A methodological approach to the spontaneous combustion of agricultural dusts

International audienceThe most common operations in industries where combustible dusts are produced or handled are grinding, drying, pneumatic transport, filtering, and storage in silos. Unfortunately, these operations all too often give rise to fires or explosions with catastrophic consequences. Spontaneous combustion must be considered to be a potential ignition source for a dust explosion every time that a large mass of combustible dust comes in contact with air

Analog simulation of a plug flow tubular reactor

This thesis stresses the importance of analog and digital computers in the field of reaction kinetics. The analog computer is used to simulate a chemical reaction, the hydrolysis of acetic anhydride. The hydrolysis reaction takes place in a tubular reactor. The reactor is 3/4 inch in diameter and 20 feet long. These reactor dimensions allow the reaction system to approach plug flow, if the reactants flow through the reactor at turbulent flow rates. The physical, reactor, system is used to obtain experimental data for the hydrolysis reaction. The data is obtained at reactor temperatures between 75 and 100°F. Feed concentrations of acetic anhydride range between 0.0340 and 0.0760 lb.moles/ft.³. The experimental data is compared with the analog simulation at various feed temperatures and feed concentrations of acetic anhydride. The analog simulation successfully follows these changes in initial conditions. PACTOLUS, a digital analog simulator, provides a check on the validity of the analog simulation. The PACTOLUS simulation confirms the results obtained from the analog simulation --Abstract, Page ii

Experimental study of bulk storage ignition by hot points

International audienceAn experimental study of ignition risk due to hot points in the storage of bulk materials is required to ensure fire safety. Many parameters are involved in this phenomenon: nature of the material, storage volume and temperature, type and size of hot point, etc. The aim of this study is to determine critical ignition temperatures of hot spots embedded in powder materials for different conditions and with several types of hot points. Materials selected for this study are pulverized coal, wood dust, cocoa powder, alfalfa, rice husks and coffee husks. Ignition tests were carried out in 1,000 and 2,700 cm3 cubic baskets containing the combustible sample and using an inert sphere at a given initial temperature as well as a glowing cigarette butt and charcoal as ignition sources. The critical ignition temperature is defined in terms of the hot point temperature that is able to ignite the sample. Differences between the results obtained under these test conditions have been explained by the oxy-reactivity of materials tested, different basket sizes and specific heat or heat production of hot points. Data obtained need now to be compared to available theoretical modeling. These results will then allow the prediction of material behavior under other storage conditions

Dynamic Behaviour of a Continuous Heat Exchanger/Reactor after Flow Failure

The intensified technologies offer new prospects for the development of hazardous chemical syntheses in safer conditions: the idea is to reduce the reaction volume by increasing the thermal performances and preferring the continuous mode to the batch one. In particular, the Open Plate Reactor (OPR) type “reactor/ exchanger” also including a modular block structure, matches these characteristics perfectly. The aim of this paper is to study the OPR behaviour during a normal operation, that is to say, after a stoppage of the circulation of the cooling fluid. So, an experiment was carried out, taking the oxidation of sodium thiosulfate with hydrogen peroxide as an example. The results obtained, in particular with regard to the evolution of the temperature profiles of the reaction medium as a function of time along the apparatus, are compared with those predicted by a dynamic simulator of the OPR. So, the average heat transfer coefficient regarding the “utility” fluid is evaluated in conductive and natural convection modes, and then integrated in the simulator. The conclusion of this study is that, during a cooling failure, a heat transfer by natural convection would be added to the conduction, which contributes to the intrinsically safer character of the apparatus

Evaluation of an intensified continuous heat-exchanger reactor for inherently safer characteristics

The present paper deals with the establishment of a new methodology in order to evaluate the inherently safer characteristics of a continuous intensified reactor in the case of an exothermic reaction. The transposition of the propionic anhydride esterification by 2-butanol into a new prototype of ‘‘heatexchanger/ reactor’’, called open plate reactor (OPR), designed by Alfa Laval Vicarb has been chosen as a case study. Previous studies have shown that this exothermic reaction is relatively simple to carry out in a homogeneous liquid phase, and a kinetic model is available. A dedicated software model is then used not only to assess the feasibility of the reaction in the ‘‘heat-exchanger/reactor’’ but also to estimate the temperature and concentration profiles during synthesis and to determine optimal operating conditions for safe control. Afterwards the reaction was performed in the reactor. Good agreement between experimental results and the simulation validates the model to describe the behavior of the process during standard runs. A hazard and operability study (HAZOP) was then applied to the intensified process in order to identify the potential hazards and to provide a number of runaway scenarios. Three of them are highlighted as the most dangerous: no utility flow, no reactant flows, both stop at the same time. The behavior of the process is simulated following the stoppage of both the process and utility fluid. The consequence on the evolution of temperature profiles is then estimated for a different hypothesis taking into account the thermal inertia of the OPR. This approach reveals an intrinsically safer behavior of the OPR

Towards the improvement of UN N.5 test method for the characterization of substances which in contact with water emit flammable gases

International audienceThis paper deals with a sensitivity analysis of main parameters affecting the measurement of the gas flowrate emitted during testing substances for their potential to emit flammables gases in dangerous quantities where in contact with water, according to the UN N.5 test procedure. UN N.5 is described in the Manual of Tests and Criteria of United Nations (part of the Orange Book) (ONU Manual of Test and Criteria, 2008), serving both applications of international transport regulations as well as classifications of dangerous substances according to Globally the Harmonized System (GHS) and the derived regulation applying in the EU known as 'CLP' Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1271/2008). The main reason that justifies the present research is that the measurement of emitted gases is highly critical in the final classification resulting from the interpretation of the test results. Moreover, that idea has been raised to adapt the UN N.5 test protocol for classifying, in the future, substances that by contact with water would emit dangerous quantities of toxic gases. Experiments have been carried out to cover the analysis of the influence of ambient temperature, overall volume of glassware, nature of aqueous media, mass sample and sample-to-liquid mass ratio, since such parameters are not fixed within any defined range in the UN N.5 test procedure. The influence of the flow rate measuring device was also considered. Results confirm that the above mentioned parameters may play a significant role to such an extent as to finally alter the final classification resulting from the testing. Guiding principles have also been derived from our measurements and observations towards an improved and more robust UN test protocol in the future

Introgressive Hybridization and the Evolution of Lake-Adapted Catostomid Fishes.

Hybridization has been identified as a significant factor in the evolution of plants as groups of interbreeding species retain their phenotypic integrity despite gene exchange among forms. Recent studies have identified similar interactions in animals; however, the role of hybridization in the evolution of animals has been contested. Here we examine patterns of gene flow among four species of catostomid fishes from the Klamath and Rogue rivers using molecular and morphological traits. Catostomus rimiculus from the Rogue and Klamath basins represent a monophyletic group for nuclear and morphological traits; however, the Klamath form shares mtDNA lineages with other Klamath Basin species (C. snyderi, Chasmistes brevirostris, Deltistes luxatus). Within other Klamath Basin taxa, D. luxatus was largely fixed for alternate nuclear alleles relative to C. rimiculus, while Ch. brevirostris and C. snyderi exhibited a mixture of these alleles. Deltistes luxatus was the only Klamath Basin species that exhibited consistent covariation of nuclear and mitochondrial traits and was the primary source of mismatched mtDNA in Ch. brevirostris and C. snyderi, suggesting asymmetrical introgression into the latter species. In Upper Klamath Lake, D. luxatus spawning was more likely to overlap spatially and temporally with C. snyderi and Ch. brevirostris than either of those two with each other. The latter two species could not be distinguished with any molecular markers but were morphologically diagnosable in Upper Klamath Lake, where they were largely spatially and temporally segregated during spawning. We examine parallel evolution and syngameon hypotheses and conclude that observed patterns are most easily explained by introgressive hybridization among Klamath Basin catostomids