William P. Averill, 16 November 1972

Carbon typed letter dated 16 November 1972 from [William P. Averill] in Tupelo, MS, re: identity of person in photograph. Attached: typed letter signed dated 13 November 1972 from Elizabeth S. Denny, LCDR USNR, to Averill, re: identification of photo. Attached: copy typed Water Reed General Hospital medical report on William P. Averill; 6 pages. Copy envelope from White House office of General Lewis B. Hershey to Averill.https://egrove.olemiss.edu/joecorr_f/1058/thumbnail.jp

Ignition of flammable hydrogen/air mixtures by high mass mechanical impact of Magnox contaminated surfaces

Magnox and its corrosion products are a major constituent of some legacy nuclear waste storage silos which generate hydrogen. An experimental study investigates the likelihood of ignition of hydrogen/air when large mass projectiles impact rusty surfaces with Magnox contamination. Ignition is observed with 50kg projectiles impacting a 45º Magnox-smeared rusty anvil plate with KE as low as 40J. Theoretical calculations relating to the angled impacts reveal that they involve substantial tangential energy losses associated with frictional heating of the impact surfaces. It is shown that these energy losses are particularly dependent on the shape of the projectile since projectile geometry determines the radius of gyration and the relationship of centre of gravity to the impact point. In conclusion, the projectile shape is likely to be of greater importance than the mass (i.e. for a given impact energy) because of its direct bearing on the magnitude of the tangential energy loss

Potential hazard consequences to personnel exposed to the ignition of small volumes of weakly confined stoichiometric hydrogen/air mixture

Many studies have been devoted to understanding the consequence of ignition events that could occur as a result of using hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels or when hydrogen is present in large scale industrial or nuclear waste sites. Little attention has however, been given to the effect of explosion in small scale operations: this could involve service work with manual handling and manipulation of gas containing packages or vessels. The purpose of this study is to begin to address this knowledge gap and report the results of an experimental program carried out to simulate the effect of localised and weakly confined small volume hydrogen explosions on personal safety. Three aspects of personal injury consequences are considered; injury from shock loading to the head/brain, skin burns and acoustic/hearing damage. It is concluded from ignition and acoustic noise exposure experiments, carried with stoichiometric hydrogen /air mixtures, that injuries arising from shock loading or burns to the skin are less likely than hearing damage. It is suggested that further work should focus on the noise exposure and hearing damage effects of small scale explosions

Energy losses during drop weight mechanical impacts with special reference to ignition of flammable atmospheres in nuclear decommissioning: theory and determination of experimental coefficients for impact analysis and prediction

The major purpose of this study is to provide a framework for determination of energy losses resulting from mechanical impacts of the kind that could occur during nuclear decommissioning of waste material. Measurements have been made of final translational and rotational velocities for impacts between projectiles of different length and a massive barrier. This enabled determination of experimental values of the impact coefficients and energy losses. It was found that the total energy losses could be accurately accounted for by the sum of those pertaining to the normal and tangential processes, thus indicating that these include any losses due to vibration. The results obtained clearly support an Amontons–Coulomb friction model and the previously held contention that there is a limiting value for the impulse ratio at low angles of barrier inclination. Although sliding surfaces are likely to be modified during impact, it is shown that any original contamination on the contacting surfaces results in a very large decrease in impulse ratio or friction coefficient. This represents an important finding in the context of mechanical ignition testing indicating that the state of the impact surfaces and their handling need to be taken into account. The difficulties in establishing appropriate values for the impact coefficients and dealing with the effect of mechanical vibrations on the energy losses are discussed and equations derived for determining the tangential and normal energy losses from known initial velocities

Performance-based building and innovation: Balancing client and industry needs

One reason for the interest in performance-based building is that it is commonly advocated as a powerful way of enhancing innovation performance by articulating building performance outcomes, and by offering relevant procurement actors the discretion to innovate to meet these performance requirements more effectively and/or efficiently. The paper argues that the current approach to performance-based building assumes that relevant actors have the capacity, ability and motivation to innovate from a business perspective. It is proposed that the prevailing conceptualization of PBB is too restrictive and should be broadened explicitly to accommodate the required business logic that must be in place before actors will innovate. The relevant performance-based building and innovation literature is synthesized to support the assertion. The paper concludes with an innovation-focused definition of performance-based building

Application of Bayesian methods and networks to ignition hazard event prediction in nuclear waste decommissioning operations

The major purpose of the study is to examine how Bayesian networks can be used to represent and understand potential ignition scenarios in nuclear waste decommissioning. This is illustrated using a network to represent a situation with stacked storage boxes containing pyrophoric material removed from waste storage silos. Corrosion of this material during storage produces hydrogen which is released through a filter medium into the gap between the boxes. The probabilistic relationships used to indicate dependence between network nodes are expressed by conditional probability tables or C++ coded equations that relate to UK nuclear industry corrosion and storage data. The study focuses on optimal prediction of the likelihood of a flammable hydrogen atmosphere arising in the gap between stacked boxes and the conditions necessary to exceed the lower flammable limit. It is concluded that the approach offers a useful means of easily determining the manner in which varying the controlling parameters affects the possibility of an ignition event. The effect of data variation can be examined at first hand using the supplementary Bayesian Network that accompanies the article

Power up: patient and public involvement in developing a shared decision-making app for mental health

Background The importance of patient and public involvement (PPI) in designing interventions to support young people’s mental health is becoming a central tenet of the research process. Existing research has indicated that co-design with service users may help to engender multiple improvements in research projects, from design through to applications of study findings. Aims The aim of this study is to examine our experience of making the involvement of young people an ongoing part of the research process. We report on PPI in relation to a feasibility trial of the development of an app called Power Up, which is designed to support shared decision-making in mental health. Method Young people, carers, and clinicians were involved in each aspect of the project from governance, needs and environment analysis, to development and revisions of the Power Up smartphone app intended for use within child and adolescent mental health services. Involvement was achieved through ongoing contributions to steering groups, co-design workshops, and interviews. The project model was approached as a cyclical multidirectional process of ideas, PPI input, reflection, and alterations. Conclusion PPI was embedded into the project model from the outset, to be iterative and cyclical informing the development and direction of the digital tool at each stage. Involving service users resulted in the identification and implementation of multiple changes to the app, both conceptual and tangible. Several challenges associated with PPI were also encountered, warranting future research and discussion