Explosive plume

While not demonstrated during this work, another interesting capability of the REMUS AUV system is that a sensitive, real-time explosive sensor could supply explosive concentration information to an adaptive mission planner that is capable of modifying the course of the AUV, so that the AUV tracks the explosive plume to its source. This capability, if further developed, could enable detection of UUXO by tracking explosive plumes to source. 

Editor The other question brought to mind by the vulture reference concerns odor plumes. An entire, Chapter 5, of the book is devoted to the structure of plumes in air and water. Most animals, not just vultures, have an instinctive sense of how to follow a plume to its source. As you have used animals in the field, have you observed any behaviors that seem to indicate plume following How far have you seen animals effectively follow an explosive plume ... 

In 2001, the Fido system was modified to operate underwater and became known as the SeaDog. The U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research (ONR), under its Chemical Sensing in the Marine Environment (CSME) Program, funded the integration of the SeaDog with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The integrated system was able to map a plume of trinitrotoluene (TNT) in open water in real time. This was the first demonstration of the mapping of an explosive plume underwater in real time [9, 10],... 

Manganese, on the other hand, catalyzes a different reaction. It reshuffles the bonds in H Oj (peroxide) to make H O and O. Chemistry professors impress their classes by mixing peroxide with manganese oxide in a flask, which creates an explosive plume of water. True to oxygen s double-edged nature, this is dangerous, so I am happy to show it on video. 

The previous chapter described the consequences of a nuclear reactor accident. Chemical process accidents are more varied and do not usually have the energy to melt thick pressure vessels and concrete basemats. The consequences of a chemical process accident that releases a toxic plume, like Bhopal did, are calculated similarly to calculating the dose from inhalation from a radioactive plume but usually calculating chemical process accidents differ from nuclear accidents for which explosions do not occur. 

A fire in a bulk storage facility at Coode Island, Melbourne, Australia, in August 1991 caused extensive damage and many complaints about the pollution caused by the smoke plume, but no injuries. The tank vents were connected together and piped to a carbon bed vapor recovery system. There were no flame arrestors in the pipework. Whatever the cause of the initial fire or explosion, the vent collection system provided a means of spreading the fire from one tank to another. 

As it passed checkpoints, the car was observed to be releasing plumes of carbon dioxide from the safety valve, after which the tank exploded 15 m (50 ft) in front of a group of other rail cars. Other evidence indicates that the explosion occurred after impact with these cars. 

In a flash fire, a gas cloud or plume fonns and moves in a downwind direction. Subject to contact witli an ignition source, a wall of flame will flash back to the vapor source, sometimes witli explosive force. The beliavior of flash fire flames is not well documented. It is generally assumed tliat a flash fire will spread tliroughout tlie vapor cloud emitted and tliat it can be calculated by gas outflow dispersion. It is generally assumed tliat tlie fire is lethal to anyone within the contours of tlie cloud who is not wearing special protective gear. ... 

REDIFEM—This fire model has applications including steady state releases of compressible gas/vapor, incompressible liquid and transient release from a gas vessel, Gaussian Plume models, continuous free momentum, BLEVE, and confined and unconfined vapor cloud explosions. REDIEEM is reported to have internal validation with ISO 9001 and checked against PHAST and ERED. 

Plumes in Air It is clear that, if the supply of molecules is adequate, plumes can form in air as well. While there may not be enough concentration in the air above buried sources to form plumes, in the case of unburied explosives, such as in IEDs or UXO covered loosely with rubble, there may be exploitable plumes. When such plumes develop, there will often be some level of urgency associated with locating the source. Sometimes, when logs seem to be following... 

Much research has been applied toward understanding the ways that various animals use odor plumes. It is not within the scope of this book to exhaustively survey the resulting literature. One aspect of this research has direct bearing on the use of plumes to locate sources of chemical molecules such as explosives. As they are studying their animal subjects, these researchers construct two kinds of mathematical models to assist them. 

Editor That seems to correlate with our observation that the molecules tend to adsorb on soil particles and dust, rather than remain in the air as explosive vapor. I take it that you mean that some wind is needed to move these particles in order to make them available above ground level to the animal. So, a pure vapor plume in air is not as rich a source as wind carried dust and soil particles. Is that correct ... 

The analysis of the potential consequences of an accident is a useful way of understanding the relative inherent safety of process alternatives. These consequences might consider, for example, the distance to a benchmark level of damage resulting from a fire, explosion, or toxic material release. Accident consequence analysis is of particular value in understanding the benefits of minimization, moderation, and limitation of effects. This discussion includes several examples of the use of potential accident consequence analysis as a way of measuring inherent safety, such as the BLEVE and toxic gas plume model results shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6. 

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