Eric W. Rood Administration Center- Fire Protection and Life Safety Analysis

A Fire Protection & Life Safety Analysis was conducted in order to fulfill the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Fire Protection Engineering. The Fire Protection & Life Safety Analysis consisted of a prescriptive and performance-based analysis of the Eric Rood Administration Center (Rood Center). The prescriptive based analysis was conducted to determine if the Rood Center adhered to the applicable codes and standards. It utilized the 2013 California Building and Fire Codes and the 2012 Life Safety Code (NFPA 101). Other NFPA codes that were referenced included the 2013 edition of NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, the 2013 edition of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Signaling Code, and the 2015 edition of NFPA 2001, Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing systems. The prescriptive based analysis examined four portions of the building’s fire protection system: Egress Analysis & Design, Fire Detection & Alarm Notification, Water-based Fire Suppression, and Structural Fire Protection Deficiencies were found in the building’s fire detection and notification systems, as well as the inspection, testing, and maintenance of said systems. The building’s primary fire alarm system has photoelectric smoke detectors installed in only portions of the building. The bulk of the detectors are installed in the exit corridors with typically only one detector per department. While the number of smoke detectors in most departments is lacking, some departments don’t have any at all. The first floor has only 23 smoke detectors, while the second floor has only 16. Based on coverage-area-per-detector calculations alone, the first floor should have a minimum of 56 detectors and the second floor should have a minimum of 58. One of the departments in the building that does have smoke detectors, has only local detectors (they are not connected to the building’s fire alarm control panel (FACP)). Two of the fire scenarios in the performance based analysis indicated the fires were detected within 10 seconds of ignition. In the other two fire scenarios, the fires were not detected until 73 seconds and 107 seconds into the simulations respectively. Examining the building’s notification systems revealed several issues as well. Three of the notification devices types currently in use in the building are listed in the FACP’s manual as not compatible. Similar to the detection system, there are not enough notification appliances (audio or visual) throughout the building to ensure proper coverage. Inspections and tests are not done to confirm proper audible and/or visual levels in the building during an active alarm. The performance based analysis examined how the building’s fire protection system would react to a fire, and whether occupants would have enough time to escape to safety. A computational fluid dynamics modeling program, Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), was used to estimate the available safe egress times (ASET) for four different fire scenarios throughout the building. Those values were then compared with the required safe egress times (RSET) calculated in the prescriptive based analysis for each fire scenario. The original RSET values were calculated for the departments affected by the fire scenarios. The fire models were analyzed and the ASET values were determined when conditions either first became untenable, or when all the occupants had exited the building; whichever came first. The conditions in the building became untenable before people could evacuate the building in all four fire scenarios (RSET \u3e ASET). In some situations, conditions became untenable seconds after the fire alarm was activated, and several minutes before evacuations were complete. The performance based analysis determine that the arrangement of the dead end hallway off the second floor lobby was especially problematic as it could cause the occupants to be trapped in the event of a fire. Two fire scenarios were examined, one with the fire in the dead end hallway, and another with the fire in the main lobby. In both cases, the conditions in the building became untenable long before the occupants would have been able to escape the hallway, let alone the building

Search for Θ+(1540)\Theta^+(1540) pentaquark in high statistics measurement of γp→Kˉ0K+n\gamma p \to \bar K^0 K^+ n at CLAS

The exclusive reaction $\gamma p \to \bar K^0 K^+ n$ was studied in the photon energy range between 1.6-3.8 GeV searching for evidence of the exotic baryon $\Theta^+(1540)\to nK^+$. The decay to $nK^+$ requires the assignment of strangeness $S=+1$ to any observed resonance. Data were collected with the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 70 $pb^{-1}$. No evidence for the $\Theta^+$ pentaquark was found. Upper limits were set on the production cross section as function of center-of-mass angle and $nK^+$ mass. The 95% CL upper limit on the total cross section for a narrow resonance at 1540 MeV was found to be 0.8 nb.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter

First measurement of direct f0(980)f_0(980) photoproduction on the proton

We report on the results of the first measurement of exclusive $f_0(980)$ meson photoproduction on protons for $E_\gamma=3.0 - 3.8$ GeV and $-t = 0.4-1.0$ GeV$^2$. Data were collected with the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The resonance was detected via its decay in the $\pi^+ \pi^-$ channel by performing a partial wave analysis of the reaction $\gamma p \to p \pi^+ \pi^-$. Clear evidence of the $f_0(980)$ meson was found in the interference between $P$ and $S$ waves at $M_{\pi^+ \pi^-}\sim 1$ GeV. The $S$-wave differential cross section integrated in the mass range of the $f_0(980)$ was found to be a factor of 50 smaller than the cross section for the $\rho$ meson. This is the first time the $f_0(980)$ meson has been measured in a photoproduction experiment

Search for the Θ+\Theta^+ pentaquark in the reactions γp→Kˉ0K+n\gamma p \to \bar K^0K^+n and γp→Kˉ0K0p\gamma p \to \bar K^0K^0p

The exclusive reactions $\gamma p \to \bar K^0 K^+ n$ and $\gamma p \to \bar K^0 K^0 p$ have been studied in the photon energy range 1.6--3.8 GeV, searching for evidence of the exotic baryon $\Theta^+(1540)$ in the decays $\Theta^+\to nK^+$ and $\Theta^+\to p K^0$. Data were collected with the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The integrated luminosity was about 70 pb$^{-1}$. The reactions have been isolated by detecting the $K^+$ and proton directly, the neutral kaon via its decay to $K_S \to \pi^+ \pi^-$ and the neutron or neutral kaon via the missing mass technique. The mass and width of known hyperons such as $\Sigma^+$, $\Sigma^-$ and $\Lambda(1116)$ were used as a check of the mass determination accuracy and experimental resolution. Approximately 100,000 $\Lambda^*(1520)$'s and 150,000 $\phi$'s were observed in the $\bar K^0 K^+ n$ and $\bar K^0 K^0 p$ final state respectively. No evidence for the $\Theta^+$ pentaquark was found in the $nK^+$ or $pK_S$ invariant mass spectra. Upper limits were set on the production cross section of the reaction $\gamma p \to \Theta^+ \bar K^0$ as functions of center-of-mass angle, $nK^+$ and $pK_S$ masses. Combining the results of the two reactions, the 95% C.L. upper limit on the total cross section for a resonance peaked at 1540 MeV was found to be 0.7 nb. Within most of the available theoretical models, this corresponds to an upper limit on the $\Theta^+$ width, $\Gamma_{\Theta^{+}}$, ranging between 0.01 and 7 MeV.Comment: 1 tex file (16 pages) + 23 figures (25 eps files

Coda-Q in the 2.5-20 s period band from seismic noise : application to the greater Alpine area

Coda-Q is used to estimate the attenuation and scattering properties of the Earth. So far focus has been on earthquake data at frequencies above 1 Hz, as the high noise level in the first and second microseismic peak, and possibly lower scattering coefficient, hinder stable measurements at lower frequencies. In this work, we measure and map coda-Q in the period bands 2.5-5 s, 5-10 s and 10-20 s in the greater Alpine region using noise cross-correlations between station pairs, based on data from permanent seismic stations and from the temporary AlpArray experiment. The observed coda-Q for short interstation distances is independent of azimuth so there is no indication of influence of the directivity of the incoming noise field on our measurements. In the 2.5-5 s and 5-10 s period bands, our measurements are self-consistent, and we observe stable geographic patterns of low and high coda-Q in the period bands 2.5-5 s and 5-10 s. In the period band 10-20 s, the dispersion of our measurements increases and geographic patterns become speculative. The coda-Q maps show that major features are observed with high resolution, with a very good geographical resolution of for example low coda-Q in the Po Plain. There is a sharp contrast between the Po Plain and the Alps and Apennines where coda-Q is high, with the exception a small area in the Swiss Alps which may be contaminated by the low coda-Q of the Po Plain. The coda of the correlations is too short to make independent measurements at different times within the coda, so we cannot distinguish between intrinsic and scattering Q. Measurements on more severely selected data sets and longer time-series result in identical geographical patterns but lower numerical values. Therefore, high coda-Q values may be overestimated, but the geographic distribution between high and low coda-Q areas is respected. Our results demonstrate that noise correlations are a promising tool for extending coda-Q measurements to frequencies lower than those analysed with earthquake data

Photoproduction of pi(+)pi(-) meson pairs on the proton

The cross section for photoproduction of pion pairs from hydrogen has been calculated from the cut-off static theory, assuming the energy is sufficiently low that one of the mesons is produced in an S state, the other in a P state. It is shown that the cross section for this process can be expressed exactly in terms of the P-wave scattering phase shifts, provided the S-wave meson-nucleon interactions and the meson-meson interaction can be neglected. The theoretical predictions obtained here are in general agreement with preliminary experimental results

Search for Θ++\Theta^{++} Pentaquarks in the Exclusive Reaction γp→K+K−p\gamma p\to K^+K^-p

6 pages, 4 figuresThe reaction $\gamma p \to pK^+K^-$ was studied at Jefferson Lab with photon energies from 1.8 to 3.8 GeV using a tagged photon beam. The goal was to search for a $\Theta^{++}$ pentaquark, a narrow doubly charged baryon state having strangeness S=+1 and isospin I=1, in the $pK^+$ invariant mass spectrum. No statistically significant evidence of a $\Theta^{++}$ was found. Upper limits on the total and differential production cross section for the reaction $\gamma p \to K^-\Theta^{++}$ were obtained in the mass range from 1.5 to 2.0 GeV/c$^2$, with an upper limit of about 0.15 nb, 95% C.L. for a narrow resonance with a mass $M_{\Theta^{++}}=1.54$ GeV/c$^2$. This result places a very stringent upper limit on the $\Theta^{++}$ width

Search for Theta(++) Pentaquarks in the Exclusive Reaction gamma p -\u3e K(+)K(-)p

The exclusive reaction gamma p -\u3e(K) over bar (0)K(+)n was studied in the photon energy range between 1.6 and 3.8 GeV searching for evidence of the exotic baryon Theta(+)(1540)-\u3e nK(+). The decay to nK(+) requires the assignment of strangeness S=+1 to any observed resonance. Data were collected with the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 70 pb(-1). No evidence for the Theta(+) pentaquark was found. Upper limits were set on the production cross section as function of center-of-mass angle and nK(+) mass. The 95% C.L. upper limit on the total cross section for a narrow resonance at 1540 MeV was found to be 0.8 nb