sunil S; Marvil, Sean C; Reid, John B; Schillhammer, Carl K; Lubowitz, James H

2015-07-01

Controversy exists regarding the best method for creating the knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) femoral tunnel or socket. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the risks, benefits, advantages, and disadvantages of the endoscopic transtibial (TT) technique, anteromedial portal technique, outside-in technique, and outside-in retrograde drilling technique for creating the ACL femoral tunnel. A PubMed search of English-language studies published between January 1, 2000, and February 17, 2014, was performed using the following keywords: "anterior cruciate ligament" AND "femoral tunnel." Included were studies reporting risks, benefits, advantages, and/or disadvantages of any ACL femoral technique. In addition, references of included articles were reviewed to identify potential studies missed in the original search. A total of 27 articles were identified through the search. TT technique advantages include familiarity and proven long-term outcomes; disadvantages include the risk of nonanatomic placement because of constrained (TT) drilling. Anteromedial portal technique advantages include unconstrained anatomic placement; disadvantages include technical challenges, short tunnels or sockets, and posterior-wall blowout. Outside-in technique advantages include unconstrained anatomic placement; disadvantages include the need for 2 incisions. Retrograde drilling technique advantages include unconstrained anatomic placement, as well as all-epiphyseal drilling in skeletally immature patients; disadvantages include the need for fluoroscopy for all-epiphyseal drilling. There is no one, single, established "gold-standard" technique for creation of the ACL femoral socket. Four accepted techniques show diverse and subjective advantages, disadvantages, risks, and benefits. Level V, systematic review of Level II through V evidence. Copyright © 2015 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transient Pressure Surges Due to Pipe Movement in an Oil Well Surpressions transitoires dues au mouvement des colonnes de tubes dans les puits.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lubinski A.

2006-11-01

Full Text Available A pressure surge which could cause lost circulation, results from running a stand of drill pipe or a joint of casing into a hole. Similarly, a negative pressure surge, which could cause a blowout, results from pulling pipe from a hole. In past investigations, pressure surges were calculated on the basis of steady state flow. It is shown in this paper that this led to erroneous results. In thls investigation, pressure surges are calculated on the basis of transient wave propagation phenomena. A computer program was developed to that effect. Results are presented in :the first part of the paper, and the mathematics in the second. La descente d'une longueur de tiges ou d'un tube de casing dans le trou provoque une surpression pouvant entraîner des pertes de circulation. De même, la remontée des tiges provoque une surpression négative pouvant entraîner une éruption. Au cours des précédentes recherches, les surpressions étaient calculées pour des débits en régime permanent. Il est montré dans cet étude que les résultats ainsi obtenus ne sont pas exacts. Dans cette recherche, les calculs des surpressions sont basés sur le phénomène de propagation transitoire des ondes. Un programme de calcul sur ordinateur a été développé à cet effet. Les résultats sont présentés dans la première partie de cet article et les calculs font l'objet de la deuxième partie.

Coexisting sea-based and land-based sources of contamination by PAHs in the continental shelf sediments of Coatzacoalcos River discharge area (Gulf of Mexico).

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Fernández, Ana Carolina; Portela, Julián Mauricio Betancourt; Sericano, José Luis; Sanchez-Cabeza, Joan-Albert; Espinosa, Luisa Fernanda; Cardoso-Mohedano, José Gilberto; Pérez-Bernal, Libia Hascibe; Tinoco, Jesús Antonio Garay

2016-02-01

The oldest refinery and the major petrochemical complexes of Mexico are located in the lower reach of the Coatzacoalcos River, considered the most polluted coastal area of Mexico. A (210)Pb-dated sediment core, from the continental shelf of the Coatzacoalcos River, was studied to assess the contamination impact by the oil industry in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The sedimentary record showed the prevalence of petrogenic PAHs between 1950s and 1970s, a period during which waste discharges from the oil industry were not regulated. Later on, sediments exhibited higher contents of pyrogenic PAHs, attributed to the incineration of petrochemical industry wastes and recurrent wildfires in open dumpsites at the nearby swamps. The total concentration of the 16 EPA-priority PAHs indicated low levels of contamination (1000 ng g(-1)) during the late 1970s, most likely due to the major oil spill produced by the blowout of the Ixtoc-I offshore oil rig in deep waters of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Most of the PAH congeners did not show defined temporal trends but, according to a Factor Analysis, apparently have a common origin, probably waste released from the nearby oil industry. The only exceptions were the pyrogenic benzo(b)fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene, and the biogenic perylene, that showed increasing concentration trends with time, which we attributed to erosional input of contaminated soil from the catchment area. Our study confirmed chronic oil contamination in the Coatzacoalcos River coastal area from land based sources for more than 60 years (since 1950s). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Avoiding pollution in scientific ocean drilling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, T.J.G.

1999-01-01

Scientific ocean drilling has been carried out in the world's oceans since the nineteen sixties. From 1968-83 the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), managed by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California under a contract with the US National Science Foundation, employed the drilling vessel Glomar Challenger for this purpose. In January 1985 the Ocean Drilling Program (GDP), operated by Texas A and M University, began operations with the drillship JOIDES Resolution which continue to this day. The principal funding agency remains the US National Science Foundation, but since its inception GDP has been an international program and currently receives financial support from 21 countries. The ODP operates globally and, as with DSDP before it, drills without a riser or blowout preventer in a wide range of geological environments. Water depths at GDP drill sites have ranged from 38 m to 5969 m, but are typically within the range 1000-5000 m. Depths of penetration at GDP drill sites, while generally less than 1000 m, have ranged up to 2111 m below the sea floor. The drilling fluid is seawater, although occasional slugs of mud are circulated to clean or condition the hole. Thus drilling is carried out without well control, i.e. without the ability to control pressures within the well. Because of the absence of well control, it is vital to ensure that the drillship does not drill into an accumulation of oil or gas. Drilling into a charged reservoir and causing oil or gas to escape into the marine environment is recognised as the main pollution hazard in scientific ocean drilling

THE INNER DISK STRUCTURE, DISK-PLANET INTERACTIONS, AND TEMPORAL EVOLUTION IN THE β PICTORIS SYSTEM: A TWO-EPOCH HST/STIS CORONAGRAPHIC STUDY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Apai, Dániel; Schneider, Glenn [Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Grady, Carol A. [Eureka Scientific, 2452 Delmer, Suite 100, Oakland CA 96002 (United States); Wyatt, Mark C. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Lagrange, Anne-Marie [Université Grenoble Alpes, IPAG, F-38000, Grenoble (France); Kuchner, Marc J.; Stark, Christopher J. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Code 667, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Lubow, Stephen H., E-mail: apai@arizona.edu [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2015-02-20

We present deep Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph coronagraphic images of the β Pic debris disk obtained at two epochs separated by 15 yr. The new images and the re-reduction of the 1997 data provide the most sensitive and detailed views of the disk at optical wavelengths as well as the yet smallest inner working angle optical coronagraphic image of the disk. Our observations characterize the large-scale and inner-disk asymmetries and we identify multiple breaks in the disk radial surface brightness profile. We study in detail the radial and vertical disk structure and show that the disk is warped. We explore the disk at the location of the β Pic b super-Jupiter and find that the disk surface brightness slope is continuous between 0.''5 and 2.''0, arguing for no change at the separations where β Pic b orbits. The two epoch images constrain the disk's surface brightness evolution on orbital and radiation pressure blow-out timescales. We place an upper limit of 3% on the disk surface brightness change between 3'' and 5'', including the locations of the disk warp, and the CO and dust clumps. We discuss the new observations in the context of high-resolution multi-wavelength images and divide the disk asymmetries in two groups: axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric. The axisymmetric structures (warp, large-scale butterfly, etc.) are consistent with disk structure models that include interactions of a planetesimal belt and a non-coplanar giant planet. The non-axisymmetric features, however, require a different explanation.

New technological developments in oil well fire fighting equipment and methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, B.; Matthews, R.T.

1995-12-31

Since Drake`s first oil well in 1859, well fires have been frequent and disastrous. Hardly a year has passed in over a century without a well fire somewhere in the world. In the 1920`s the classic method of fire fighting using explosives to starve the fire of oxygen was developed and it has been used extensively ever since. While explosives are still one of the most frequently used methods today, several other methods are used to supplement it where special conditions exist. Tunneling at an angle from a safe distance is used in some cases, especially where the fire is too hot for a close approach on the ground surface. Pumping drilling muds into a well to plug it is another method that has been used successfully for some time. Diverter wells are occasionally used, and sometimes simply pumping enough water on a well fire is sufficient to extinguish it. Of course, prevention is always the best solution. Many advances in blow-out prevention devices have been developed in the last 50 years and the number of fires has been substantially reduced compared to the number of wells drilled. However, very little in new technology has been applied to oil well fire fighting in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. Overall technological progress has accelerated tremendously in this period, of course, but new materials and equipment were not applied to this field for some reason. Saddam Hussein`s environmental holocaust in Kuwait changed that by causing many people throughout the world to focus their creative energy on more efficient oil well fire fighting methods.

Fatigue assessment of a double submerged arc welded gas pipeline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fazzini, Pablo; Otegui, Jose Luis [Universidad Nacional Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata (Argentina). Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Materiales (INTEMA); Teutonico, Mauricio; Manfredi, Carlos [GIE S.A., Mar del Plata (Argentina)

2005-07-01

An uncommon blowout in a 24'' diameter, 7 mm thick API 5L X52 gas pipeline was due to fracture at the longitudinal double submerged arc weld. Oddly enough for gas pipelines, it was found that fatigue cracks had propagated from a large embedded weld defect of lack of fusion resulting from severe geometrical mismatch between inner and outer weld passes. What makes this failure particularly interesting is that: previous in line inspections failed to detect any defect, no evidence of third party damage was found, and very few large pressure cycles had been recorded during the last 5 years of service, which were believed to be representative of the entire service life of the pipeline. Fatigue tests were carried out to characterize propagation of fatigue cracks in weld metal, it was found that a large Paris exponent made the few large amplitude cycles most contributing to crack propagation. Crack growth path and striation patterns were studied. Fatigue growth was modelled by integrating experimental results and by extrapolating striation spacing in the fracture surface of the failed pipe. Crack growth path and striation patterns were studied. It was found that microstructure discontinuities govern propagation at low {delta}K, but one striation per cycle was produced at large {delta}K, due to a mostly ductile propagation mode. Fatigue growth was modelled by integrating experimental results and by extrapolating striation spacing in the fracture surface of the failed pipe. It was found that in the early life of the line many more large pressure cycles than expected had occurred. Good correspondence between predicted and actual fatigue lives was in this way obtained (author)

A survey of microbial community diversity in marine sediments impacted by petroleum hydrocarbons from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic shorelines, Texas to Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Lisle, John T.; Stellick, Sarah H.

2011-01-01

Microbial community genomic DNA was extracted from sediment samples collected along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts from Texas to Florida. Sample sites were identified as being ecologically sensitive and (or) as having high potential of being impacted by Macondo-1 (M-1) well oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout. The diversity within the microbial communities associated with the collected sediments provides a baseline dataset to which microbial community-diversity data from impacted sites could be compared. To determine the microbial community diversity in the samples, genetic fingerprints were generated and compared. Specific sequences within the community genomic DNA were first amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a primer set that provides possible resolution to the species level. A second nested PCR was performed on the primary PCR products using a primer set on which a GC-clamp was attached to one of the primers. The nested PCR products were separated using denaturing-gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) that resolves the nested PCR products based on sequence dissimilarities (or similarities), forming a genomic fingerprint of the microbial diversity within the respective samples. Samples with similar fingerprints were grouped and compared to oil-fingerprint data from the same sites (Rosenbauer and others, 2011). The microbial community fingerprints were generally grouped into sites that had been shown to contain background concentrations of non-Deepwater Horizon oil. However, these groupings also included sites where no oil signature was detected. This report represents some of the first information on naturally occurring microbial communities in sediment from shorelines along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts from Texas to Florida.

Diverse, rare microbial taxa responded to the Deepwater Horizon deep-sea hydrocarbon plume.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleindienst, Sara; Grim, Sharon; Sogin, Mitchell; Bracco, Annalisa; Crespo-Medina, Melitza; Joye, Samantha B

2016-02-01

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil well blowout generated an enormous plume of dispersed hydrocarbons that substantially altered the Gulf of Mexico's deep-sea microbial community. A significant enrichment of distinct microbial populations was observed, yet, little is known about the abundance and richness of specific microbial ecotypes involved in gas, oil and dispersant biodegradation in the wake of oil spills. Here, we document a previously unrecognized diversity of closely related taxa affiliating with Cycloclasticus, Colwellia and Oceanospirillaceae and describe their spatio-temporal distribution in the Gulf's deepwater, in close proximity to the discharge site and at increasing distance from it, before, during and after the discharge. A highly sensitive, computational method (oligotyping) applied to a data set generated from 454-tag pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene V4-V6 regions, enabled the detection of population dynamics at the sub-operational taxonomic unit level (0.2% sequence similarity). The biogeochemical signature of the deep-sea samples was assessed via total cell counts, concentrations of short-chain alkanes (C1-C5), nutrients, (colored) dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, as well as methane oxidation rates. Statistical analysis elucidated environmental factors that shaped ecologically relevant dynamics of oligotypes, which likely represent distinct ecotypes. Major hydrocarbon degraders, adapted to the slow-diffusive natural hydrocarbon seepage in the Gulf of Mexico, appeared unable to cope with the conditions encountered during the DWH spill or were outcompeted. In contrast, diverse, rare taxa increased rapidly in abundance, underscoring the importance of specialized sub-populations and potential ecotypes during massive deep-sea oil discharges and perhaps other large-scale perturbations.

Biodiversity impact of the aeolian periglacial geomorphologic evolution of the Fontainebleau Massif (France)

Science.gov (United States)

Thiry, M.; Liron, M. N.

2009-04-01

Landscape features The geomorphology of the Fontainebleau Massif is noteworthy for its spectacular narrow ridges, up to 10 km long and 0.5 km wide, armored by tightly cemented sandstone lenses and which overhang sandy depressions of about 50m. Denudation of the sandstone pans lead to a highly contrasted landscape, with sandstone ridges ("platières") towering sandy depressions ("vallées") and limestone plateaus ("monts"). This forms the geological frame of the spectacular sceneries of the Fontainebleau Massif (Thiry & Liron, 2007). Nevertheless, there is little know about the erosive processes that have built-up these landscapes. Periglacial processes, and among them aeolian ones, appear significant in the development of the Fontainebleau Massif physiography. The periglacial aeolian geomorphology Dunes and dune fields are known since long and cover about 15% to 25% of the Fontainebleau Massif. The aeolian dunes developed as well on the higher parts of the landscape, as well as in the lower parts of the landscape. The dunes are especially well developed in the whole eastern part of the massif, whereas the western part of the massif is almost devoid of dunes. Nevertheless, detailed mapping shows that dunes can locally be found in the western district, they are of limited extension, restricted to the east facing backslope of outliers. Loamy-sand covers the limestone plateaus of the "monts". The loam cover is of variable thickness: schematically thicker in the central part of the plateaus, where it my reach 3 m; elsewhere it may thin down to 0,20-0,30 m, especially at the plateau edges. Blowout hollows are "negative" morphologies from where the sand has been withdrawed. Often these blowouts are decametric sized and well-delimited structures. Others, more complex structures, are made up of several elongated hectometric hollows relaying each other from and which outline deflation corridor more than 1 km long. A characteristic feature of these blowout hollows is the

Leakage Risk Assessment of CO{sub 2} Transportation by Pipeline at the Illinois Basin Decatur Project, Decatur, Illinois

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mazzoldi, A.; Oldenburg, C. M.

2013-12-17

the pipeline route within the ADM plant. Leakage scenarios at sites along the route of the pipeline, where plant operations (e.g., vehicular and train transportation) seem to present a higher likelihood of accidental failure, for example due to vehicles or equipment crashing into the pipeline and completely severing it, were modeled by allowing them to have a double source consistent with the pipeline releasing high-pressure CO{sub 2} from both ends of the broken pipe after a full-bore offset rupture. Simulation results show that the built environment of the plant plays a significant role in the dispersion of the gas as leaking CO{sub 2} can impinge upon buildings and other infrastructure. In all scenarios simulated, the region of very high-concentration of CO{sub 2} is limited to a small area around the pipeline failure, suggesting the likelihood of widespread harmful CO{sub 2} exposure to plant personnel from pipeline leakage is low. An additional risk is posed by the blast wave that emanates from a high-pressure pipeline when it is breached quickly. We estimate the blast wave risk as low because it occurs only for a short time in the immediate vicinity of the rupture, and requires an instantaneous large-scale rupture to occur. We recommend consideration of signage and guard rails and posts to mitigate the likelihood of vehicles crashing into the pipeline. A standardized emergency response plan applicable to capture plants within industrial sites could be developed based on the IBDP that would be useful for other capture plants. Finally, we recommend carrying out coupled wellbore-reservoir blowout scenario modeling to understand the potential for hazardous conditions arising from an unexpected blowout at the wellhead.

Polycyclic hydrocarbon biomarkers confirm selective incorporation of petroleum in soil and kangaroo rat liver samples near an oil well blowout site in the western San Joaquin Valley, California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplan, I.; Lu, S.T.; Lee, R.P.; Warrick, G.

1996-01-01

Following an accidental oil well blow out at an oil field in the western part of the San Joaquin Valley, soil samples and specimens of Heermann's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni) were collected from two oil-impacted areas and one control area. Fingerprinting by GC-MS and quantitative evaluation of metabolized petroleum hydrocarbons was performed on oil, soil extracts, and rat livers. A liver from a domestically raised rabbit was used as an experimental control. The results show that there is no significant incorporation of PAHs or low molecular weight n-alkanes (C 13 --C 25 ) into the liver tissues. The C 25 --C 35 n-alkane range for all soil samples, kangaroo rat livers, and rabbit liver, is dominated by a high abundance of C 27 , C 29 , C 31 , and C 33 hydrocarbons typical of epicuticular plant waxes. In all liver tissue samples, squalene, the cholesterol precursor, is the dominant hydrocarbon. Although evidence is lacking for metabolism of PAHs and paraffinic petroleum hydrocarbons, very strong evidence is available for incorporation of a set of polycyclic hydrocarbons (biomarkers) belonging to the terpane, sterane, and monoaromatic and triaromatic sterane families, identified by ion monitoring at 191, 217, 253, and 231 m/z, respectively. Because these hydrocarbons are not known to exist in the biosphere, but are only synthesized during oil- and coal-forming processes, their presence in the liver samples constitutes proof for crude oil incorporation into tissues. This conclusion is further substantiated by the selective incorporation of only the 20S enantiomer of C 28 and C 29 steranes and aromatic steranes into the livers, with the exclusion of the 20R enantiomer. The results from the study conclusively demonstrate that polycyclic hydrocarbon biomarkers provide excellent indices for proof of petroleum exposure and metabolism in some terrestrial herbivores

HSE (CASHES) management in Niger Delta seismic operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adepoju, O.J.

1996-12-31

3-D seismic acquisition surveys in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, are carried out under extremely arduous field conditions due to difficult terrain, dense vegetation, semi-manual mode of operation, wildlife and volatile communities. The vegetation is a combination of evergreen tropical rain forest in the land areas and mangrove in the swamp areas. Some parts of the delta are prone to high seasonal flooding. Seismic lines are laid out by manual cutting of brush using machetes and shot holes drilled semi-manually with pumps. In order to effectively carry out the operations with due regard to the people and environment, a Community Affairs, Safety, Health, Environment and Security (CASHES) Polio and management System which ensures that a hazards are identified, assessed. controlled, with an effective loop feedback mechanism was introduced and implemented. CASHES critical activities are community relations, field security, explosives handling, water transport/journey management, river crossings. weather, shallow gas blow-out, waste management, seasonal flooding and floating-seaweed (water hyacinth)/timber logs. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies arc essential at the initial planning stages. About 41 Hazard Registers and 177 Activity Specification Sheets are developed in a typical survey. About 85% of the labor workforce are recruited from the host communities to promote cordial relations. Extensive training is carried out to raise the standards of the new recruits. The implementation of the management system is cascaded down using simplified documentation (procedures, work tasks, checklists etc.) adapted to local conditions. Integrated CASHES audits (Premob, Minor, Major. Follow up) arc conducted to check the efficiency of the system with documents getting reviewed regularly to keep the system alive and capable of handling changes. With these in place, high potential incidents are reduced/eliminated.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation potential of Gulf of Mexico coastal microbial communities after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony D. Kappell

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The Deepwater Horizon (DWH blowout resulted in oil transport, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs to the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. The microbial communities of these shorelines are thought to be responsible for the intrinsic degradation of PAHs. To investigate the Gulf Coast beach microbial community response to hydrocarbon exposure, we examined the functional gene diversity, bacterial community composition, and PAH degradation capacity of a heavily oiled and non-oiled beach following the oil exposure. With a non-expression functional gene microarray targeting 539 gene families, we detected 28,748 coding sequences. Of these sequences, 10% were uniquely associated with the severely oil-contaminated beach and 6.0% with the non-oiled beach. There was little variation in the functional genes detected between the two beaches; however the relative abundance of functional genes involved in oil degradation pathways, including PAHs, were greater in the oiled beach. The microbial PAH degradation potentials of both beaches, were tested in mesocosms. Mesocosms were constructed in glass columns using sands with native microbial communities, circulated with artificial sea water and challenged with a mixture of PAHs. The low-molecular weight PAHs, fluorene and naphthalene, showed rapid depletion in all mesocosms while the high-molecular weight benzo[α]pyrene was not degraded by either microbial community. Both the heavily oiled and the non-impacted coastal communities showed little variation in their biodegradation ability for low molecular weight PAHs. Massively-parallel sequencing of 16S rRNA genes from mesocosm DNA showed that known PAH degraders and genera frequently associated with oil hydrocarbon degradation represented a major portion of the bacterial community. The observed similar response by microbial communities from beaches with a different recent history of oil exposure suggests that Gulf Coast beach communities are primed for PAH

Oil Pollution in the Marine Environment: A 35 Year Perspective of Communicating Broadly

Science.gov (United States)

Farrington, J. W.; Tripp, B. W.

2006-12-01

Large accidental oil spills such as the tanker Torrey Canyon off the United Kingdom in 1967 and the Santa Barbara Oil Well Blowout of 1969, and attendant publicity, demonstrated that oil spills could be messy, have adverse effects on birds and other wildlife by oiling, and capture the public attention. However, careful scientific study of oil spills using modern biological sciences methods and modern geochemical analyses were needed to overcome the "out of sight, out of mind" conclusion that all was well when visible oil slicks on the water's surface disappeared. Documenting the long lasting persistence of chemicals from spilled oils and attendant biological effects began with a few dedicated scientists who not only published their findings in the scientific literature, but also made them known in testimony before Congress, in interviews with the press and publishing in magazines designed to communicate science to the public. They served as examples for our own efforts, and those of colleagues, to communicate the magnitude of the chronic input of petroleum compounds to the oceans as a result of the every day use of fossil fuels and how this input was quantitatively much larger than inputs from accidental spills and resulted in contamination of coastal areas near urban harbors and at offshore dumpsites. Over a period of the past thirty years mainly during 1971-2000, we used a combination of participation in review and advisory panels and committees, testimony before Congress, letters to government officials, public lectures, articles in the lay press, print and electronic media interviews, and museum exhibits to communicate the message from our scientific papers in ways that could be understood by the general public and acted on by their elected and appointed officials. Lessons learned from these efforts will be summarized

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INNER DISK AROUND HD 141569 A FROM KECK/NIRC2 L-BAND VORTEX CORONAGRAPHY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mawet, Dimitri; Bottom, Michael; Matthews, Keith [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Choquet, Élodie; Serabyn, Eugene [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Absil, Olivier; Huby, Elsa; Gonzalez, Carlos A. Gomez; Wertz, Olivier; Carlomagno, Brunella; Christiaens, Valentin; Defrère, Denis; Delacroix, Christian; Habraken, Serge; Jolivet, Aissa [Space sciences, Technologies and Astrophysics Research (STAR) Institute, Université de Liège, 19 Allée du Six Août, B-4000 Liège (Belgium); Femenia, Bruno [W. M. Keck Observatory, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Hwy., Kamuela, HI 96743 (United States); Lebreton, Jérémy [NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, California Institute of Technology, 770 South Wilson Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Forsberg, Pontus; Karlsson, Mikael [Department of Engineering Sciences, Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 534, SE-751 21 Uppsala (Sweden); Milli, Julien, E-mail: dmawet@astro.caltech.edu [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordóva 3107, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile); and others

2017-01-01

HD 141569 A is a pre-main sequence B9.5 Ve star surrounded by a prominent and complex circumstellar disk, likely still in a transition stage from protoplanetary to debris disk phase. Here, we present a new image of the third inner disk component of HD 141569 A made in the L ′ band (3.8 μ m) during the commissioning of the vector vortex coronagraph that has recently been installed in the near-infrared imager and spectrograph NIRC2 behind the W.M. Keck Observatory Keck II adaptive optics system. We used reference point-spread function subtraction, which reveals the innermost disk component from the inner working distance of ≃23 au and up to ≃70 au. The spatial scale of our detection roughly corresponds to the optical and near-infrared scattered light, thermal Q , N , and 8.6 μ m PAH emission reported earlier. We also see an outward progression in dust location from the L ′ band to the H band (Very Large Telescope/SPHERE image) to the visible ( Hubble Space Telescope ( HST )/STIS image), which is likely indicative of dust blowout. The warm disk component is nested deep inside the two outer belts imaged by HST-NICMOS in 1999 (at 406 and 245 au, respectively). We fit our new L ′-band image and spectral energy distribution of HD 141569 A with the radiative transfer code MCFOST. Our best-fit models favor pure olivine grains and are consistent with the composition of the outer belts. While our image shows a putative very faint point-like clump or source embedded in the inner disk, we did not detect any true companion within the gap between the inner disk and the first outer ring, at a sensitivity of a few Jupiter masses.

Autoignited lifted flames of dimethyl ether in heated coflow air

KAUST Repository

Al-Noman, Saeed M.

2018-05-16

Autoignited lifted flames of dimethyl ether (DME) in laminar nonpremixed jets with high-temperature coflow air have been studied experimentally. When the initial temperature was elevated to over 860 K, an autoignition occurred without requiring an external ignition source. A planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique for formaldehyde (CH2O) visualized qualitatively the zone of low temperature kinetics in a premixed flame. Two flame configurations were investigated; (1) autoignited lifted flames with tribrachial edge having three distinct branches of a lean and a rich premixed flame wings with a trailing diffusion flame and (2) autoignited lifted flames with mild combustion when the fuel was highly diluted. For the autoignited tribrachial edge flames at critical autoignition conditions, exhibiting repetitive extinction and re-ignition phenomena near a blowout condition, the characteristic flow time (liftoff height scaled with jet velocity) was correlated with the square of the ignition delay time of the stoichiometric mixture. The liftoff heights were also correlated as a function of jet velocity times the square of ignition delay time. Formaldehydes were observed between the fuel nozzle and the lifted flame edge, emphasizing a low-temperature kinetics for autoignited lifted flames, while for a non-autoignited lifted flame, formaldehydes were observed near a thin luminous flame zone.For the autoignited lifted flames with mild combustion, especially at a high temperature, a unique non-monotonic liftoff height behavior was observed; decreasing and then increasing liftoff height with jet velocity. This behavior was similar to the binary mixture fuels of CH4/H2 and CO/H2 observed previously. A transient homogeneous autoignition analysis suggested that such decreasing behavior with jet velocity can be attributed to partial oxidation characteristics of DME in producing appreciable amounts of CH4/CO/H2 ahead of the edge flame region.

Endangered species and cultural resources program, Naval Petroleum Reserves in California: Annual report FY95

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-04-01

In FY95, EG and G Energy Measurements, Inc. (EG and G/EM) continued to support efforts to protect endangered species and cultural resources at the Naval Petroleum Reserves in California (NPRC). These efforts are conducted to ensure NPRC compliance with regulations regarding the protection of listed species and cultural resources on Federal properties. Population monitoring activities are conducted annually for San Joaquin kit foxes, giant kangaroo rats, blunt-nosed leopard lizards, and Hoover's wooly-star. To mitigate impacts of oil field activities on listed species, 674 preactivity surveys covering approximately 211 hectares (521 acres) were conducted in FY95. EG and G/EM also assisted with mitigating effects from third-party projects, primarily by conducting biological and cultural resource consultations with regulatory agencies. EG and G/EM has conducted an applied habitat reclamation program at NPRC since 1985. In FY95, an evaluation of revegetation rates on reclaimed and non-reclaimed disturbed lands was completed, and the results will be used to direct future habitat reclamation efforts at NPRC. In FY95, reclamation success was monitored on 50 sites reclaimed in 1985. An investigation of factors influencing the distribution and abundance of kit foxes at NPRC was initiated in FY94. Factors being examined include habitat disturbance, topography, grazing, coyote abundance, lagomorph abundance, and shrub density. This investigation continued in FY95 and a manuscript on this topic will be completed in FY96. Also, Eg and G/EM completed collection of field data to evaluate the effects of a well blow-out on plant and animal populations. A final report will be prepared in FY96. Finally, EG and G/EM completed a life table analysis on San Joaquin kit foxes at NPRC

Background to EOHSI study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Granville, G.

2004-01-01

This paper discusses ongoing public concerns regarding the health impacts of sour gas in Pincher Creek. A description of a 90 day toxicity study on hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) at the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT) in 3 strains of rodents was presented. A decade by decade review of events concerning gas emissions was provided, including a description of the 1980s lodgepole blowout and an introduction of a sulphide network in Alberta. The creation of a joint proposal for a comprehensive health review from Alberta researchers and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) was also outlined. The 1990s heralded an increased level of public participation in sour gas developments and health and odour issues. Details of the Ludwig saga were presented as well as further research studies and the Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) protocols, processes and hearings. In the 1990s, several human volunteer studies were conducted in response to public concerns about neurotoxicity and reproductive developmental effects. After the year 2000, continued public concern has been voiced at EUB hearings and at panel reviews of health effects. It was noted that development and research data has continued to be the cause of public concern and continued calls for additional work and reviews. However, no additional hazards have been identified with ongoing human volunteer studies, environmental levels and enhanced monitors research almost complete. It was concluded that current controversy seemed to downplay or ignore much of the available science. Human and animal data has consistently revealed that there is no evidence of neuro-developmental reproductive effects. It was recommended that power plays should be avoided and that the ongoing human volunteer study should eventually provide results. tabs, figs

Impact of Vitiation on a Swirl-Stabilized and Premixed Methane Flame

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mao Li

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Vitiation refers to the condition where the oxygen concentration in the air is reduced due to the mix of dilution gas. The vitiation effects on a premixed methane flame were investigated on a swirl-stabilized gas turbine model combustor under atmospheric pressure. The main purpose is to analyze the combustion stability and CO emission performance in vitiated air and compare the results with the flame without vitiation. The N2, CO2, and H2O (steam were used as the dilution gas. Measurements were conducted in a combustor inlet temperature of 384 K and 484 K. The equivalence ratio was varied from stoichiometric conditions to the LBO (Lean Blowout limits where the flame was physically blown out from the combustor. The chemical kinetics calculation was performed with Chemkin software to analyze the vitiation effects on the flame reaction zone. Based on the calculation results, the changes in the temperature gradient, CO concentration, and active radicals across the flame reaction zone were identified. The time-averaged CH chemiluminescence images were recorded and the results indicated the features of the flame shape and location. The CH signal intensity provided the information about the heat-release zone in the combustor. The combustion LBO limits were measured and the vitiation of CO2 and H2O were found to have a stronger impact to elevate the LBO limits than N2. Near the LBO limits, the instability of the flame reaction was revealed by the high-speed chemiluminescence imaging and the results were analyzed by FFT (Fast Fourier Transfer. CO emission was measured with a water-cooled probe which is located at the exit of the combustor. The combustion vitiation has been found to have the compression effect on the operation range for low CO emission. However, this compression effect could be compensated by improving the combustor inlet temperature.

An approach for estimating toxic releases of H{sub 2}S-containing natural gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jianwen, Zhang, E-mail: zhangjw@mail.buct.edu.cn [Lab of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Institute of Safety Management, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Da, Lei [Lab of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Wenxing, Feng [Pipeline Research Center of PetroChina Company Lmited, 51 Golden Road, Langfang 065000 (China)

2014-01-15

Highlights: • Behavior of H{sub 2}S-containing natural gas exhibits appearance of neutral gas by CFD. • The poisoning hazards of H{sub 2}S by gas pipeline releases are successfully estimated. • An assessment method for available safe egress time is proposed. -- Abstract: China is well known being rich in sulfurous natural gas with huge deposits widely distributed all over the country. Due to the toxic nature, the release of hydrogen sulfide-containing natural gas from the pipelines intends to impose serious threats to the human, society and environment around the release sources. CFD algorithm is adopted to simulate the dispersion process of gas, and the results prove that Gaussian plume model is suitable for determining the affected region of the well blowout of sulfide hydrogen-containing natural gas. In accordance with the analysis of release scenarios, the present study proposes a new approach for estimating the risk of hydrogen sulfide poisoning hazards, as caused by sulfide-hydrogen-containing natural gas releases. Historical accident-statistical data from the EGIG (European Gas Pipeline Incident Data Group) and the Britain Gas Transco are integrated into the approach. Also, the dose-load effect is introduced to exploit the hazards’ effects by two essential parameters – toxic concentration and exposure time. The approach was applied to three release scenarios occurring on the East-Sichuan Gas Transportation Project, and the individual risk and societal risk are classified and discussed. Results show that societal risk varies significantly with different factors, including population density, distance from pipeline, operating conditions and so on. Concerning the dispersion process of hazardous gas, available safe egress time was studied from the perspective of individual fatality risks. The present approach can provide reliable support for the safety management and maintenance of natural gas pipelines as well as evacuations that may occur after

One less trip : logging with less tripping, more protection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Byfield, M.

2005-12-15

New logging technology by Datalog Technology Inc. was described. Logging-while-tripping (LWT) technology uses a slim petrophysical sensor package that is moved to the targeted geological formation through a drill pipe, which reduces the exposure to vibration and shock involved in logging-while-drilling (LWD). The equipment features standard components in a patented configuration and comes in 2 segments: the receiver sub and the sensor package electronics. A receiver sub is inserted into the bottomhole assembly at the end of the drill string. Drilling progresses with the LWT sub in the bottomhole assembly until the borehole approaches the logging depth. The sensor package and electronics are then lowered into the drill string. If the well is horizontal, rig pumps push the package into the drill string until it lands in the LWT sub. Drill pipes are moved across the zone of interest and logs are recorded on downhole memory contained within the LWT package. As the logging operation progresses, a depth recorder at the surface records depth information along with the downhole recorders. When logging is completed, downhole tools are retrieved, and data downloaded from the LWT onboard memory is merged with the surface depth information to generate well logs. Retrieval via the drill string greatly reduces the risk of losing the logging gear, which contains radioactive material. Federal officials now routinely insist on extensive fishing operations to retrieve lost tools. If a well gets a gas kick while logging is in progress, the operator can still pump down mud or close the blowout preventer rams if necessary, and save time in determining where to perforate shallow gas wells. Compensated neutron logs, gamma rays, spectrum gamma rays, and induction have been tested with the LWT system. It was concluded that Petro-Canada has deployed the logs recently and has achieved results that compared satisfactorily with conventional logs. 2 figs.

Parabolic dune reactivation and migration at Napeague, NY, USA: Insights from aerial and GPR imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Girardi, James D.; Davis, Dan M.

2010-02-01

Observations from mapping since the 19th century and aerial imagery since 1930 have been used to study changes in the aeolian geomorphology of coastal parabolic dunes over the last ~ 170 years in the Walking Dune Field, Napeague, NY. The five large parabolic dunes of the Walking Dune Field have all migrated across, or are presently interacting with, a variably forested area that has affected their migration, stabilization and morphology. This study has concentrated on a dune with a particularly complex history of stabilization, reactivation and migration. We have correlated that dune's surface evolution, as revealed by aerial imagery, with its internal structures imaged using 200 MHz and 500 MHz Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys. Both 2D (transect) and high-resolution 3D GPR imagery image downwind dipping bedding planes which can be grouped by apparent dip angle into several discrete packages of beds that reflect distinct decadal-scale episodes of dune reactivation and growth. From aerial and high resolution GPR imagery, we document a unique mode of reactivation and migration linked to upwind dune formation and parabolic dune interactions with forest trees. This study documents how dune-dune and dune-vegetation interactions have influenced a unique mode of blowout deposition that has alternated on a decadal scale between opposite sides of a parabolic dune during reactivation and migration. The pattern of recent parabolic dune reactivation and migration in the Walking Dune Field appears to be somewhat more complex, and perhaps more sensitive to subtle environmental pressures, than an idealized growth model with uniform deposition and purely on-axis migration. This pattern, believed to be prevalent among other parabolic dunes in the Walking Dune Field, may occur also in many other places where similar observational constraints are unavailable.

A COMPREHENSIVE DUST MODEL APPLIED TO THE RESOLVED BETA PICTORIS DEBRIS DISK FROM OPTICAL TO RADIO WAVELENGTHS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ballering, Nicholas P.; Su, Kate Y. L.; Rieke, George H.; Gáspár, András, E-mail: ballerin@email.arizona.edu [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

2016-06-01

We investigate whether varying the dust composition (described by the optical constants) can solve a persistent problem in debris disk modeling—the inability to fit the thermal emission without overpredicting the scattered light. We model five images of the β Pictoris disk: two in scattered light from the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST )/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph at 0.58 μ m and HST /Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC 3) at 1.16 μ m, and three in thermal emission from Spitzer /Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) at 24 μ m, Herschel /PACS at 70 μ m, and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array at 870 μ m. The WFC3 and MIPS data are published here for the first time. We focus our modeling on the outer part of this disk, consisting of a parent body ring and a halo of small grains. First, we confirm that a model using astronomical silicates cannot simultaneously fit the thermal and scattered light data. Next, we use a simple generic function for the optical constants to show that varying the dust composition can improve the fit substantially. Finally, we model the dust as a mixture of the most plausible debris constituents: astronomical silicates, water ice, organic refractory material, and vacuum. We achieve a good fit to all data sets with grains composed predominantly of silicates and organics, while ice and vacuum are, at most, present in small amounts. This composition is similar to one derived from previous work on the HR 4796A disk. Our model also fits the thermal spectral energy distribution, scattered light colors, and high-resolution mid-IR data from T-ReCS for this disk. Additionally, we show that sub-blowout grains are a necessary component of the halo.

Transportal anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with quadrupled hamstring tendon graft: A prospective outcome study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chandan Kumar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL reconstruction has been one of the most commonly performed procedures throughout the world. Unsatisfactory outcome with conventional ACL reconstruction has been attributed to nonanatomic graft placement. Researchers have advised placing the graft in the native footprint of ACL to avoid nonanatomic graft placement. The goal of this study was to analyze the outcome of anatomic single bundle ACL reconstruction using transportal technique. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective outcome study conducted on 85 consecutive patients of ACL reconstruction of which 62 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria and were analyzed for final results. All the patients underwent ACL reconstruction by quadrupled hamstring tendon graft using transportal technique and the accessory anteromedial (AAM portal for femoral tunnel creation. The graft was fixed with endobutton on femoral side and bioabsorbable screw on the tibial side. Patients were evaluated for range of motion, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC score, and Lysholm scores at a minimum followup period of 2 years. The mean pre- and postoperative scores were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: The mean Lysholm and IKDC scores improved significantly (P < 0.0001 from preoperative value. According to IKDC score, 90.3% (n = 56 were either normal or near normal at final followup. According to Lysholm score, 75.8% of patients had excellent and 13.3% had good results. Preoperatively, pivot shift was present in 85.5% (n = 53 of patients which reduced to 4.8% (n = 3 postoperatively. Infection and knee stiffness occurred in two patients, and femoral tunnel blowout and graft re-rupture occurred in one patient each. Conclusion: Anatomic ACL reconstruction by AAM portal is a reproducible technique which gives good clinical outcome at short-term followup.

Health Impact Assessment of an oil drilling project in California.

Science.gov (United States)

McCallum, Lindsay C; Souweine, Kathleen; McDaniel, Mary; Koppe, Bart; McFarland, Christine; Butler, Katherine; Ollson, Christopher A

2016-01-01

The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was conducted to evaluate the potential community health implications of a proposed oil drilling and production project in Hermosa Beach, California. The HIA considered 17 determinants of health that fell under 6 major categories (i.e., air quality, water and soil quality, upset conditions, noise and light emissions, traffic, and community livability). This paper attempts to address some of the gaps within the HIA practice by presenting the methodological approach and results of this transparent, comprehensive HIA; specifically, the evaluation matrix and decision-making framework that have been developed for this HIA and form the basis of the evaluation and allow for a clear conclusion to be reached in respect of any given health determinant (i.e., positive, negative, neutral). There is a number of aspects of the project that may positively influence health (e.g., increased education funding, ability to enhance green space), and at the same time there have been potential negative effects identified (e.g., odor, blowouts, property values). Except for upset conditions, the negative health outcomes have been largely nuisance-related (e.g., odor, aesthetics) without irreversible health impacts. The majority of the health determinants, that had been examined, have revealed that the project would have no substantial effect on the health of the community. Using the newly developed methodology and based on established mitigation measures and additional recommendations provided in the HIA, the authors have concluded that the project will have no substantial effect on community health. This approach and methodology will assist practitioners, stakeholders and decision-makers in advancing the HIA as a useful, reproducible, and informative tool. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

LATERAL OFFSET OF THE CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS FROM THE X-FLARE OF 2006 DECEMBER 13 AND ITS TWO PRECURSOR ERUPTIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Harra, Louise K.

2011-01-01

Two GOES sub-C-class precursor eruptions occurred within ∼10 hr prior to and from the same active region as the 2006 December 13 X4.3-class flare. Each eruption generated a coronal mass ejection (CME) with center laterally far offset (∼> 45°) from the co-produced bright flare. Explaining such CME-to-flare lateral offsets in terms of the standard model for solar eruptions has been controversial. Using Hinode/X-Ray Telescope (XRT) and EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) data, and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) and Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) data, we find or infer the following. (1) The first precursor was a 'magnetic-arch-blowout' event, where an initial standard-model eruption of the active region's core field blew out a lobe on one side of the active region's field. (2) The second precursor began similarly, but the core-field eruption stalled in the side-lobe field, with the side-lobe field erupting ∼1 hr later to make the CME either by finally being blown out or by destabilizing and undergoing a standard-model eruption. (3) The third eruption, the X-flare event, blew out side lobes on both sides of the active region and clearly displayed characteristics of the standard model. (4) The two precursors were offset due in part to the CME originating from a side-lobe coronal arcade that was offset from the active region's core. The main eruption (and to some extent probably the precursor eruptions) was offset primarily because it pushed against the field of the large sunspot as it escaped outward. (5) All three CMEs were plausibly produced by a suitable version of the standard model.

Use of safety case to accomplish with Brazilian regulations for drilling units; Uso de caso de seguranca para cumprir com as normas brasileiras para unidades de perfuracao: metodologia Bow Tie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bardy, Mariana; Silveira, Paula Dias; Oliveira, Katia [Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Risk Advisory

2012-07-01

The last accidents on the industry, mainly after BP accident in Texas City and Macondo blowout, showed and increased the importance of safety barriers on prevention of such events. The safety barriers can be identified in risk analysis studies such as Preliminary Hazard Analysis or HAZOP. But, the identification of safety barriers is not enough, it is necessary to maintain their integrity to guarantee that when demanded they work properly as expected. The methodology presented in this document aim to evaluate the integrity condition of safety barriers and their compliance with the project original characteristics using the Bow Tie and an audit process, and searching for actions that can guarantee the barriers integrity when demanded in a proactive way. The Bow Tie diagrams provide a graphic picture of accidental scenarios, join a relational perspective between event, cause, consequence and barriers, and additionally provide a clear view of possible threats and consequences related with events with high damage potential. The application of methodology described in this document is presented based on a case study related to an accidental release of flammable liquid due to dropped objects on the topside of an offshore unit. Among the benefits identified using this proposed methodology it can be highlighted the possibility to form an integrated overview of management system and of factors that can reduce losses. The Bow Tie diagram provides an overview of process accidents, in several different organization levels, and the integration between different areas responsible for management of different barriers groups. Complementing those diagrams with an audit process it can be determined the real image of company management system related to process safety, which make possible the identification of main points for improvement. (author)

Shifts in the microbial community composition of Gulf Coast beaches following beach oiling.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryan J Newton

Full Text Available Microorganisms associated with coastal sands serve as a natural biofilter, providing essential nutrient recycling in nearshore environments and acting to maintain coastal ecosystem health. Anthropogenic stressors often impact these ecosystems, but little is known about whether these disturbances can be identified through microbial community change. The blowout of the Macondo Prospect reservoir on April 20, 2010, which released oil hydrocarbons into the Gulf of Mexico, presented an opportunity to examine whether microbial community composition might provide a sensitive measure of ecosystem disturbance. Samples were collected on four occasions, beginning in mid-June, during initial beach oiling, until mid-November from surface sand and surf zone waters at seven beaches stretching from Bay St. Louis, MS to St. George Island, FL USA. Oil hydrocarbon measurements and NOAA shoreline assessments indicated little to no impact on the two most eastern beaches (controls. Sequence comparisons of bacterial ribosomal RNA gene hypervariable regions isolated from beach sands located to the east and west of Mobile Bay in Alabama demonstrated that regional drivers account for markedly different bacterial communities. Individual beaches had unique community signatures that persisted over time and exhibited spatial relationships, where community similarity decreased as horizontal distance between samples increased from one to hundreds of meters. In contrast, sequence analyses detected larger temporal and less spatial variation among the water samples. Superimposed upon these beach community distance and time relationships, was increased variability in bacterial community composition from oil hydrocarbon contaminated sands. The increased variability was observed among the core, resident, and transient community members, indicating the occurrence of community-wide impacts rather than solely an overprinting of oil hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria onto otherwise

Radiographic study of the fifth metatarsal for optimal intramedullary screw fixation of Jones fracture.

Science.gov (United States)

Ochenjele, George; Ho, Bryant; Switaj, Paul J; Fuchs, Daniel; Goyal, Nitin; Kadakia, Anish R

2015-03-01

Jones fractures occur in the relatively avascular metadiaphyseal junction of the fifth metatarsal (MT), which predisposes these fractures to delayed union and nonunion. Operative treatment with intramedullary (IM) screw fixation is recommended in certain cases. Incorrect screw selection can lead to refractures, nonunion, and cortical blowout fractures. A better understanding of the anatomy of the fifth MT could aid in preoperative planning, guide screw size selection, and minimize complications. We retrospectively identified foot computed tomographic (CT) scans of 119 patients that met inclusion criteria. Using interactive 3-dimensional (3-D) models, the following measurements were calculated: MT length, "straight segment length" (distance from the base of the MT to the shaft curvature), and canal diameter. The diaphysis had a lateroplantar curvature where the medullary canal began to taper. The average straight segment length was 52 mm, and corresponded to 68% of the overall length of the MT from its proximal end. The medullary canal cross-section was elliptical rather than circular, with widest width in the sagittal plane and narrowest in coronal plane. The average coronal canal diameter at the isthmus was 5.0 mm. A coronal diameter greater than 4.5 mm at the isthmus was present in 81% of males and 74% of females. To our knowledge, this is the first anatomic description of the fifth metatarsal based on 3-D imaging. Excessive screw length could be avoided by keeping screw length less than 68% of the length of the fifth metatarsal. A greater than 4.5 mm diameter screw might be needed to provide adequate fixation for most study patients since the isthmus of the medullary canal for most were greater than 4.5 mm. Our results provide an improved understanding of the fifth metatarsal anatomy to guide screw diameter and length selection to maximize screw fixation and minimize complications. © The Author(s) 2014.

The Halloween Lateral Canthotomy Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nur-Ain Nadir

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Audience: The Halloween Lateral Canthotomy Model” is designed to instruct Emergency Medicine residents PGY 1-4, as well as Emergency Medicine-bound students. Introduction: Although uncommon, retrobulbar hemorrhage associated with facial trauma is a potential cause of permanent vision loss due to orbital compartment syndrome. To prevent vision loss, treatment with lateral canthotomy is time-sensitive and to perform this procedure in an emergent setting requires properly trained practitioners. Objectives: The purpose of the model is to teach residents and students how to perform lateral canthotomy and to achieve competency in their skills. Method: Lateral canthotomy is an important skill to be proficient in for any Emergency Medicine Physician, as it is an uncommon, sight-saving procedure. It is indicated in scenarios of facial trauma that cause a retrobulbar hemorrhage. Patients are at risk for permanent vision loss due to acute orbital compartment syndrome if the procedure is not done expeditiously.1 A less likely cause of retrobulbar hemorrhage is spontaneous hemorrhage due to a bleeding disorder or anticoagulant use.2 The features of retrobulbar hemorrhage include acute loss of visual acuity, relative afferent pupillary defect, proptosis with resistance to retropulsion, increased intraocular pressure, and limited extra ocular movement.3 While the diagnosis is clinical, it can be confirmed by computed tomography (CT and measurement of intraocular pressure.2 When the diagnosis is established, lateral canthotomy and cantholysis should be performed emergently. Cantholysis is contraindicated when a globe rupture is suspected or with an orbital blowout fracture. Potential complications of this procedure include iatrogenic injury to the globe or lateral rectus muscle, damage to the elevator aponeurosis resulting in ptosis, injury to the lacrimal gland and lacrimal artery, bleeding and infection.3 This task trainer uses affordable materials to let

Is Exposure to Macondo Oil Reflected in the Otolith Chemistry of Marsh-Resident Fish?

Science.gov (United States)

López-Duarte, Paola C; Fodrie, F Joel; Jensen, Olaf P; Whitehead, Andrew; Galvez, Fernando; Dubansky, Benjamin; Able, Kenneth W

2016-01-01

Genomic and physiological responses in Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) in the northern Gulf of Mexico have confirmed oil exposure of resident marsh fish following the Macondo blowout in 2010. Using these same fish, we evaluated otolith microchemistry as a method for assessing oil exposure history. Laser-ablation inductively-coupled-plasma mass spectrometry was used to analyze the chemical composition of sagittal otoliths to assess whether a trace metal signature could be detected in the otoliths of F. grandis collected from a Macondo-oil impacted site in 2010, post-spill relative to pre-spill, as well as versus fish from areas not impacted by the spill. We found no evidence of increased concentrations of two elements associated with oil contamination (nickel and vanadium) in F. grandis otoliths regardless of Macondo oil exposure history. One potential explanation for this is that Macondo oil is relatively depleted of those metals compared to other crude oils globally. During and after the spill, however, elevated levels of barium, lead, and to a lesser degree, copper were detected in killifish otoliths at the oil-impacted collection site in coastal Louisiana. This may reflect oil contact or other environmental perturbations that occurred concomitant with oiling. For example, increases in barium in otoliths from oil-exposed fish followed (temporally) freshwater diversions in Louisiana in 2010. This implicates (but does not conclusively demonstrate) freshwater diversions from the Mississippi River (with previously recorded higher concentrations of lead and copper), designed to halt the ingress of oil, as a mechanism for elevated elemental uptake in otoliths of Louisiana marsh fishes. These results highlight the potentially complex and indirect effects of the Macondo oil spill and human responses to it on Gulf of Mexico ecosystems, and emphasize the need to consider the multiple stressors acting simultaneously on inshore fish communities.

Research of mining and geological conditions for geological exploration in Pre-Caucasian region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Р. А. Гасумов

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Taking into consideration natural depletion of reserves of hydrocarbons in Mesozoic deposits of the majority of operated deposits of North Caucasus and for the purpose of further development of oil and gas producing industry in the region it is necessary to involve a carbonaceous complex of Jura of West Pre-Caucasus with the burial depth of more than 5300 m in the development. When drafting engineering design for a construction of exploratory wells in complex mining and geological conditions driven by anomalously high overburden pressure and temperature, use of thoroughly studied field geological information and taking into consideration the experience of boring similar wells is important. The paper provides analysis of geophysical data, the results of complex studies of reservoir porosity and permeability features of rocks picked out of core-samples of the first exploratory well on Krupskaya zone (porosity, permeability, electrical, acoustic, lithological characteristics, pressure-and-temperature conditions. The information obtained allowed to specify technological parameters of boring and tailing-in and to give recommendations regarding the way of exploratory wells boring and use of borehole equipment. In order to avoid the development of significant hydrodynamic pressure in the borehole which provokes gas showings it is necessary to keep on a certain level of minimal values of mud rheology parameters (dynamic shear stress τ = 70¸135 dPa; plastic viscosity η = 25¸35 mPa·s. For the purpose of real-time keeping of overbalance with anomalously high overburden pressure, control and regulation of calculated head pressure a stripper head should be included into the equipment configuration. Furthermore well head equipment and blowout preventer equipment must be designed for expected gradient of overburden pressure.

Assessment of sediment hydrocarbon contamination from the 2009 Montara oil blow out in the Timor Sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, Kathryn A.; Jones, Ross

2016-01-01

In August 2009, a blowout of the Montara H1 well 260 km off the northwest coast of Australia resulted in the uncontrolled release of about 4.7 M L of light crude oil and gaseous hydrocarbons into the Timor Sea. Over the 74 day period of the spill, the oil remained offshore and did not result in shoreline incidents on the Australia mainland. At various times slicks were sighted over a 90,000 km"2 area, forming a layer of oil which was tracked by airplanes and satellites but the slicks typically remained within 35 km of the well head platform and were treated with 183,000 L of dispersants. The shelf area where the spill occurred is shallow (100–200 m) and includes off shore emergent reefs and cays and submerged banks and shoals. This study describes the increased inputs of oil to the system and assesses the environmental impact. Concentrations of hydrocarbon in the sediment at the time of survey were very low (total aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) ranged from 0.04 to 31 ng g"−"1) and were orders of magnitude lower than concentrations at which biological effects would be expected. - Highlights: • 2009 fire/collapse of MWH1 released approximately 4.7 M L oil into the Timor Sea. • Oil gushed for 74 days before capping. Sediment studies initially declined. • Estimated 183,000 L dispersant forced oil into seawater in ∼100 m water depth area. • Sediments collected from nearby reefs and shoals 6 and 18 months later. • Assessment based on the increased oil inputs to the system. - Australia's oil spill response must include sediments collected immediately after and sediment quality guidelines for PAHs must include alkylated components as specified by the USEPA quidelines.

Prognostic Factors of Orbital Fractures with Muscle Incarceration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seung Chan Lee

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Background Among the various signs and symptoms of orbital fractures, certain clinical findings warrant immediate surgical exploration, including gaze restriction, computed tomographic (CT evidence of entrapment, and prolonged oculocardiac reflex. Despite proper surgical reconstruction, prolonged complications such as diplopia and gaze restriction can occur. This article evaluated the prognostic factors associated with prolonged complications of orbital fractures with muscle incarceration. Methods The medical records of 37 patients (37 orbits with an orbital fracture with muscle incarceration from January 2001 to January 2015 were reviewed. The presence of Incarcerated muscle was confirmed via CT, as well as by intraoperative findings. Various factors potentially contributing to complications lasting for over 1 year after the injury were categorized and analyzed, including age, cause of injury, injury-to-operation time, operative time, fracture type, nausea, vomiting and other concomitant symptoms and injuries. Results All patients who presented with extraocular muscle limitations, positive CT findings, and/or a positive forced duction test underwent surgery. Of the 37 patients, 9 (24% exhibited lasting complications, such as diplopia and gaze restriction. The mean follow-up period was 18.4 months (range, 1–108 months, while that of patients who experienced prolonged complications was 30.1 months (range, 13–36 months. Two factors were significantly associated with prolonged complications: injury-to-operation time and nausea/vomiting. Loss of vision, worsening of motility, and implant complication did not occur. Conclusions Patients who present with gaze limitations, with or without other signs of a blow-out fracture, require a thorough evaluation and emergent surgery. A better prognosis is expected with a shorter injury-to-operation time and lack of nausea and vomiting at the initial presentation.

Numerical model for surge and swab pressures on wells with cross-section variation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fedevjcyk, Joao Victor; Junqueira, Silvio Luiz de Mello; Negrao, Cezar Otaviano Ribeiro [UTFPR - Federal University of Technology - Parana - Curitiba, PR (Brazil)], e-mails: silvio@utfpr.edu.br, negrao@utfpr.edu.br

2010-07-01

Drilling is one of the most complex steps in petroleum exploration. The process is accomplished by rotating a drill bit to compress the rock formation. During drilling, a fluid is pumped into the well to lubricate and cool down the drill bit, to clean up the well, to avoid the formation fluid influx to the well and also to stabilize the borehole walls. Fluid circulation, however, can be interrupted for maintenance reasons and the drill pipe can be moved to remove the drill bit. The downward or upward movement of the drill pipe displaces the fluid within the well causing either under pressure (swab) or over pressure (surge), respectively. If the pressure at the well bore overcomes the formation fracture pressure, a loss of circulation can take place. On the other way round, the upward movement may reduce the pressure below the pore pressure and an inflow of fluid to the well (kick) can occur. An uncontrolled kick may cause a blowout with serious damages. The transient flow induced by the axial movement of the drill pipe is responsible for the pressure changes at the well bore. Nevertheless, the well bore cross section variation may modify the pressure change within the pipe. In this paper, the effects of diameter variation of the drilling well on the surge and swab pressures are investigated. The equations that represent the phenomenon (mass and momentum conservation) are discretized by the finite volume method. Despite its non-Newtonian properties, the fluid is considered Newtonian in this first work. The drill pipe is considered closed and the flow is assumed as single-phased, one-dimensional, isothermal, laminar, compressible and transient. A sensitivity analysis of the flow parameters is carried out. The cross-section changes cause the reflection of the pressure wave, and consequently pressure oscillations. (author)

Longitudinal changes of ocular blood flow using laser speckle flowgraphy during normal pregnancy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takahiro Sato

Full Text Available Innovative laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG enables noninvasive evaluation of retinal microcirculation and the usefulness has been reported in the field of ophthalmology. LSFG has allowed us to measure the real time changes of retinal blood flow without pupillary dilatations and contrast media. Herein, we investigated the change of retinal blood flow in normal pregnant women during gestation using LSFG.A prospective cohort study was conducted in 53 pregnant women who visited our institution between January, 2013 and July, 2014. Finally, a total of 41 participants without any obstetric complications were available for evaluation. Retinal blood flow was measured with LSFG in a total of 4 times during pregnancy (T1. 11-13 weeks, T2. 19-21 weeks, T3. 28-30 weeks, T4. 34-36 weeks and mean blur rate (MBR, blowout score (BOS, flow acceleration index (FAI, and resistive index (RI are analyzed from these measurements. Relations between LSFG parameters and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP are determined throughout pregnancy.MBR showed no significant changes throughout pregnancy. BOS showed a tendency to increase in the 3rd trimester. FAI values showed a slight increase from the 1st to 2nd trimester while a significant decrease was noted in the 3rd trimester. RI exhibited no changes between the 1st and 2nd trimesters, values decreased significantly after the 3rd trimester. MAP was positively correlated with BOS, and negatively correlated with FAI and RI.The present study clearly demonstrated that profiles of LSFG parameters demonstrated a decrease of resistance in retinal blood vessels. These changes in indices provide a highly sensitive reflection of physiological changes in vascular resistance due to pregnancy. Thus, LSFG may be useful, as a non-invasive, diagnostic tool to detect pregnancy related disorders such as preeclampsia.

Flame kernel generation and propagation in turbulent partially premixed hydrocarbon jet

KAUST Repository

Mansour, Mohy S.

2014-04-23

Flame development, propagation, stability, combustion efficiency, pollution formation, and overall system efficiency are affected by the early stage of flame generation defined as flame kernel. Studying the effects of turbulence and chemistry on the flame kernel propagation is the main aim of this work for natural gas (NG) and liquid petroleum gas (LPG). In addition the minimum ignition laser energy (MILE) has been investigated for both fuels. Moreover, the flame stability maps for both fuels are also investigated and analyzed. The flame kernels are generated using Nd:YAG pulsed laser and propagated in a partially premixed turbulent jet. The flow field is measured using 2-D PIV technique. Five cases have been selected for each fuel covering different values of Reynolds number within a range of 6100-14400, at a mean equivalence ratio of 2 and a certain level of partial premixing. The MILE increases by increasing the equivalence ratio. Near stoichiometric the energy density is independent on the jet velocity while in rich conditions it increases by increasing the jet velocity. The stability curves show four distinct regions as lifted, attached, blowout, and a fourth region either an attached flame if ignition occurs near the nozzle or lifted if ignition occurs downstream. LPG flames are more stable than NG flames. This is consistent with the higher values of the laminar flame speed of LPG. The flame kernel propagation speed is affected by both turbulence and chemistry. However, at low turbulence level chemistry effects are more pronounced while at high turbulence level the turbulence becomes dominant. LPG flame kernels propagate faster than those for NG flame. In addition, flame kernel extinguished faster in LPG fuel as compared to NG fuel. The propagation speed is likely to be consistent with the local mean equivalence ratio and its corresponding laminar flame speed. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

An Australian government dental scheme: Doctor-dentist-patient tensions in the triangle.

Science.gov (United States)

Weerakoon, Arosha; Fitzgerald, Lisa; Porter, Suzette

2014-11-30

Autonomy of participants is challenged when legislation to provide a public health service is weakly designed and implemented. Australia's Chronic Disease Dental Scheme was instigated to provide a government subsidy for private dental treatment for people suffering chronic illness impacting their oral health or vice versa. They were allocated AUD$4250 towards comprehensive treatment over 2 years with their eligibility determined by their general medical doctor. A qualitative research study was conducted to explore the experiences from the perspectives of the patient, medical and dental practitioner. One of the research outcomes identified a frequently reported level of discomfort in the patient/doctor/dentist triangle. Doctors and dentists reported feeling forced by patients into positions that compromised their autonomy in obeying the intent (if not the law) of the scheme. Additionally, dentists felt under pressure from doctors and patients to provide subsidized treatment to those eligible. In turn, the patients reported difficulties in gaining access to the scheme and in some cases, experiencing full or partially unmet oral health needs. REASON FOR CONFLICT: Poor inter-professional communication and lack of understanding about profession-unique patient-driven pressures, ultimately contributed to dissonance. Ill-defined eligibility guidelines rendered the doctor's ability to gate-keep challenging. OUTCOME OF CONFLICT: Inefficient gate-keeping led to exponential increase in referrals, resulting in unprecedented cost blow-outs. Ensuing government-led audits caused political tensions and contributed to the media-induced vilification of dentists. In December 2013, government financing of dental treatment through Chronic Disease Dental Scheme was discontinued, leaving many Australians without a viable alternative. There is a need for qualitative research methods to help identify social issues that affect public health policy process. In order to succeed, new health

The Anthropogenic Effects of Hydrocarbon Inputs to Coastal Seas: Are There Potential Biogeochemical Impacts?

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, M. R.; Rivkin, R. B.

2016-02-01

Petroleum hydrocarbon discharges related to fossil fuel exploitation have the potential to alter microbial processes in the upper ocean. While the ecotoxicological effects of such inputs are commonly evaluated, the potential for eutrophication from the constituent organic and inorganic nutrients has been largely ignored. Hydrocarbons from natural seeps and anthropogenic sources represent a measurable source of organic carbon for surface waters. The most recent (1989-1997) estimate of average world-wide input of hydrocarbons to the sea is 1.250 x 1012 g/yr ≈ 1.0 x 1012g C/year. Produced water from offshore platforms is the largest waste stream from oil and gas exploitation and contributes significant quantities of inorganic nutrients such as N, P and Fe. In coastal areas where such inputs are a significant source of these nutrients, model studies show the potential to shift production toward smaller cells and net heterotrophy. The consequences of these nutrient sources for coastal systems and semi enclosed seas are complex and difficult to predict, because (1) there is a lack of comprehensive data on inputs and in situ concentrations and (2) the is no conceptual or quantitative framework to consider their effects on ocean biogeochemical processes. Here we use examples from the North Sea (produced water discharges 1% total riverine input and NH4 3% of the annual riverine nitrogen load), the South China Sea (total petroleum hydrocarbons = 10-1750 μg/l in offshore waters), and the Gulf of Mexico (seeps = 76-106 x 109 gC/yr, Macondo blowout 545 x 109 gC) to demonstrate how hydrocarbon and produced water inputs can influence basin scale biogeochemical and ecosystem processes and to propose a framework to consider these effects on larger scales.

Background to EOHSI study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Granville, G. [Environmental Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway, NJ (United States)

2004-07-01

This paper discusses ongoing public concerns regarding the health impacts of sour gas in Pincher Creek. A description of a 90 day toxicity study on hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S) at the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT) in 3 strains of rodents was presented. A decade by decade review of events concerning gas emissions was provided, including a description of the 1980s lodgepole blowout and an introduction of a sulphide network in Alberta. The creation of a joint proposal for a comprehensive health review from Alberta researchers and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) was also outlined. The 1990s heralded an increased level of public participation in sour gas developments and health and odour issues. Details of the Ludwig saga were presented as well as further research studies and the Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) protocols, processes and hearings. In the 1990s, several human volunteer studies were conducted in response to public concerns about neurotoxicity and reproductive developmental effects. After the year 2000, continued public concern has been voiced at EUB hearings and at panel reviews of health effects. It was noted that development and research data has continued to be the cause of public concern and continued calls for additional work and reviews. However, no additional hazards have been identified with ongoing human volunteer studies, environmental levels and enhanced monitors research almost complete. It was concluded that current controversy seemed to downplay or ignore much of the available science. Human and animal data has consistently revealed that there is no evidence of neuro-developmental reproductive effects. It was recommended that power plays should be avoided and that the ongoing human volunteer study should eventually provide results. tabs, figs.

Mechanical stability of a salt cavern submitted to rapid pressure variations: Application to the underground storage of natural gas, compressed air and hydrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djizanne-Djakeun, Hippolyte

2014-01-01

Salt caverns used for the underground storage of large volumes of natural gas are in high demand given the ever-increasing energy needs. The storage of renewable energy is also envisaged in these salt caverns for example, storage of compressed air and hydrogen mass storage. In both cases, salt caverns are more solicited than before because they are subject to rapid injection and withdrawal rates. These new operating modes raise new mechanical problems, illustrated in particular by sloughing, and falling of overhanging blocks at cavern wall. Indeed, to the purely mechanical stress related to changes in gas pressure variations, repeated dozens of degrees Celsius of temperature variation are superimposed; causes in particular during withdrawal, additional tensile stresses whom may lead to fractures at cavern wall; whose evolution could be dangerous. The mechanical behavior of rock salt is known: it is elasto-viscoplastic, nonlinear and highly thermo sensitive. The existing rock salt constitutive laws and failures and damages criteria have been used to analyze the behavior of caverns under the effects of these new loading. The study deals with the thermo mechanics of rocks and helps to analyze the effects of these new operations modes on the structural stability of salt caverns. The approach was to firstly design and validate a thermodynamic model of the behavior of gas in the cavern. This model was used to analyze blowout in gas salt cavern. Then, with the thermo mechanical coupling, to analyze the effects of rapid withdrawal, rapid injection and daily cycles on the structural stability of caverns. At the experimental level, we sought the optimal conditions to the occurrence and the development of cracks on a pastille and a block of rock salt. The creep behavior of rock salt specimens in triaxial extension also was analyzed. (author)

Autoignited lifted flames of dimethyl ether in heated coflow air

KAUST Repository

Al-Noman, Saeed M.; Choi, Byung Chul; Chung, Suk-Ho

2018-01-01

Autoignited lifted flames of dimethyl ether (DME) in laminar nonpremixed jets with high-temperature coflow air have been studied experimentally. When the initial temperature was elevated to over 860 K, an autoignition occurred without requiring an external ignition source. A planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique for formaldehyde (CH2O) visualized qualitatively the zone of low temperature kinetics in a premixed flame. Two flame configurations were investigated; (1) autoignited lifted flames with tribrachial edge having three distinct branches of a lean and a rich premixed flame wings with a trailing diffusion flame and (2) autoignited lifted flames with mild combustion when the fuel was highly diluted. For the autoignited tribrachial edge flames at critical autoignition conditions, exhibiting repetitive extinction and re-ignition phenomena near a blowout condition, the characteristic flow time (liftoff height scaled with jet velocity) was correlated with the square of the ignition delay time of the stoichiometric mixture. The liftoff heights were also correlated as a function of jet velocity times the square of ignition delay time. Formaldehydes were observed between the fuel nozzle and the lifted flame edge, emphasizing a low-temperature kinetics for autoignited lifted flames, while for a non-autoignited lifted flame, formaldehydes were observed near a thin luminous flame zone.For the autoignited lifted flames with mild combustion, especially at a high temperature, a unique non-monotonic liftoff height behavior was observed; decreasing and then increasing liftoff height with jet velocity. This behavior was similar to the binary mixture fuels of CH4/H2 and CO/H2 observed previously. A transient homogeneous autoignition analysis suggested that such decreasing behavior with jet velocity can be attributed to partial oxidation characteristics of DME in producing appreciable amounts of CH4/CO/H2 ahead of the edge flame region.

Selection of methods and parameters for forced weakening of roofing in stoping faces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bekbulatov, A K

1982-01-01

The use of the method of advanced shooting on mines of different basins of the country indicated the need to generalize results of work for forced weakening of the roofing on mines in the sector in order to create ''Instructions For Selecting the Methods and Parameters of Forced Weakening of Roofing in the Stoping Faces'' with the participation of the basin scientific research institutes under the leadership of the VNIMI. The main method of weakening which has been introduced in the Karaganda basin is frontal shooting with the use of torpedo-charges. Shooting of the roofing in order reduce the intensity of the primary settling of the main roofing is done in parallel and perpendicular plans. With the parallel plan, the wells are drilled out from the adjoining roadways parallel to the stoping face, and with perpendicular plan, from the assembly chamber perpendicular to the stoping face. In order to reduce the intensity of secondary settling of the main roofing, the parallel or parallel-inclined method is used in designing of the torpedo-charge and the torpedo-head. It is reported that the torpedo-charge is a set of individual torpedos made of polyethylene pipes of length 1500 mm connected to each other with the help of couplings and splints. The torpedo-head consists of a polyethylene pipe of length 700 mm with wall thickness 15-17 mm filled with bulk explosives. Within the torpedo there are 2 explosive charges with electric-detonators for instantaneous action. The main cables of the explosive circuit are connected to the electric detonators and are passed through the packing pipe. In the improved design of the torpedo-head and the torpedo-charge, there are no metal parts. This excludes blow-out of particles of incandescent metal during the explosion and increases the level of work safety. The torpedo-charge is installed manually or mechanically with the help of a metal guide (rammer) which is removed from the well after it delivers the torpedo-charge.

Chronology of the 2015 eruption of Hakone volcano, Japan: geological background, mechanism of volcanic unrest and disaster mitigation measures during the crisis

Science.gov (United States)

Mannen, Kazutaka; Yukutake, Yohei; Kikugawa, George; Harada, Masatake; Itadera, Kazuhiro; Takenaka, Jun

2018-04-01

The 2015 eruption of Hakone volcano was a very small phreatic eruption, with total erupted ash estimated to be in the order of only 102 m3 and ballistic blocks reaching less than 30 m from the vent. Precursors, however, had been recognized at least 2 months before the eruption and mitigation measures were taken by the local governments well in advance. In this paper, the course of precursors, the eruption and the post-eruptive volcanic activity are reviewed, and a preliminary model for the magma-hydrothermal process that caused the unrest and eruption is proposed. Also, mitigation measures taken during the unrest and eruption are summarized and discussed. The first precursors observed were an inflation of the deep source and deep low-frequency earthquakes in early April 2015; an earthquake swarm then started in late April. On May 3, steam wells in Owakudani, the largest fumarolic area on the volcano, started to blowout. Seismicity reached its maximum in mid-May and gradually decreased; however, at 7:32 local time on June 29, a shallow open crack was formed just beneath Owakudani as inferred from sudden tilt change and InSAR analysis. The same day mud flows and/or debris flows likely started before 11:00 and ash emission began at about 12:30. The volcanic unrest and the eruption of 2015 can be interpreted as a pressure increase in the hydrothermal system, which was triggered by magma replenishment to a deep magma chamber. Such a pressure increase was also inferred from the 2001 unrest and other minor unrests of Hakone volcano during the twenty-first century. In fact, monitoring of repeated periods of unrest enabled alerting prior to the 2015 eruption. However, since open crack formation seems to occur haphazardly, eruption prediction remains impossible and evacuation in the early phase of volcanic unrest is the only way to mitigate volcanic hazard.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Drafting force majeure clauses in natural gas purchase/sale contracts -- the practicalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reschke, D. N.; Campbell, L. M.

1999-01-01

The place of 'force majeure' provisions, in gas purchase/sale contracts is discussed. This issue, not normally considered to be significant in gas purchase/sale contracts, became a matter of intense interest in the aftermath of the Atcor Ltd v. Continental Energy Marketing case when the trial court, as well as the Alberta Court of Appeals, strongly criticized the wording of the force majeure clause in the contract as containing a 'choice of words that assured litigation'. Force majeure, simply stated, refers to acts of God, (lightning, earthquakes, storms, floods, etc) and acts of war. It is inserted in contracts to limit the liability of parties to the contract in the event of inability to perform due to any of the above acts of God, or acts of war. In this particular case, the force majeure cause included, in addition to the above, a long list of other causes such as strikes, lockouts or other industrial disturbances, insurrections, riots, epidemics, landslides, fires, washouts, explosions of or accidents to plant, machinery or lines of pipe, well blowouts, and pipeline repairs and reconditioning. The trial court found the drafting of the clause archaic, circumventing clarity, and drearily lengthy. In view of the court's decision it is clear that more thought has to go into drafting force majeure decisions in the future. Accordingly, this paper attempts to discuss practical issues of drafting force majeure clauses that clearly reflect the parties' intentions and expectations so that costly litigations might be avoided, or if litigation is unavoidable, to at least have the outcome of such litigation be more predictable. The focus of the discussion is on legal interpretation issues, forms of gas contract force majeure provisions- events and consequences, and standardization of force majeure provisions. It is recommended that the drafter of such clauses should always keep in mind the potential impact that the strict construction and commercial reasonability concepts

Integrating multi-disciplinary field and laboratory methods to investigate the response and recovery of beach-dune systems in Ireland to extreme events

Science.gov (United States)

Farrell, E.; Lynch, K.; Wilkes Orozco, S.; Castro Camba, G.; Scullion, A.

2017-12-01

This two year field monitoring project examines the response and recovery of 1.2km of a coastal beach-dune system in the west coast of Ireland (The Maharees, Brandon Bay, Co. Kerry) to storms. The results from this project initiated a larger scale study to assess the long term evolution of Brandon Bay (12km) and patterns of meso-scale rotation. On a bay scale historic shoreline analyses were completed using historic Ordnance Survey maps, aerial photography, and DGPS surveys inputted to the Digital Shoreline Analysis System. These were coupled with a GSTA-wavemeter experiment that collected 410 sediment samples along the beach and nearshore to identify preferred sediment transport pathways along the bay. On a local scale (1.2km) geomorphological changes of the beach and nearshore were monitored using repeated monthly DGPS surveys and drone technology. Topographical data were correlated with atmospheric data obtained from a locally installed automatic weather station, oceanographic data from secondary sources, and photogrammetry using a camera installed at the site collecting pictures every 10 minutes during daylight hours. Changes in surface elevation landward of the foredune from aeolian processes were measured using five pin transects across the dune. The contribution of local blowout dynamics were measured using drone imagery and structure-from-motion technology. The results establish that the average shoreline recession along the 1.2 km site is 72 m during the past 115 years. The topographic surveys illustrate that natural beach building processes initiate system recovery post storms including elevated foreshores and backshores and nearshore sand bar migration across the entire 1.2 km stretch of coastline. In parallel with the scientific work, the local community have mobilized and are working closely with the lead scientists to implement short term coastal management strategies such as signage, information booklets, sand trap fencing, walkways, wooden

Electron acceleration and generation of high-brilliance x-ray radiation in kilojoule, subpicosecond laser-plasma interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Ferri

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Petawatt, picosecond laser pulses offer rich opportunities in generating synchrotron x-rays. This paper concentrates on the regimes accessible with the PETAL laser, which is a part of the Laser Megajoule (LMJ facility. We explore two physically distinct scenarios through Particle-in-Cell simulations. The first one realizes in a dense plasma, such that the period of electron Langmuir oscillations is much shorter than the pulse duration. Hallmarks of this regime are longitudinal breakup (“self-modulation” of the picosecond-scale laser pulse and excitation of a rapidly evolving broken plasma wake. It is found that electron beams with a charge of several tens of nC can be obtained, with a quasi-Maxwellian energy distribution extending to a few-GeV level. In the second scenario, at lower plasma densities, the pulse is shorter than the electron plasma period. The pulse blows out plasma electrons, creating a single accelerating cavity, while injection on the density downramp creates a nC quasi-monoenergetic electron bunch within the cavity. This bunch accelerates without degradation beyond 1 GeV. The x-ray sources in the self-modulated regime offer a high number of photons (∼10^{12} with the slowly decaying energy spectra extending beyond 60 keV. In turn, quasimonoenergetic character of the electron beam in the blowout regime results in the synchrotron-like spectra with the critical energy around 10 MeV and a number of photons >10^{9}. Yet, much smaller source duration and transverse size increase the x-ray brilliance by more than an order of magnitude against the self-modulated case, also favoring high spatial and temporal resolution in x-ray imaging. In all explored cases, accelerated electrons emit synchrotron x-rays of high brilliance, B>10^{20}  photons/s/mm^{2}/mrad^{2}/0.1%BW. Synchrotron sources driven by picosecond kilojoule lasers may thus find an application in x-ray diagnostics on such facilities such as the LMJ or National

Salvage Reirradiaton With Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Locally Recurrent Head-and-Neck Tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cengiz, Mustafa; Ozyigit, Goekhan; Yazici, Goezde; Dogan, Ali; Yildiz, Ferah; Zorlu, Faruk; Guerkaynak, Murat; Gullu, Ibrahim H.; Hosal, Sefik; Akyol, Fadil

2011-01-01

Purpose: In this study, we present our results of reirradiation of locally recurrent head-and-neck cancer with image-guided, fractionated, frameless stereotactic body radiotherapy technique. Methods and Materials: From July 2007 to February 2009, 46 patients were treated using the CyberKnife (Accuray, Sunnyvale, CA) at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. All patients had recurrent, unresectable, and previously irradiated head-and-neck cancer. The most prominent site was the nasopharynx (32.6%), and the most common histopathology was epidermoid carcinoma. The planning target volume was defined as the gross tumor volume identified on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. There were 22 female and 24 male patients. Median age was 53 years (range, 19-87 years). The median tumor dose with stereotactic body radiotherapy was 30 Gy (range, 18-35 Gy) in a median of five (range, one to five) fractions. Results: Of 37 patients whose response to therapy was evaluated, 10 patients (27%) had complete tumor regression, 11 (29.8%) had partial response, and 10 (27%) had stable disease. Ultimate local disease control was achieved in 31 patients (83.8%). The overall survival was 11.93 months in median (ranged, 11.4 - 17.4 months), and the median progression free survival was 10.5 months. One-year progression-free survival and overall survival were 41% and 46%, respectively. Grade II or greater long-term complications were observed in 6 (13.3%) patients. On follow-up, 8 (17.3%) patients had carotid blow-out syndrome, and 7 (15.2%) patients died of bleeding from carotid arteries. We discovered that this fatal syndrome occurred only in patients with tumor surrounding carotid arteries and carotid arteries receiving all prescribed dose. Conclusions: Stereotactic body radiotherapy is an appealing treatment option for patients with recurrent head-and-neck cancer previously treated with radiation to high doses. Good local control with

Giant seafloor craters formed by hydrate-controlled large-scale methane expulsion from the Arctic seafloor after ice sheet retreat

Science.gov (United States)

Andreassen, K.; Hubbard, A.; Patton, H.; Vadakkepuliyambatta, S.; Winsborrow, M.; Plaza-Faverola, A. A.; Serov, P.

2017-12-01

Large-scale methane releases from thawing Arctic gas hydrates is a major concern, yet the processes and fluxes involved remain elusive. We present geophysical data indicating two contrasting processes of natural methane emissions from the seafloor of the northern Barents Sea, Polar North Atlantic. Abundant gas flares, acoustically imaged in the water column reveal slow, gradual release of methane bubbles, a process that is commonly documented from nearby areas, elsewhere in the Arctic and along continental margins worldwide. Conversely, giant craters across the study area indicate a very different process. We propose that these are blow-out craters, formed through large-scale, abrupt methane expulsion induced when gas hydrates destabilized after the Barents Sea Ice Sheet retreated from the area. The data reveal over 100 giant seafloor craters within an area of 440 km2. These are up to 1000 m in diameter, 30 m deep and with a semi-circular to elliptical shape. We also identified numerous large seafloor mounds, which we infer to have formed by the expansion of gas hydrate accumulations within the shallow subsurface, so-called gas hydrate pingos. These are up to 1100 m wide and 20 m high. Smaller craters and mounds < 200 m wide and with varying relief are abundant across the study site. The empirical observations and analyses are combined with numerical modelling of ice sheet, isostatic and gas hydrate evolution and indicate that during glaciation, natural gas migrating from underlying hydrocarbon reservoirs was stored as subglacial gas hydrates. On ice sheet retreat, methane from these hydrate reservoirs and underlying free gas built up and abruptly released, forming the giant mounds and craters observed in the study area today. Petroleum basins are abundant beneath formerly and presently glaciated regions. We infer that episodes of subglacial sequestration of gas hydrates and underlying free gas and subsequent abrupt expulsions were common and widespread throughout

Risk Analysis of Flare Flame-out Condition in a Gas Process Facility Analyse des risques des conditions d’extinction de torche au sein d’une installation de traitement de gaz

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zadakbar O.

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Flaring is a common method of disposal of flammable waste gases in the downstream industries. Flare flame out (flame lift-off or blow-outs often occurs causing toxic vapors to discharge. The toxic gases released may have hazardous effects on the surrounding environment. To study the effect of inhalation exposure of these toxic gases on human health, the four steps of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency framework with the field data to quantify the cancer and non-cancer health risks are integrated in this paper. As a part of exposure assessment, gas dispersion modeling using AERMOD and UDM-PHAST is applied in two different conditions of normal flaring and flare flame out during a particular climate condition in Khangiran region. Recommendations to avoid flare flame out conditions are also presented here. Le torchage est un procédé courant d’élimination des gaz résiduaires inflammables dans les industries de traitement. L’extinction de la torche (par décollage ou soufflage de flamme provoque souvent une émission de vapeurs toxiques. Ces gaz toxiques libérés peuvent présenter des effets dangereux sur le milieu environnant. Pour étudier l’effet d’une exposition par inhalation de ces gaz toxiques sur la santé, cet article croise les quatre étapes de la démarche de l’EPA (Environmental Protection Agency, Agence de protection de l’environnement avec les données d’exploitation afin de quantifier le risque sanitaire cancérologique et non cancérologique. Dans le cadre de l’estimation d’exposition, une modélisation de dispersion des gaz utilisant AERMOD et UDM-PHAST est évaluée dans deux configurations différentes de torchage normal et d’extinction de torche à l’occasion de conditions climatiques particulières dans la région du Khangiran. L’article propose également des recommandations destinées à éviter les conditions d’une extinction de flamme de torche.

Toxicity of weathered Deepwater Horizon oil to bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) embryos.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Shaughnessy, Kathryn A; Forth, Heather; Takeshita, Ryan; Chesney, Edward J

2018-02-01

The BP-contracted Deepwater Horizon Macondo well blowout occurred on 20 April 2010 and lasted nearly three months. The well released millions of barrels of crude oil into the northern Gulf of Mexico, causing extensive impacts on pelagic, benthic, and estuarine fish species. The bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) is an important zooplanktivore in the Gulf, serving as an ecological link between lower trophic levels and pelagic predatory fish species. Bay anchovy spawn from May through November in shallow inshore and estuarine waters throughout the Gulf. Because their buoyant embryos are a dominant part of the inshore ichthyoplankton throughout the summer, it is likely bay anchovy embryos encountered oil in coastal estuaries during the summer and fall of 2010. Bay anchovy embryos were exposed to a range of concentrations of two field-collected Deepwater Horizon oils as high-energy and low-energy water accommodated fractions (HEWAFs and LEWAFs, respectively) for 48h. The median lethal concentrations (LC 50 ) were lower in exposures with the more weathered oil (HEWAF, 1.48µg/L TPAH50; LEWAF, 1.58µg/L TPAH50) compared to the less weathered oil (HEWAF, 3.87µg/L TPAH50; LEWAF, 4.28µg/L TPAH50). To measure delayed mortality and life stage sensitivity between embryos and larvae, an additional 24h acute HEWAF exposure using the more weathered oil was run followed by a 24h grow-out period. Here the LC 50 was 9.71µg/L TPAH50 after the grow-out phase, suggesting a toxic effect of oil at the embryonic or hatching stage. We also found that exposures prepared with the more weathered Slick B oil produced lower LC 50 values compared to the exposures prepared with Slick A oil. Our results demonstrate that even relatively acute environmental exposure times can have a detrimental effect on bay anchovy embryos. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors affecting shut-in pressure rise: kicks in offshore HPHT wells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schilhab, L C [Sedco Forex, (Country unknown/Code not available); Rezmer-Cooper, I M [Anadril, (Country unknown/Code not available)

1997-05-01

Deep water and HPHT operations are two areas where the use of sophisticated simulators can enable difficult processes and procedures to be broken down into individual identifiable contributions. In the paper we discuss some of the factors that are likely to affect shut-in pressure rise in offshore drilling operations, and how a simulator can be used to answer other, less obvious questions concerning deep water well control operations. We examine the effect of gas solubility by considering a gas-kick in a deep HPHT well drilled with oil-base mud. In this case, most of the influx will be dissolved in the mud, thus removing one of the processes for increasing the wellbore pressure. In terms of s safe state to disconnect from a well in rough weather, provided that the mud yield stress negates migration of the gas-cut mud, leaving the influx in solution at the bottom of the well should not lead to increasing wellbore pressures. Significant wellbore pressure effects may also occur after closing the blowout preventers (BOP`s) on a well without an influx (or with an influx in solution), and allowing the mud to heat up. We show that in typical HPHT geometries the pressure can rise by up to 8 bar/deg C. Similar magnitudes of pressure can also increase whilst circulating trapped gas out of a BOP at the end of a well control operation. We note that these effects may also be attenuated by fluid loss and wellbore compliance for wells with significant open hole sections. Indeed, gas trapped in the BOP should be safety removed by established well control procedures. However, preliminary studies with the simulator (and confirmed by field tests in the literature) have shown that an accidental release of a small amount of gas into a deep water riser may disperse, and not cause the riser to unload. (authors) 5 refs.

Investigation for the improvement of starting-up; Investigacion para la Mejora del Arranque con Explosivos en los Talleres de Sutirage en Capas Grisuosas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-31

Win this investigation it is intended to develop new techniques and blasting procedures for sub level caving in underground coal mines, so that technical and economical results reached to date, including the safety aspects, could be improved. Concretely it is intended: - To optimise blasting procedures, itemizing in each situation through adequate shot designs, and - To develop some confinement techniques of the explosive that permits to improve its efficiency preserving safety against fire damp and coal powder. Following recommendations concerning the current permitted explosives and fittings utilisation in caving shots, are obtained. - Types of Explosive: The most recommendable explosive in this type of blasts is the Type III (20 SR). - Diameters of cartridges: It is recommended the use of this explosive in diameters of 32 or higher. - Permitted detonating cord: The use of the cord is considered essential with explosives of 26 mm, and highly recommendable with any permitted explosive. - Permitted detonators: It has not been verified any difference using one or two detonators in the blasting charge. - Total charge in the borehole: with regard to this item, following considerations must be settled: 1. It has been assayed the explosive Type III in load densities greater (1350 g/m) than the currently used (750 g/m) or (1000 g/m), corresponding to continuous explosive load in cartridges of 36, 26 and 32 mm, respectively. 2. Considering tests with detonating cord only, no ignition took place in the tests of coal mortar with slot. 3. Charges up to 1600 grams of explosive by ton of coal have been tried, what would surpass in more than six times the specific regular charges used in different exploitations. 4. It does not exist any study that demonstrate the influence of the length of the load with the possibility of ignition by blowouts, or intermediate nude charges in the borehole. 5. The possibility of obtaining a nude detonation of explosive in caving greater than 1

Coupling of Large Eddy Simulations with Meteorological Models to simulate Methane Leaks from Natural Gas Storage Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, K.

2017-12-01

compared with results obtained from spectrometer data to estimate the temporally evolving methane flux during the Aliso Canyon blowout.

PRE-FLARE CORONAL JET AND EVOLUTIONARY PHASES OF A SOLAR ERUPTIVE PROMINENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE M1.8 FLARE: SDO AND RHESSI OBSERVATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joshi, Bhuwan; Kushwaha, Upendra [Udaipur Solar Observatory, Physical Research Laboratory, Udaipur 313001 (India); Veronig, Astrid M. [Kanzelhöhe Observatory/Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, A-8010 Graz (Austria); Cho, K.-S., E-mail: bhuwan@prl.res.in [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-01

We investigate the triggering, activation, and ejection of a solar eruptive prominence that occurred in a multi-polar flux system of active region NOAA 11548 on 2012 August 18 by analyzing data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory , the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager , and the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager/Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation on board the Solar Terrestrial Relation Observatory . Prior to the prominence activation, we observed striking coronal activities in the form of a blowout jet, which is associated with the rapid eruption of a cool flux rope. Furthermore, the jet-associated flux rope eruption underwent splitting and rotation during its outward expansion. These coronal activities are followed by the prominence activation during which it slowly rises with a speed of ∼12 km s{sup −1} while the region below the prominence emits gradually varying EUV and thermal X-ray emissions. From these observations, we propose that the prominence eruption is a complex, multi-step phenomenon in which a combination of internal (tether-cutting reconnection) and external (i.e., pre-eruption coronal activities) processes are involved. The prominence underwent catastrophic loss of equilibrium with the onset of the impulsive phase of an M1.8 flare, suggesting large-scale energy release by coronal magnetic reconnection. We obtained signatures of particle acceleration in the form of power-law spectra with hard electron spectral index ( δ  ∼ 3) and strong HXR footpoint sources. During the impulsive phase, a hot EUV plasmoid was observed below the apex of the erupting prominence that ejected in the direction of the prominence with a speed of ∼177 km s{sup −1}. The temporal, spatial, and kinematic correlations between the erupting prominence and the plasmoid imply that the magnetic reconnection supported the fast ejection of prominence in the lower corona.

A study of selected problems related to accidental process fires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drange, Leiv Anfin

2011-01-15

predicted a correct flame length, but estimated a slightly shorter lift-off distance; the end part of the KFX-flame was more influenced by buoyancy and deviated some from that of the experiment; the measurements showed more irregular shaped temperature fields compared to the simulated; the measurements showed larger fluctuations in the temperature fields compared to the simulated; the maximum measured radiative heat flux inside the flame was 185kW/m2. The maximum simulated radiative heat flux was 193kW/m2, representing a deviation of 4.3%; the maximum measured total heat flux was 256kW/m2. A steel cylinder of radius 160mm was placed at various positions in the jet, and the relative heat transfer was assessed by means of thermocouples placed radially inside the cylinder. This work showed that: convection is the major contributor to the total heat transfer from a turbulent jet flame to a steel cylinder impinged by the flame; the largest rate of heat transfer is at the side facing the flame, i.e no high levels of turbulence induced thermal loading could be detected at the back; the heat transfer coefficient, h, is a function of the velocity of the gas flow relative to the impinged object The stability of ignited propane gas jets, discharged from circular cross section outlets of varying diameters and inclinations were examined. This resulted in: a model, with an accuracy of 0.89, that predicts the upper and lower blowout limits for propane in gas phase, as well as a critical outlet diameter of 14mm; no observations were made indicating that the outlet inclination has any effect on the blowout limits The heat attenuation in water spray in a full scale offshore flare situation was examined by applying a known model for calculations and comparing with measurements. The result of this work was: the model predictions slightly under estimated the capacity of the water curtain. There were, however, uncertainties regarding the water curtain properties, and more detailed measurements