Fire Technology Research Articles

The UN Sustainable Development Goals and Fire Technology

The UN Sustainable Development Goals and Fire Technology

Bibliometric Analysis of Research Topics on Fire Safety

Various studies have been conducted to minimize property damage and casualties caused by fire accidents, which occur over 40,000 times annually on average. The research papers published in the Fire Science and Engineering journal indexed in the Korea Citation Index and the Fire Technology journal indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded databases over the last 10 years were analyzed utilizing text-mining techniques. Similar research papers published these two journals were explored and significant differences in perceptions were identified. Recently, the proportion of studies on “Wild-Urban-Interface (WUI) fire” and “Battery fire” published in the Fire Technology journal has increased; however, “Firefighter organization” related research papers are being actively published in the Fire Science and Engineering journal. A quantitative analysis of the studies on fire incidents can provide significant information on developing new policies essential to reducing fire damage.

Arc Grounding Fault Monitoring and Fire Prediction Method Based on EEMD and Reconstruction

To solve the problem of the single-phase ground fault and occurrence of electrical fires due to the residual current in substation AC power systems, a residual current intelligent sensing technology is proposed based on ensemble empirical modal decomposition (EEMD), sample entropy (SE) reconstruction, and fire warning technology using a beetle antennae search algorithm. First, through the residual current monitoring device to collect residual current information, EEMD and SE reconstruction for arc-earth fault diagnosis and an analysis of the differences in the current characteristics of each line after reconstruction are used to determine the fault line. Second, residual current, temperature, and operating voltage as input parameters and fire probability are the output parameters. The input–output relationship is established by a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) and optimized by the beetle antennae search (BAS) algorithm to speed up the convergence and improve the prediction accuracy to establish a substation fire warning scheme. Through simulation experiments, this paper proposes the residual current as a monitoring object method can effectively diagnose ground faults and accurately predict the probability of fire occurrence to ensure the safe and stable operation of substations.

A Review of Convolutional Neural Network Development in Computer Vision

Convolutional neural networks have made admirable progress in computer vision. As a fast-growing computer field, CNNs are one of the classical and widely used network structures. The Internet of Things (IoT) has gotten a lot of attention in recent years. This has directly led to the vigorous development of AI technology, such as the intelligent luggage security inspection system developed by the IoT, intelligent fire alarm system, driverless car, drone technology, and other cutting-edge directions. This paper first outlines the structure of CNNs, including the convolutional layer, the downsampling layer, and the fully connected layer, all of which play an important role. Then some different modules of classical networks are described, and these modules are rapidly driving the development of CNNs. And then the current state of CNNs research in image classification, object segmentation, and object detection is discussed.

Demystifying Ten Big Ideas and Rules Every Fire Scientist & Engineer Should Know About Blackbox, Whitebox and Causal Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is paving the way towards the fourth industrial revolution with the fire domain (Fire 4.0). As a matter of fact, the next few years will be elemental to how this technology will shape our academia, practice, and entrepreneurship. Despite the growing interest between fire research groups, AI remains absent of our curriculum, and we continue to lack a methodical framework to adopt, apply and create AI solutions suitable for our problems. The above is also true for parallel engineering domains (i.e., civil/mechanical engineering), and in order to negate the notion of history repeats itself (e.g., look at the continued debate with regard to modernizing standardized fire testing, etc.), it is the motivation behind this letter to the Editor to demystify some of the big ideas behind AI to jump-start prolific and strategic discussions on the front of AI & Fire. In addition, this letter intends to explain some of the most fundamental concepts and clear common misconceptions specific to the adoption of AI in fire engineering. This short letter is a companion to the Smart Systems in Fire Engineering special issue sponsored by Fire Technology. An in-depth review of AI algorithms [1] and success stories to the proper implementations of such algorithms can be found in the aforenoted special issue and collection of papers. This letter comprises two sections. The first section outlines big ideas pertaining to AI, and answers some of the burning questions with regard to the merit of adopting AI in our domain. The second section presents a set of rules or technical recommendations an AI user may deem helpful to practice whenever AI is used as an investigation methodology. The presented set of rules are complementary to the big ideas.

Experimental Study on Feasibility of EG Gel Optimizing Mine Fire Control Technology

ABSTRACT In order to solve the problem that the fire extinguishing effect is not ideal due to the failure to achieve permanent filling in the existing mine spontaneous combustion fire control technology. We prepared a new fire extinguishing material—EG gel, which is expected to achieve permanent filling of fire cracks and reduce fire temperature. The amount of colloid and heat transfer material is initially determined by analyzing the cementing effect of the colloid and the expansion effect in the heat transfer state. Based on orthogonal experiments, the proportions of EG gel are determined when they have the best cementing effect and the best expansion effect. By building high temperature (around 700°C) and sub high temperature (around 400°C) physical model, and reference to grouting fire extinguishing technology. The filling and cooling effects of EG gels with different initial temperatures in the high and sub-high temperature models were examined. The results show that EG gel has more advantages than other fire prevention technologies. It is currently the only excellent fire extinguishing material that integrates cooling and permanent filling of the fire area fissures. It is expected to provide new ideas, new technologies, and new breakthroughs for the solution of space governance problems of semi-closed complex structures represented by the mine fire.

A review of forest fire and policy response for resilient adaptation under changing climate in the Eastern Himalayan region

This review paper presents the extent and magnitude of forest fires and adaptation responses to deepen our understanding of the dynamics of forest fires in the eastern Himalayan region. We used a narrative scooping review approach to narrate the present state of forest fires and resilient adaptation responses to guide the development of climate resilient adaptation pathways in the future. Our review concludes that forest fires (total mean fire incidence = 3,158.5) continue to destroy overwhelming areas of forests every year (mean area destroyed = 658,778.4 hectares), presenting significant threat to ecological integrity, human wellbeing, and global effort to fight climate change. Fire incidences are highest during and post dry winter months which quickly declines at the onset of monsoon. Adaptation and responding to ever growing size and frequency of forest fires are limited by lack of awareness, training on fire management, firefighting infrastructure, technology, and adequate policy and financial support. In addition, there is acute lack of scientific studies to understand forest fire dynamics in the eastern Himalayan region. Based on the forest fire literature we argue that policy makers and communities must quickly adopt policy strategies that support smart responses to forest fire management including allocating adequate funds to support capacity building and research. Such decision must be based on research into potentials for climate resilient pathways for adaptation response.

Application of coal seam grouting to prevent and extinguish fire technology in Fusheng Coal Mine

Spontaneous combustion of coal not only releases toxic and harmful gases, but also may cause gas and coal dust explosions to endanger the lives of miners. The No.15 coal seam of Fusheng Coal Mine in Shanxi has a short period of spontaneous combustion and is prone to spontaneous combustion. In order to prevent spontaneous combustion of coal seams, it is proposed to use grouting to prevent fire extinguishing technology, mainly through the design of grouting system, the selection of grouting materials, the calculation of grouting parameters, the optimization of grouting technology and the selection of grouting equipment, etc. And it establishes methods for monitoring the effects of grouting zone temperature and gas composition, fire-fighting grouting accounts, etc. A series of grouting safety technical supporting measures such as grouting work system, prevention of pipe blockage, prevention of slurry running, setting of filter slurry sealing and drainage channels, etc. are proposed.

Fluctuation and extinction of laminar diffusion flame induced by external acoustic wave and source

Acoustic wave can destabilize the flame and has a potential in firefighting, but the influences of the sound source and its frequency are still poorly understood. This work applies a loudspeaker to extinguish a laminar diffusion propane flame of 5–25 mm high, where the local sound frequency is 50–70 Hz and sound pressure is 0.8–3.2 Pa (92.0–104.1 dB). Results reveal a constant flame pulsating displacement at the extinction limit, independent of the sound environment used. Such a flame pulsating displacement is found to be caused by the motion of the speaker membrane (or diaphragm) and its induced wind, which could be two orders of magnitude larger than the displacement of the air that transmits acoustic wave. Thus, under the influence of sound source, a critical flame strain rate, stretched by the pulsating airflow, can be formulated to characterize the blow-off limit better than the local sound pressure. The sound source with a lower frequency can produce larger pulsating displacements of both membrane and flame, and thus promoting extinction. This work improves the understanding of flame dynamics under the external sound field and source, and it helps establish a scientific framework for acoustic-based fire suppression technologies.

Mechanism of Fire Prevention with Liquid Carbon Dioxide and Application of Long-Distance Pressure-Holding Transportation Technology Based on Shallow Buried and Near-Horizontal Goaf Geological Conditions

Shallow burial, very close coal seam groups, and spontaneous combustion are typical characteristics of most coal seams in the Shendong mining area, China. With the continuous extension of the production level of various mines, some mining areas have gradually shown complex production conditions including multiple types of fire forms such as those in coal fields, small kilns, and multilayer mined-out and hidden high-temperature areas, resulting in fire control difficultly and posing threats to safety. With the aim of limiting the above problems, in this work, the liquid carbon dioxide fire prevention technology is focused on. Phase change and migration law of CO2 in the goaf are studied. Through the study on the influence of the use of liquid CO2 on the cooling law of high-temperature coal and on its spontaneous combustion characteristics and through thermal analysis experiments, it was observed that the porosity of loose coal has a significant impact on the cooling effect of carbon dioxide. Moreover, it was emphasized that the higher the CO2 concentration, the higher the rise in temperature of coal oxidation, and the increase of CO2 concentration was able to affect apparent activation of coal oxidation, leading to a theoretical basis to explain the effect of CO2 in inhibiting coal spontaneous combustion. The utilization of Fluent numerical modeling allowed us to simulate the diffusion radius of liquid CO2 injected into the goaf, to study the effective inerting radius of liquid CO2 on the left coal in the goaf. After comprehensive analysis of experiments and numerical simulations, appropriate equipment and process flow are selected and designed. Taking the Huojitujing well of Daliuta Coal Mine in Shendong mining area as the industrial test site, an intelligent pressure-holding transportation of liquid CO2 in the 1000 m transportation pipeline was developed. The surface liquid CO2 infusion capacity was 20 t/h, and the pressure-holding interval at the end of the transportation pipeline was determined to be 1.0–2.3 MPa. The maximum diffusion radius of the mined-out area is 300 m under the effect of positive air flow and self-expansion and diffusion of CO2 gas in the roadway. Under the influence of reverse wind flow and self-expansion and diffusion, the diffusion radius of the goaf is 150 m, and the maximum storage time of gaseous CO2 in the goaf is 27 h. Liquid CO2 was injected into the area with relevant presence of CO, an indicator of possible fires. Practice has proved that, after 65 hours and two perfusion processes, the CO concentration dropped from 790 ppm to 41 ppm, which indicates that liquid CO2 has a significant effect on fire prevention.

Controls and Hardware Development of Multi-Level Miller Cycle Dynamic Skip Fire (mDSF) Technology

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">mDSF is a novel cylinder deactivation technology developed at Tula Technology, which combines the torque control of Dynamic Skip Fire (DSF) with Miller cycle engines to optimize fuel efficiency at minimal cost. mDSF employs a valvetrain with variable valve lift plus deactivation and novel control algorithms founded on Tula’s proven DSF technology. This allows cylinders to dynamically alternate among 3 potential states designated as: High Fire, Low Fire, and Skip (deactivation). The Low Fire state is achieved through an aggressive Miller cycle with Early Intake Valve Closing (EIVC). The three operating states in mDSF can be used to simultaneously optimize engine efficiency and driveline vibrations. Acceleration performance is retained using the all-cylinder, High Fire mode. mDSF can be implemented cost-effectively using an asymmetric intake valve lift strategy, with one high-flow power charging port and one high-efficiency Miller port.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Prototype mDSF cylinder heads were based on the EA888 Gen 3B engine by retrofitting the valvetrain with asymmetric intake cams, deactivatable roller finger followers and two oil control valves per cylinder. Event-based engine controls were developed to enable for each cylinder dynamic selection of the three mDSF operating modes: High Fire, Low Fire and Skip. Appropriate air estimation, fuel control and ignition control techniques were employed to ensure acceptable torque delivery and tailpipe emissions.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Engine dynamometer tests showed a 23% reduction in engine fuel consumption at 1500 rpm, 2 bar NMEP. Maximum torque and power from the baseline production engine up to 5000 rpm were also achieved. mDSF vehicle tests on the WLTC demonstrated a 6% reduction in CO<sub>2</sub> from Miller 2-step. Euro 6d compliant emissions were also reported. Further improvements in fuel economy, drivability and NVH may be possible by leveraging mixed firing densities more extensively.</div></div>

The Evolution of Gasses in Fire Suppression Systems to Promote Changes in Industrial Towards Global Sustainability

The historical development of fire suppression technology evolved in the 1930s since the application of Halons as a fire extinguishing agent. The fire may cause tremendous losses to organizations. It affects the chain of businesses and the stability of the economic growth of a country. The key issues of greenhouse effects and safety and health as well contributes to the sudden change of the technology of fire extinguishing systems. The establishment of the Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocols controls the producers to develop, supply and use of environmentally hazardous gasses worldwide. Hence, promote global sustainable for upcoming generations. This paper is highlighting the reasons gas type fire extinguishing agents extensively used substituting conventional methods against fire. The fundamental equations of Ozone Depleting Potential and Global Warming Potential were properly discussed to show how severe these gasses exposed to the environment. The effectiveness of these gases as a clean agent in extinguishing the fire may convince prospect users to carry out the decision of changes. Potential extinguishing agents will be deliberated to investigate their needs as new fire suppression agents. It will be then to be suggested and recommended for further studies.

Experimental analysis on natural heated goethite from ponte di Veja (Mt Lessini, NE Italy)

The use of fire technology for transforming yellow goethite into red hematite was common, intentional and consolidated practice in Prehistoric settlements. Mineralogical structural analyses using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been successfully employed for studying artificial hematite and for the estimation of the relevant transformation temperatures.Thermal treatments, over a temperature range of 250 up to 1000 °C, have been carried out on natural goethite (associated with quartz) collected from the palaeokarst caves at Ponte di Veja in North-Eastern Italy (Western sector of the Lessini Mountains) with the scope to compare the effects of heat treatment on natural goethite with synthetic goethite. This site provided extensively Fe-rich raw materials to the Upper Palaeolithic site Tagliente rockshelter.The mineralogical analysis demonstrated that selective broadening of some diffraction peaks occurs during the transformation for temperatures between 250 and 800 °C, confirmed by TEM analyses, in accordance with experiments executed on synthetic goethite samples.

Mine Fire Safety Monitoring in Underground Metal Mines: Is Zigbee Wireless Sensor Networks Technology the Best Choice?

Mine fire is a very common and serious problem in mining engineering, and often causes casualties, equipment losses, mine shutdown, resource destruction, and even sulphide dust explosion. So it is of vital importance to monitor mine fire in the engineering projects in order to prevent economic losses and casualties. Actually, we have done a lot of engineering projects on mine fire monitoring and have seen a variety of monitoring systems in underground metal mines. Unmodestly speaking, we are experts in this field, therefore, in this viewpoint paper, we mainly introduce a few mine fire monitoring methods and technologies according to our practical engineering experience, especially the ZigBee WSN technology and sensors. And in the end of the paper, we have explained “Why is ZigBee WSN technology the best choice in the fire monitoring in the underground metal mines at the present stage?”.

Mapping the knowledge domains of research on fire safety – an informetrics analysis

To understand the current status and the development of fire safety studies, explore the knowledge bases and research frontiers, 2027 fire safety-related papers from 2000 to 2019 were retrieved from the SCIE and SSCI databases of the Web of Science platform as data samples. Bibliometric analysis methods for informetrics, such as co-occurrence analysis, co-citation analysis, and burst analysis of keywords were adopted for comprehensive visualization analysis of fire safety studies by means of two tools of mapping knowledge domains. The results show that China has the highest number of publications in the country/region and that the University of Science and Technology of China has the highest number of publications of relevant institutions. Analysis of flame retardance, thermodynamics and flame retardant polymer development of graphite and other nanomaterials are the knowledge bases in the field of fire safety studies. Fire Safety Journal, Fire Technology, Fire and Materials, Journal of Fire Sciences, and Building and Environment are the core journals in this field. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, Fire Safety Journal and Fire Technology are the top 3 journals related to fire safety studies of tunnel and underground space. The research topics were aggregated into three core paths: the “fire safety of building and tunnel” path, the “combustion behavior-simulation analysis” path, and the “flame-retardant material” path. Building and tunnel fires, forest fires, and materials science engineering have been hot research areas in recent years. At present, the basic theory and research system of fire safety studies are essentially completed, and there are many future research directions with extensive branches. The fire safety of tunnel and underground space, intelligent firefighting and rescue, the basic theories and research systems in the field of fire and flame retardant materials represent the current frontiers of fire safety studies.

It's getting hot in here – Microcontextual study of a potential pit hearth at the Middle Paleolithic site of El Salt, Spain

By studying combustion structures, which conceal information about anthropogenic activity, we might learn about their makers. This is especially important for remote time periods like the Middle Paleolithic, whose archaeological record comprises numerous combustion structures. The majority of these are simple, flat, open hearths, although a small number of features situated in pit-like depressions have been recorded. Given that hearths built on a flat surface can result in pit-like color alteration of the underlying sediment, accurate identification of pit hearths is a crucial step prior to behavioral interpretation. Here we present a comprehensive study of a possible pit hearth from the Middle Paleolithic site of El Salt, Spain, using a microcontextual approach combining micromorphology, lipid biomarker analysis, archaeomagnetism and zooarchaeology. This pit hearth involves a true depression containing a thick plant ash deposit. It reached very high temperatures, possibly multiple burning events and long combustion times. Morphologically distinct combustion structures in a single archaeological context may indicate different functions and thus a diverse fire technology, pointing to Neanderthal behavioral variability.

Analysis on the Fire Growth Rate Index Considering of Scale Factor, Volume Fraction, and Ignition Heat Source for Polyethylene Foam Pipe Insulation

The fire growth rate index (FIGRA), which is the ratio of the maximum value of the heat release rate (Qmax) and the time (tmax) to reach the maximum heat release rate, is a general method to evaluate a material in the fire-retardant performance in fire technology. The object of this study aims to predict FIGRA of the polyethylene foam pipe insulation in accordance with the scale factor (Sf), the volume fraction of the pipe insulation (VF) and the ignition heat source (Qig). The compartments made of fireboard have been mock-up with 1/3, 1/4, and 1/5 reduced scales of the compartment as specified in ISO 20632. The heat release rate data of the pipe insulation with the variation of Sf, VF, and Qig are measured from 33 experiments to correlate with FIGRA. Based on a critical analysis of the heat transfer phenomenon from previous research literature, the predictions of Qmax and tmax are presented. It is noticeable that the fire-retardant grade of the polyethylene foam pipe insulation could have Grade B, C, and D in accordance with the test conditions within ±15% deviation of the predicted FIGRA. In case of establishing the database of various types of insulation, the prediction models could apply to evaluate the fire-retardant performance.

Retracted: Investigation on experimental setup for observing objects shaded by flames

Retraction: Jie Wang, Gongyousheng Cui, Yong Wang. Investigation on experimental setup for observing objects shaded by flames. Fire and Materials. 2020; 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/fam.2884The above article from Fire and Materials, published online on July 10, 2020 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor‐in‐Chief, Stephen J. Grayson and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to unattributed overlap to the following article published in Fire Technology, “Imaging through fire using narrow‐spectrum illumination” by Christopher M. Smith and Matthew S. Hoehler, Volume 54, 2018, pages 1705 – 1723.

ROLE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND METHOD OF THERMAL DISPOSAL OF WASTE IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Addressing environmental security and sustainable development depends on the policy of the government, and from the technological development of society. Ideally, this is the development of technologies that are able to work on the conditions of waste-free production. Unfortunately, such technologies do not actually exist, and getting a useful product is associated with the simultaneous formation of waste both production and consumption (MSW-solid household waste), which involves the entire population of the country. The problem of waste disposal can be solved by creating waste processing plants equipped with special thermal waste disposal plants and effective multi-stage flue gas cleaning systems. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the method of waste heat treatment in rotating furnaces, where it is possible to jointly neutralize liquid, solid and pasty waste. A similar unit with capacity of 250–300 kg/h to 5 t/h household waste developed by OOO «Fire technology» in cooperation with the Institutes of theoretical and applied mechanics, Thermophysics and operated in the Republic of Korea, China and RP Kochenevo Novosibirsk region.

Water permeability tests of light-transparent facade of high-rise residential buildings in real conditions

Stained glass glazing systems in residential buildings, along with requirements for a number of physical, mechanical and technical characteristics, must provide resistance to water permeability under atmospheric and humidity effects on them. At the initiative of the construction customer, control tests were carried out "on the Strait" of stained-glass balcony glazing systems using fire technology to confirm compliance with the stated requirements for water permeability of the facade glazing system of a residential building and to identify errors made in the design, production and installation of stained-glass structures. The purpose of the work is to analyze the results of control tests for water permeability of a stained glass system of a residential building under excessive water pressure at the request of the developer in real conditions and on their basis to provide recommendations for developing regulations for such tests. Method – tests for water permeability of the balcony glazing system with a water jet from the RSK-50 fire hose when water is supplied 162 l/min per 1 m2. Results. It was found that using fire equipment when testing the glazing system for water permeability in real conditions, the laboratory values 2,7 l/min per 1 m2 for water consumption and pressure on the glazing elements were exceeded ten times. This led to exogenous non-critical micro-damages. Conclusions. It is shown that tests on the Strait can serve as an effective means of quality control, both for construction and installation works of facade glazing.