Improved decision support within biocorrosion management for Oil and Gas water injection systems

L’objectif de ce projet, réalisé dans le cadre du réseau BIOCOR, est de fournir aux opérateurs intervenant dans les systèmes d’injection d’eau, un support amélioré d’aide à la décision. L’implication de composants biologiques dans la corrosion de l’acier au carbone ainsi que les synergies potentielles avec d’autres éléments (contrainte mécanique, propriétés intrinsèques du matériau…) ont été étudiées. Les travaux ont montré que la production du sulfure (une réelle menace pour l’acier) par voie biologique avait différentes origines dans l’eau de mer, les différents taux de production pouvant déterminer diverses cinétiques et morphologies de la corrosion. Les paramètres clé sont la disponibilité des accepteurs d’électrons et la température du milieu environnant. Les bactéries sulfato-réductrices (BSR) sont responsables d’attaques plus sévères que les bactéries sulfidogéniques ou du genre Clostridium, deux groupes identifiés dans le système étudié. L’activité microbienne affecte également les processus de minéralisation qui ont lieu naturellement à la surface de l’acier doux, conduisant à des architectures composées de minéraux à base de fer II et III, comme le sulfure de fer, la magnétite, les oxy-hydroxydes de fer, la chukanovite et la rouille verte (sulfatée ou carbonatée) ainsi que des dépôts calcaires. Les couches internes de ces structures peuvent constituer un habitat favorable, dans lequel les BSR peuvent se développer en utilisant le sulfate de la rouille verte sulfatée comme accepteur terminal d’électrons pour leur respiration dissimilatrice. Ce processus conduit à la dégradation continue de l’acier. Enfin, l’influence de la microstructure du matériau et l’impact du stress mécanique sur la biocorrosion ont été identifiés : les joints de grains et les inclusions jouent un rôle important dans les premières étapes de la corrosion, qui s’estompe avec le temps d’immersion. Un taux élevé de bactéries couplé à une contrainte mécanique conduit à une augmentation de la détérioration sans toutefois révéler des mécanismes nouveaux par rapport à l’absence de contrainte. De plus, l’activité sulfidogénique des bactéries ne semble pas conduire aux mécanismes de rupture par fissuration (Stress Corrosion Cracking). En conclusion, les résultats de ce travail indiquent les situations qui pourraient (ou non) conduire à s’écarter de la ‘fenêtre de sécurité’ pour un système donné. ABSTRACT : The objective of this work, achieved in the framework of the BIOCOR European Network, has been to provide the operators of Sea-Water Injection System (SWIS) with improved decision support. The implication of biological component on carbon steel corrosion was explored as well as the possible synergy with other elements (mechanical stress, material properties…). This work showed that biogenic sulphide production, a corrosion threat for steel, can have different origins in seawater. The production rate can determine kinetics and morphology of corrosion attack, which might be governed by the type of microorganisms present. The key parameters are the availability of electron acceptors and the surrounding environment temperature. Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB) exhibit more vigorous attack compared to sulfidogenic bacteria or genera Clostridium, both found in the studied SWIS. Microbial activity also affects the mineralization process naturally occurring on carbon steel surface leading to architectures composed of mixed iron (II) and (III) minerals such as iron sulfides, magnetite, iron oxyhydroxides, chukanovite and green rust (sulfated or carbonated) as well as calcareous deposits. Inner layers of these structures could possibly provide an anaerobic habitat for SRBs, where they can flourish by using sulfate from GR(SO42-) as a terminal electron acceptor for their dissimilatory respiration. This enables continuous degradation of steel. Finally, significance of material microstructure and impact of mechanical stress on corrosion processes was also recognized. Grain boundaries and inclusions are playing a role during the initial stage of corrosion attack. This impact can diminish during the immersion time. An elevated bacterial activity coupled with mechanical stress leads to an increase of material deterioration. However, the mechanisms are not different from those usually observed for unstressed steel. Moreover, sulfidogenic microbial activity does not seem to lead to a failure mechanism related to Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC). In conclusion, the outcomes indicate the possible situations, which may (or may not) lead to breach the safe operating window for a given SWIS

Recent Forest Fire Related Accidents in Europe

Forest fires can cause injuries and death to fire fighters and to population affected by them. The analysis of these accidents can provide a better insight about their causes and circumstances and develop guidelines to improve safety of all those at the fire line. These events are also a challenge for researchers as we try to better understand how fire and people behave and with this knowledge contribute to avoid these accidents. Some recent cases involving fatal accidents in five different countries are described and analyzed in this book. Common elements among them are the fact that both several fatalities and fire eruptions occurred in all of them. The number of victims ranges from two in Palasca (France) accident to 27 in Arthemida (Greece) case and they include professional and well experienced fire fighters and members of the population, in some cases even children. May these cases be a reminder that every person can be endangered by forest fires and a call to enforce the common goal of preventing them.JRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Computer Vision Based Measurement of Wildfire Smoke Dynamics

This article presents a novel method for measurement of wildfire smoke dynamics based on computer vision and augmented reality techniques. The aspect of smoke dynamics is an important feature in video smoke detection that could distinguish smoke from visually similar phenomena. However, most of the existing smoke detection systems are not capable of measuring the real-world size of the detected smoke regions. Using computer vision and GIS-based augmented reality, we measure the real dimensions of smoke plumes, and observe the change in size over time. The measurements are performed on offline video data with known camera parameters and location. The observed data is analyzed in order to create a classifier that could be used to eliminate certain categories of false alarms induced by phenomena with different dynamics than smoke. We carried out an offline evaluation where we measured the improvement in the detection process achieved using the proposed smoke dynamics characteristics. The results show a significant increase in algorithm performance, especially in terms of reducing false alarms rate. From this it follows that the proposed method for measurement of smoke dynamics could be used to improve existing smoke detection algorithms, or taken into account when designing new ones

Environmental Intelligence Based on Advanced Sensor Networks

systems in an environment, in a way that those highly technological systems become almost its integral part, it is possible to provide additional environment features. Those features are primarily self-monitoring and self-protection, giving the environment rudimentary intelligence and possibility, to operate not only by reaction, but also to operate proactively, having in ''mind' ' its self-protection. In such a way the environment becomes the intelligent environment or more accurately the intelligent selfmonitoring, self-protecting and self-aware environment that reacts on changes and in real time alarms humans responsible for appropriate environment protection actions which will prevent environment further degradation. The paper describes overall architecture of such intelligent environment based on advanced sensor network called the observer network. As an example the system architecture of the forest fire monitoring system is discussed. 1