Application of data from the cone calorimeter for analyses of the impact of a flame retardant applied on polymer material subjected to combustion on changes in smoke logging within a confined space

The paper makes an analysis of the impact of flame retardants on parameters of thermal energy emission and smoke from polymer materials specified with the use of a cone calorimeter and on parameters of the smoke logging zones in a model scheme of compartments. Polymer construction materials modified and without modification by flame retardants, such as oak wood, epoxy resins based on Epidian 5 as well as such equipping materials as polyurethane foams were selected as research materials. On the basis of the conducted analyses, a positive correlation was achieved between the parameters obtained with the use of a cone calorimeter and parameters of smoke logging based on bi-zonal modelling for a simple model scheme of two compartments

Analysis of capability of air pollution monitoring from an unmanned aircraft

Satellite monitoring systems can be used for remote monitoring of the atmosphere over a given area but they do not provide information on the state of pollution at a given time. Additional information could only be obtained after several days. Measurements from an aircraft may be obtained almost at real-time and in different geometries – vertical and horizontal. The future of this type of monitoring is remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles (airplanes, helicopters and balloons tethered), equipped with telemetric monitoring

Analiza numeryczna zdarzenia związanego z niekontrolowanym uwolnieniem amoniaku z cysterny kolejowej

Numeryczne narzędzia inżynieryjne znajdują coraz szersze zastosowanie we wspieraniu decyzji kierujących działaniami ratowniczymi na poziomie taktycznym i strategicznym. W artykule przedstawiono jedno z zastosowań takiego oprogramowania w przypadku niekontrolowanej emisji substancji niebezpiecznej. Włączenie modelowania numerycznego, jako elementu wspomagającego dowodzenie, ma wpływ na redukcję kosztów akcji oraz sposób jej prowadzenia. Opisane zdarzenie przybliża również możliwości stosowania tych metod przez osoby nie związane bezpośrednio z ratownictwem chemicznym i ekologicznym. Przykład ten może stać się podstawą do opracowania scenariuszy ćwiczeń, w tym próbnych ewakuacji, dla osób odpowiedzialnych w strukturach kolei za ich planowanie i organizację

Analysis of an event related to the uncontrolled release of ammonia from a rail tanker

Numerical engineering tools are being more and more frequently applied in supporting decisions responsible for rescue operations in terms of tactics and strategy. This elaboration presents one of the applications of such software in the event of uncontrolled releases of hazardous substances. The adoption of numerical modelling as an element which supports leadership results in the reduction of operating costs and affects its performance. The example used will show the potential of these solutions to people unrelated directly to chemical and ecological rescue. It may become a basis for developing drills, including evacuation drills, for people responsible for their planning and organization in the railway structures

Applications for mobile devices informing about threats

Following article contains a description of selected applications for mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets, which tasks are to inform the public about hazards, as well as calling for help. The focus was on software widely available in online app store (Google Play), and due to the imperfections of the programs mentioned, it was decided to develop own application called “Rescue Application Volunteer”. Its main purpose and functionality covers help summoning for oneself and other people, also marking places on map where e.g. fire is starting or local threat is arising. Various solutions of these problems were given and issues related to the protection of personal data in this type of applications were discussed

The Efficiency of Drones Usage for Safety and Rescue Operations in an Open Area: A Case from Poland

The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is becoming increasingly frequent during search and rescue (SAR) operations conducted to find missing persons. These systems have proven to be particularly useful for operations executed in the wilderness, i.e., in open and mountainous areas. The successful implementation of those systems is possible thanks to the potential offered by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which help achieve a considerable reduction in operational times and consequently allow a much quicker finding of lost persons. This is crucial to enhance their chances of survival in extreme conditions (withholding hydration, food and medicine, and hypothermia). The paper presents the results of a preliminary assessment of a search and rescue method conducted in an unknown terrain, where groups were coordinated with the use of UAVs and a ground control station (GCS) workstation. The conducted analysis was focused on assessing conditions that would help minimise the time of arrival of the rescue team to the target, which in real conditions could be a missing person identified on aerial images. The results of executed field tests have proven that the time necessary to reach injured persons can be substantially shortened if imaging recorded by UAV is deployed, as it considerably enhances the chance of survival in an emergency situation. The GCS workstation is also one of the crucial components in the search system, which assures image transmission from the UAV to participants of the search operation and radio signal amplification in a difficult terrain. The effectiveness of the search system was tested by comparing the arrival times of teams equipped with GPS and a compass and those not equipped with such equipment. The article also outlined the possibilities of extending the functionality of the search system with the SARUAV module, which was used to find a missing person in Poland

The Efficiency of Drones Usage for Safety and Rescue Operations in an Open Area: A Case from Poland

The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is becoming increasingly frequent during search and rescue (SAR) operations conducted to find missing persons. These systems have proven to be particularly useful for operations executed in the wilderness, i.e., in open and mountainous areas. The successful implementation of those systems is possible thanks to the potential offered by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which help achieve a considerable reduction in operational times and consequently allow a much quicker finding of lost persons. This is crucial to enhance their chances of survival in extreme conditions (withholding hydration, food and medicine, and hypothermia). The paper presents the results of a preliminary assessment of a search and rescue method conducted in an unknown terrain, where groups were coordinated with the use of UAVs and a ground control station (GCS) workstation. The conducted analysis was focused on assessing conditions that would help minimise the time of arrival of the rescue team to the target, which in real conditions could be a missing person identified on aerial images. The results of executed field tests have proven that the time necessary to reach injured persons can be substantially shortened if imaging recorded by UAV is deployed, as it considerably enhances the chance of survival in an emergency situation. The GCS workstation is also one of the crucial components in the search system, which assures image transmission from the UAV to participants of the search operation and radio signal amplification in a difficult terrain. The effectiveness of the search system was tested by comparing the arrival times of teams equipped with GPS and a compass and those not equipped with such equipment. The article also outlined the possibilities of extending the functionality of the search system with the SARUAV module, which was used to find a missing person in Poland

Zagrożenia i wyzwania wynikające z zastosowania wodoru jako paliwa do pojazdów mechanicznych

Global interest in the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel to classical petroleum-based fuels has already assumed the form of concepts and plans based on which, by 2030, cars powered by this most popular element in the universe are to appear on roads of almost the entire world. This is not the first attempt in the history of mankind to use hydrogen in transportation. The first approach was at the beginning of the 20th century and the “golden era” of airships. The beginning of its end was the disaster of the British airship R101. It was the largest British airship, constructed to handle connections with the colonies. It crashed in France on its way to India due to a hydrogen leak on the night of 1 to 2 October 1930. After this disaster, work on large-scale, long-range airships was halted. Almost 100 years later, hydrogen is again appearing in transport in the broad sense, but this time as a fuel. Taking into account the physicochemical characteristics of hydrogen (the widest explosive limits after acetylene and the lowest minimum ignition energy of all gases) and the high ease of its penetration through all kinds of joints, seals and valves, it is necessary at this stage to develop and implement safety procedures related to transport, storage and refuelling of hydrogen vehicles. Procedures and operating principles of hydrogen stations used for fuelling both trucks and cars developed and implemented on the territory of the United States should be a starting point before construction may be started of dozens of similar facilities in our country as declared by Polish decision makers.Globalne zainteresowanie wykorzystaniem wodoru jako paliwa alternatywnego wobec klasycznych paliw ropopochodnych przyjęło już formy koncepcji oraz planów, na podstawie których do roku 2030 na drogach całego niemalże świata pojawić się mają samochody napędzane tym najbardziej popularnym we wszechświecie pierwiastkiem. Nie jest to pierwsza w historii ludzkości próba wykorzystania wodoru w transporcie. Pierwsze podejście to początek XX w. i „złota era” sterowców. Początkiem jej końca była katastrofa brytyjskiego sterowca R101. Był to największy brytyjski sterowiec, skonstruowany do obsługi połączeń z koloniami. Rozbił się on we Francji w drodze do Indii z powodu wycieku wodoru w nocy z 1 na 2 października 1930 r. Po tej katastrofie wstrzymano prace nad wielkogabarytowymi sterowcami dalekiego zasięgu. Prawie 100 lat później wodór ponownie pojawia się w szeroko rozumianym transporcie, ale tym razem jako paliwo. Mając na względzie cechy fizykochemiczne wodoru (najszersze po acetylenie granice wybuchowości i najniższą minimalną energię zapłonu spośród wszystkich gazów) oraz dużą łatwość przedostawania się przez wszelkiego rodzaju łączenia, uszczelki i zawory, należy już na obecnym etapie opracować i wdrożyć procedury bezpieczeństwa związane z transportem, składowaniem oraz tankowaniem pojazdów wodorem. Opracowane i wdrożone na terytorium Stanów Zjednoczonych procedury oraz zasady obsługi stacji wodorowych służących zasilaniu w paliwo samochodów zarówno ciężarowych, jak i osobowych powinno być punktem wyjścia przed wybudowaniem deklarowanych przez polskich decydentów kilkudziesięciu analogicznych obiektów na terenie naszego kraju

Explosion Risks during Firefighting Operations in Storage Rooms and the Transport of Ammonium Nitrate-Based Fertilizers

Ammonium nitrate (AN) is a strong oxidizer that undergoes phase transitions and thermal decomposition at relatively low temperatures. This—as verified by historical facts—constitutes a challenge for the fire department during rescue operations. AN is also a highly reactive material widely used for the production of, i.a., fertilizers and explosives. The latter are popular not only in military applications but also in industrial ones, such as mining. They include ammonites and amatols utilized in coal mining, as well as Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) utilized in, i.a., rock mining. As a simple and cheap material, ANFO also tends to be used by terrorists. The spontaneous formation of an AN and polymers mixture—similar to ANFO in terms of composition and explosion force—was observed in fire conditions during previous research. At individual stages (from creation to exploitation), AN often comes into direct contact with various polymers. Polyolefins, in particular polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), are among the most popular groups of such materials. They are used for the production of, i.a., foil packaging and flexible intermediate bulk containers for the storage and transport of fertilizers. Despite the frequent mutual contact of these materials, there is little information in the literature on the interaction of AN and its polymer-made packaging in fire conditions. For this reason, it was decided to conduct a series of thermal analyses using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to study the material behavior under the influence of high temperature. As it turns out in practice, the spontaneous formation of a mixture similar to ANFO—in terms of composition and explosion force—can be observed in fire conditions. Due to the results indicating a potentially explosive course of the reaction, laboratory tests on the macro scale were also carried out. The performed observations show that it may be necessary to create a procedure containing several different test methods in order to predict a mixture’s behavior during a fire and to define the appropriate guidelines for firefighting teams. Such guidelines would enable firefighters to prepare the right equipment during a firefighting operation and to develop a strategy based on the observed course of events

Explosion Risks during Firefighting Operations in Storage Rooms and the Transport of Ammonium Nitrate-Based Fertilizers

Ammonium nitrate (AN) is a strong oxidizer that undergoes phase transitions and thermal decomposition at relatively low temperatures. This—as verified by historical facts—constitutes a challenge for the fire department during rescue operations. AN is also a highly reactive material widely used for the production of, i.a., fertilizers and explosives. The latter are popular not only in military applications but also in industrial ones, such as mining. They include ammonites and amatols utilized in coal mining, as well as Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) utilized in, i.a., rock mining. As a simple and cheap material, ANFO also tends to be used by terrorists. The spontaneous formation of an AN and polymers mixture—similar to ANFO in terms of composition and explosion force—was observed in fire conditions during previous research. At individual stages (from creation to exploitation), AN often comes into direct contact with various polymers. Polyolefins, in particular polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), are among the most popular groups of such materials. They are used for the production of, i.a., foil packaging and flexible intermediate bulk containers for the storage and transport of fertilizers. Despite the frequent mutual contact of these materials, there is little information in the literature on the interaction of AN and its polymer-made packaging in fire conditions. For this reason, it was decided to conduct a series of thermal analyses using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to study the material behavior under the influence of high temperature. As it turns out in practice, the spontaneous formation of a mixture similar to ANFO—in terms of composition and explosion force—can be observed in fire conditions. Due to the results indicating a potentially explosive course of the reaction, laboratory tests on the macro scale were also carried out. The performed observations show that it may be necessary to create a procedure containing several different test methods in order to predict a mixture’s behavior during a fire and to define the appropriate guidelines for firefighting teams. Such guidelines would enable firefighters to prepare the right equipment during a firefighting operation and to develop a strategy based on the observed course of events