Large Burns Research Articles

Features of the organization and implementation of intensive care in seriously injured with burns during the air medical evacuation

Relevance. The problem of organizing and providing emergency medical care during the medical evacuation of seriously injured in emergency situations who received burns remains relevant up to the present time. The effectiveness of the intensive care performed at the prehospital stage significantly affects the condition of patients and the outcome of the treatment. A fairly effective and safe way to evacuate victims in critical condition, including those with burns, is the use of air ambulance. At the same time, the preparation and management of patients subject to air medical transportation requires solving a number of problems during the flight.Intention. To analyze the results of the organization and implementation of intensive care over the past 8 years in seriously injured people with burns after emergencies during aeromedical evacuation by a light-class helicopter.Methodology. We analyzed data from the automated information and analytical system “Disaster Medicine of the city of Moscow” of the Moscow Territorial Scientific and Practical Center of Disaster Medicine (CEMP) of the Department of Healthcare of the City of Moscow concerning medical evacuation of patients with burns over the past 8 years (2014–2021). Historical, statistical, analytical methods were used in the study.Results and Discussion. The main causes of thermal injury are fires, which rank third in the number of events and the number of victims, and first in the number of deaths. In the structure of victims with thermal trauma, 26 % were in extremely serious and serious condition, of which 2 % needed artificial lung ventilation and tracheal intubation. Indications and features of artificial lung ventilation with tracheal intubation were determined for victims with thermal burns who were subject to medical evacuation by a light-class ambulance helicopter.Conclusion. Aeromedical transportation of a burn patient with adequate therapy is relatively safe and prognostically more effective compared to other methods of medical evacuation. When using flight crews with little experience in providing emergency medical care to victims with large burns, special attention should be paid to resuscitation and maintaining euthermia (maintaining human body temperature).

Does A History of Malignancy Lead to Worse Outcomes in a Single-center Burn Unit?

A history of malignancy is associated with worse outcomes in cardiac disease and trauma. Our objective was to determine if a past medical history or comorbid condition of cancer portends an increased morbidity or mortality in burns or skin-sloughing disorders at our institution. Patients were identified using our Institutional Burn Center registry and linked to the clinical and administrative data. All patients admitted between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2021 were eligible for inclusion. Demographics, length of stay, comorbid conditions and mortality were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed with Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests. Seven thousand three hundred seventy-two patients were admitted during this time period. Three hundred eighty-six patients had a history of cancer (5%). Patients with a history of cancer were older (56 vs 44 years, P < .0001). They had a significantly longer length of stay (16 vs 10 days, P < .0001). They also had larger burns and higher hospital costs ($147,021 versus $83,788, P < .0001), were more likely to be male and more likely to have a skin-sloughing disorder. A history of cancer was not associated with increased odds of burn mortality. Thus, a history of cancer is associated with increased lengths of stay and costs in patients admitted for burn injury or skin-sloughing disorders, but not associated with increased mortality. Further study is warranted to investigate and mitigate what aspects of their care could be adjusted to improve outcomes.

A textile device for the therapy of patients with burn wounds by the use of a drug delivery from a hydrogel to dermis

The paper proposes a textile device for patients with large area burn wounds consisting of an assembly made up of a knitted backing layer, a hydrogel, with an antibiotic content, as a second layer and a membrane with controlled porosity located directly at the interface with the wound. The knit is the material support with a supporting clothing role, but also as a solution tank. The hydrogel has a keratin structure obtained from human hair with advanced swelling capacity and porosity. The study proposes the use of silver sulfadiazine (SSD), an antibiotic used in the topical therapy of burn wounds. The work optimizes the degree of swelling, evaluates the porosity of the hydrogel and designs the support garment for wound therapy. The optimal parameters to obtain the maximal swelling degree are: duration of hydrolytic reaction 180 min, volume of hydrogen peroxide 3.7 mL and duration of oxidation 90–125 min. Based on these optimal parameters one can obtain swelling degrees higher than 1000%. The device proposed is reusable and supports the SSD diffusion to wound.

Clinical epidemiology and a novel predicting nomogram of central line associated bloodstream infection in burn patients.

Burn patients are at high risk of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). However, the diagnosis of such infections is complex, resource-intensive, and often delayed. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of CLABSI and develop a prediction model for the infection in burn patients. The study analysed the infection profiles, clinical epidemiology, and central venous catheter (CVC) management of patients in a large burn centre in China from January 2018 to December 2021. In total, 222 burn patients with a cumulative 630 CVCs and 5,431 line-days were included. The CLABSI rate was 23.02 CVCs per 1000 line-days. The three most common bacterial species were Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; 76.09% of isolates were multidrug resistant. Compared with a non-CLABSI cohort, CLABSI patients were significantly older, with more severe burns, more CVC insertion times, and longer total line-days, as well as higher mortality. Regression analysis found longer line-days, more catheterisation times, and higher burn wounds index to be independent risk factors for CLABSI. A novel nomogram based on three risk factors was constructed with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) value of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.782-0.898) with a mean absolute error of calibration curve of 0.023. The nomogram showed excellent predictive ability and clinical applicability, and provided a simple, practical, and quantitative strategy to predict CLABSI in burn patients.

Ensuring economic security of thermal power plants with accelerated decarbonization of the energy industry

The article highlights the results of a detailed study of the Report of the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine “Economically justified approach to the introduction of the National Emission Reduction Plan in Ukraine based on the experience of reducing emissions of harmful pollutants into the air by large combustion plants in Europe” and considers the European experience of state support thermal power plants/ thermal power plants. It was emphasized that among the mechanisms that were used and continue to be used to support coal generation, the most significant in terms of funding are the transitional payment mechanism, which is currently used in Poland, Germany, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, and contracts for difference, which are still used in Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Great Britain, etc. countries It is justified that for Ukraine it is more expedient to finance reconstruction/modernization/technical re-equipment projects using the transitional payment mechanism, for which the transitional payment before payment will be calculated: for household consumers – as the product of the corresponding rate of transitional payment for final household consumers (UAH/month) and the number of household consumers connected to the network of this distribution system operator; for non-household consumers – as the product of the corresponding transitional payment rate (UAH/kWh) and the amount of electricity consumed by final non-household consumers. The inclusion in this way of a transitional payment to electricity supply tariffs (which include the cost of purchasing electricity on the market, the cost of services for its distribution and transmission, as well as the cost of the services of the electricity supplier) will not have a significant impact on their growth for both domestic and non-domestic consumers, instead, it will allow to have additional revenues, which the thermal power station/ thermal power plant will be able to direct to finance projects for their reconstruction/modernization/technical re-equipment. The introduction of transitional payment can definitely serve as only one of the alternative options for financing the implementation of projects for the modernization of thermal power plants/thermal power plants and, accordingly, ensuring their economic security, but it does not finally resolve the issue of financial support for the implementation of projects for the reconstruction/modernization/re-equipment of thermal power plants, which are provided for by the National Reduction Plan emissions from large combustion plants.

Production of Electricity from Coal-Fired Power Plants and Accompanying CO2 Emissions: Comparison of EU-27 and Serbia

Even in the third decade of the 21st century, large power plants are still responsible for more than half of the electricity production in Europe. They predominantly use fossil fuels in their work, which results in the emission of pollutants into the air. Nevertheless, thanks to EU directives, as well as disturbances on the market, emissions of carbon dioxide from large combustion plants in the EU-27 are intensively decreasing in the last two decades. Although the use of coal, especially in the countries of the European Union, is in constant decline, there is space for additional reduction. Through this paper, the authors wanted to present the completely actual situation of emissions of CO2 from thermal power plants in Europe, that have used coal for electricity production, as well as to compare such plants with those operating in the Republic of Serbia. The CO2 emission was analysed in relation to the installed capacity, as well as compared to the energy produced and supplied to the system. By analysing the obtained values of the ratio of emissions to the number of inhabitants, the area of the territory, production and consumption of electricity, as well as to the GDP, it is noticeable that a much larger amount of CO2 is generated on the territory of the Republic of Serbia to achieve a similar energy, industrial and economic effect compared to the EU-27. By researching location data of coal burning in the production of electricity in the Republic of Serbia revealed the existence of a large difference in the amount of CO2 emissions, which is a consequence of the composition of the coal used and the combustion modes in thermal power plants.

Study of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Patients with Extensive Burns

Introduction. Assessment of tissue regeneration, including that at the cellular and subcellular levels, appears to be one of the important trends in the complex treatment of patients with extensive burns. It is known that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) contribute to tissue restoration and regeneration through paracrine effects or direct cell differentiation, being a central component of post-burn anemia recovery and capable of forming not only blood cells, but also other types of cells. Notably, the role of these cells in burn injury has not been studied yet.The aim of the study was to investigate in dynamics the content of hematopoietic stem cells of different phenotypes in patients with extensive burns in the process of complex treatment. Methods. Hematopoietic stem cells and their subpopulations in peripheral blood samples were analyzed on a FACSCalibur flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson, USA) using the CellQuest program and CD45/CD34/CD38 and CD45/CD34/CD133 monoclonal antibody panels (BD, USA). The results obtained were statistically processed using the GraphPad Prism 7.0 program (USA), results were considered statistically significant at p0.05.Results. Hematopoietic stem cells and their subpopulations were studied at different stages of the complex treatment in 25 patients with a large burn area, ​​more than 30% of the body surface. The comparison group consisted of 15 healthy volunteers. Upon admission to the Burn Center, a group of severely burned patients revealed a significant deep deficiency of both total HSCs CD45+34+ (p=0.0002) and their subpopulations CD45dim34+38+ (p=0.019), with predominantly early precursors of hematopoiesis CD45dim34+38- (p=0.0001) and CD45dim34+133+ (p=0.0002). In the course of the complex treatment, including surgical necrectomy and autodermoplasty of burn wounds, there was observed normalization of total HSCs CD45+34+ (0.050.012%, p=0.031) and a subpopulation of early HSCs CD45dim34+38- (0.0390.009%, p=0.016) in 20 days of treatment in the group of burn patients. There was a significant increase of mature CD45dim34+133- HSCs (p=0.0380) as a result of treatment, while the deficit of the more differentiated population of CD45dim34+38+ HSCs did not fully recover (p=0.272).Conclusion. The firstly detected modulations in the content of hematopoietic stem cells of different phenotypes in patients with extensive burns may reflect the state of compensatory-adaptive reactions of hematopoiesis in the course of the complex treatment. The data obtained may support the predictive use of HSC subcellular markers to assess the regenerative potential in burn wounds healing, including that during staged surgical treatment and autodermoplasty, and to predict the development of local and general complications of burn disease.

Advances in Skin Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.

There are an estimated 500,000 patients treated with full-thickness wounds in the United States every year. Fire-related burn injuries are among the most common and devastating types of wounds that require advanced clinical treatment. Autologous split-thickness skin grafting is the clinical gold standard for the treatment of large burn wounds. However, skin grafting has several limitations, particularly in large burn wounds, where there may be a limited area of non-wounded skin to use for grafting. Non-cellular dermal substitutes have been developed but have their own challenges; they are expensive to produce, may require immunosuppression depending on design and allogenic cell inclusion. There is a need for more advanced treatments for devastating burns and wounds. This manuscript provides a brief overview of some recent advances in wound care, including the use of advanced biomaterials, cell-based therapies for wound healing, biological skin substitutes, biological scaffolds, spray on skin and skin bioprinting. Finally, we provide insight into the future of wound care and technological areas that need to be addressed to support the development and incorporation of these technologies.

Surgical Repair of the Acute Burn Wound: Who, When, What Techniques? What Is the Future?

Modern burns surgery is multidisciplinary, multimodal and includes a dermal preservation approach. The management of the surgical wound starts in the pre-hospital environment with stabilization and assessment of the burn injured patient according to protocols of trauma resuscitation with special emphasis in the assessment of the burn depth and surface area. A large burn requires fluid resuscitation and physiological support, including counterbalancing hyper metabolism, fighting infection and starting a long burns intensive care journey. A deep burn may impose the need for surgical debridement and cover through a staged approach of excision of devitalized tissue depending on its extension and patient circumstances. These methodologies warrant patients survivability and require professionals integrated in a multidisciplinary team sharing decisions and directing management. Burns Multimodality involves multiple techniques used according to patient's needs, wound environment, operators experience and available resources. Traditional practices used together with new techniques may reduce morbidity and operative time but also challenge stablished practice. The concept of using the best teams with the best techniques combines with the need for selective and judicious surgery that preserves tissue architecture and spares as much as possible dermal component, therefore reducing the possibility of functional impairment and cosmetic embarrassment caused by pathological scars. Who is best placed to perform these tasks, the appropriate or best timing of surgery and the different practices used to achieve best results will be discussed, together with a reflection on what the future holds for these fundamental steps in the management of the burn injured patient turning into a functional burn survivor.

Characterization of paddy-residue burning derived carbonaceous aerosols using dual carbon isotopes

A large scale paddy-residue burning (PRB) happens every year in the northwest Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) during the post-monsoon season, and winds transport pollutants from the source region up to the northern Indian Ocean affecting air quality of the IGP and marine region. In this study, day-night pairs of fine aerosol samples (n = 69) were collected during October–November over Patiala (30.2°N, 76.3°E, 250 m amsl), a site located in the source region of PRB. Carbonaceous aerosols (CA) were characterised using chemical species and dual carbon isotopes (13C and 14C) to estimate bio vs non-bio contributions and understand their characteristics. Percentage of bio fraction (fbio, estimated using 14C) in CA varied from 74 % to 87 % (avg: 80 ± 3) during days and 71 % to 96 % (avg: 85 ± 7 %) during nights. Further, the fbio was found to be better correlated with aerosol mass spectrometer derived f60 compare to levoglucosan (LG) or nssK+, suggesting f60 a useful proxy for PRB. The δ13C varied from −27.7 ‰ to −26.0 ‰ (avg: −27.0 ± 0.4 ‰) and − 28.7 ‰ to −26.4 ‰ (avg: −27.5 ± 0.7 ‰) during day and night, respectively. Measured δ13C of the samples was found to be more enriched than expected by 0.3 to 2.0 ‰, indicating the presence of aged CA also in Patiala even during PRB period. From fbio versus δ13C correlation, and from Miller-Trans plot, δ13C of PRB is found to be −28.9 ± 1.1 ‰, which also infers that Miller-Trans plot can be used to understand source isotopic signature in the absence of radiocarbon measurements in aerosols. Further, the characteristics ratios of organic carbon (OC) to elemental carbon (EC) (11.9 ± 4.1), LG to potassium (K+) (0.84 ± 0.15), OC/LG (19.7 ± 2.0) and K+/EC (0.75 ± 0.27) were calculated by considering samples with fbio higher than 0.90, which can be used for source apportionment studies. Such studies are crucial in assessing the effects of PRB on regional air quality and climate.

Comparative effectiveness analysis of deep low heat burns in the shin surgical approaches: Outcomes and cost for wound rehabilitation.

A variety of surgical techniques exist for deep burn wounds in the shin at low temperature reconstruction after appropriate debridement, but limited high-quality data exist to inform treatment strategies. Using multi-institutional data, the authors evaluated the length of healing time, cost, and outcomes of three common surgical reconstructive modalities. All subjects with deep burn wounds in the shin caused by low temperature who received direct suture repair, skin grafting, or local flap reconstruction were retrospectively reviewed (from 2015.01 to 2021.03). Mean operation time, mean blood loss in operation, postoperative healing time, whether there is scar depression after operation were the primary outcomes; patient satisfaction score, Vancouver scar scale (VSS) score and average costs were secondary outcomes. Two hundred subjects (68 suture, 87 skin-grafting, and 45 local flap coverage patients) were evaluated. Matched patients (n=200; 3/groups) were analysed. The average operation time, average operation blood loss, and postoperative healing time were statistically significant differences (P< 0.05). Readmissions and reoperations were greater for direct suture and local flaps, if achievable, direct suture provided success at low cost. Skin grafting was effective with large burn wounds but at higher costs and longer length of stay. Local flaps successfully treated smaller burn wounds unable to suture directly, with less pigmentation and scars, even suitable for older patients. Deep low heat burn wounds in the shin healing can be performed effectively using multiple modalities with varying degrees of success and costs. Direct suture or local skin flap reconstruction, if achievable, provides successful coverage at minimal costs, no skin contractures, and reducing length of hospital stay.

822: COMPARISON OF CHEMOPROPHYLACTIC AGENT SELECTION ON VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM IN LARGE BURN PATIENTS

Introduction: Burn patient venous thromboembolism (VTE) rates can range from 0.2 to 43%, with chemical thromboprophylaxis shown to independently decrease mortality. There is a paucity of data on effectiveness, safety, and appropriateness of agent selection for patients with large burns. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adult patients (age ≥18) with large burns (total body surface area, TBSA ≥15%) who were admitted to a Regional Burn Center. Patients were excluded if they had therapeutic anticoagulation resumed within 24 hours of admission, VTE chemoprophylaxis agent switched within the first 48 hours, VTE chemoprophylaxis delayed ≥48 hours of admission, death or comfort care within 48 hours of admission. The primary outcome compared VTE rates between patients receiving chemoprophylaxis with subcutaneous heparin versus enoxaparin. Patient groups were categorized by the first chemoprophylaxis agent administered for 48 hours. Secondary outcomes identified rate of switching chemoprophylactic agents and incidence of therapeutic anticoagulation orders. Safety outcomes compared heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, in-hospital mortality, and number of transfusions. Results: A total of 50 patients (enoxaparin, n=35; heparin, n=15) were included. There were no differences in baseline characteristics. VTE incidence was not statistically significantly different between enoxaparin and heparin (1 [2.9%] vs 2 [13.3%], p=0.21). Subgroup analysis of TBSA 15% to 30% and TBSA >30% found no difference in rates of VTE between enoxaparin and heparin. No difference was found between enoxaparin and heparin for rates of switching chemoprophylactic agent (10 [28.6%] vs 3 [20%], p=0.73), for full dose anticoagulation orders (3 [8.6%] vs 3 [20%], p=0.35), or HIT positive tests (1 [14.3%] vs 2 [22.2%], p=1.0). Compared to the enoxaparin group, patients receiving heparin had higher in-hospital mortality (6 [17.1%] vs 7 [46.7%], p< 0.05). There was no difference in transfusions between groups. Conclusions: VTE rates were similar in adult patients with large burns regardless of chemoprophylactic agent selection. Larger studies are necessary to confirm the impact of chemoprophylaxis choice and timing of initiation on VTE incidence.

456: A CHALLENGING CASE OF RAPID-ONSET MULTISYSTEM ORGAN FAILURE IN A BURN PATIENT

Introduction: Burns are significant injuries that cause a cascade of inflammatory responses. Patients with large burns and inhalation injury often experience respiratory failure, renal failure, liver dysfunction, and sepsis. The COVID-19 virus has added a unique challenge as a current or recent COVID-19 infection seems to lend to worse outcomes, However, we do not yet have enough data to understand the full implication of COVID-19 on burn patients. Description: A 41-year-old man with no remarkable medical history was admitted to the Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU) with 58% body surface area burns with smoke inhalation. He was given appropriate burn resuscitation and placed on the volumetric diffusive respirator (VDR). Admission COVID-19 PCR was negative, and COVID-19 Spike IgG was 12 IU/mL. Both labs and vital signs remained stable and he went to the OR on hospital day 4 for excision and grafting and the first 24 hours post-op were unremarkable. On post-op day 1, he had an abrupt rise in lactate with worsening acidosis. Sepsis guidelines were followed and he required initiation of renal replacement therapy (CRRT) along with bedside laparotomy with no significant findings. Repeat lab work showed a COVID-19 Spike IgG level >800. Patient’s conditioned worsened despite maximal medical intervention, and he died on hospital day 8. Since the sudden, rapid decline in patient’s condition at this point in his hospitalization is somewhat atypical, we theorize that patient was either admitted with COVID-19 infection that was undetectable, or this was a nosocomial infection. Though he had no significant comorbidities, it certainly seems that this new infection unduly stressed his immune system, leading to multi-system organ failure and death. Discussion: Large burn injuries are often challenging to manage, but improved therapies and treatments have led to increasingly good outcomes. The addition of current or recent COVID-19 infection adds a new challenge which needs further study as we learn more about the inflammatory and long-term implications of this disease on lung function and immune systems. Our experience of rapid onset organ failure and death in a burn patient with likely new COVID-19 infection presented a unique burn and critical care management challenge that needs further study.

The Cost of Mental Health Comorbid Conditions in Burn Patients: A Single-site Experience.

Many burn survivors suffer from psychiatric sequelae long after their physical injuries have healed. This may even be more pronounced in individuals who have a history of mental health disorders prior to admission. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical outcomes of patients with previously diagnosed mental health disorders who were admitted to our Burn Center. This was a single-site, retrospective review using our institutional Burn Center registry. All adult patients (18 years or older) admitted to our Burn Center between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2021 with burn injury or inhalation injury were included in this study. Variables of interest included demographics and burn mechanism. Outcomes of interests were length of stay, cost of hospitalization, and mortality. A P-value of < .05 was considered statistically significant for all analyses. There were 4958 patients included in this study, with 35% of these patients having a previous diagnosis of mental health disorders. Patients with mental health disorders were younger, with larger burns, P < .05. They had significantly longer lengths of stay and significantly higher costs (P < .00001). Mortality for those with a mental health disorder history was 2% and 3% for those without (P = .04). Patients with pre-existing mental health disorders had decreased odds of mortality. However, they do have extended lengths of stay, which may exhaust current sparse staff and burn bed resources.

Molecular dynamics-based analysis of the factors influencing the CO2 replacement of methane hydrate

The benefits of large reserves, wide distribution, and high combustion energy density of natural gas hydrates are of great practical importance to alleviate the energy tension, enhance the existing energy system in China and reduce the greenhouse effect. The CO2 replacement method is a critical way to develop natural gas hydrate, while traditional experimental methods are difficult to reveal the microscopic mechanism of the replacement system. An MD (molecular dynamics) technique was utilized in this work to simulate the process of carbon dioxide replacement of gas hydrates. This simulation investigates the effects of temperature, pressure, and CO2 purity during the CO2 replacement process. CO2, different concentrations of CO2/H2O, and CO2/NH3 are used as the injected fluid. The simulation results show that the influence of temperature on the CO2 replacement of natural gas hydrate is more significant than that of pressure. Within the temperature and pressure range specified in the simulation, H2O inhibits the replacement of CO2, owing to the inhibitory effect increasing as the concentration of H2O increases; NH3 promotes the process of CO2 replacement under the temperature conditions of 250 K and 260 K, and the promotion effect becomes more significant as the concentration of NH3 increases. However, adding NH3 inhibits the CO2 replacement process with hydrate when the temperature lifts to 270 K. These findings provide new ideas to improve the efficiency of the CO2 replacement method and provide theoretical insight for the engineering exploitation of hydrates.

Expansion potential of skin grafts with novel rotating-triangle-shaped auxetic incisions

Millions of burn injuries are reported every year, with severe cases needing skin graft implantation. To date, the highest achievable expansion produced by split-thickness skin grafting has been reported to be just three times, which is insufficient for covering large burn sites with limited donor site skin. In this work, the authors studied the expansion potential of skin grafts with rotating-triangle (RT)-shaped auxetic incision patterns, which are known to exhibit a highly negative Poisson’s effect. Ten two-layer skin graft models with RT angles varying from 0 to 135° were developed and tested under uniaxial and biaxial tensile loads. Poisson’s effect, meshing ratios (MRs) and induced stresses were quantified across all models and loads up to the ultimate tensile stress. Very high expansions (MR &gt; 45), varying widely across uniaxial and biaxial loads and without rupture, were observed for low RT angles. However, for RT angles greater than 45°, the expansions significantly decreased, with the lowest MR reported at 135°. Beyond an RT angle of 90°, the induced stresses were very high, with potential for skin rupture. Such expansion potentials and stress estimations with skin grafts have not been reported previously and would be indispensable for initiating groundbreaking advances in burn surgery research.

Review of Selected Determinants Affecting Use of Municipal Waste for Energy Purposes

The aim of the article is to analyse the impact of selected conditions on the use of municipal solid waste in energy production processes. The authors in this publication indicated that the factors determining the effective use of solid municipal waste may be, in particular, formal and legal conditions, methods used in the processes of thermal waste transformation, recovery logistics or emergency situations such as pandemics or armed conflicts. Their knowledge can be very useful in the processes of the effective use of municipal waste for the production of thermal energy, especially in the current period of the energy crisis faced by most EU countries. This paper also emphasizes the importance of RDF (refuse-derived fuel) for the thermal energy sector, which can be used both in large combustion plants and in less powerful facilities, including local heating and combined heat and power plants as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels. The article was prepared by means of the systematic literature review (SLR) method, utilising the Scopus database and secondary sources.

Laws of motion and aerodynamic drag coefficient for large titanium particles burning in air

Laws of motion and aerodynamic drag coefficient for large titanium particles burning in air

Mathematical models for estimate of the ecological consequences of the impact of the pyrogenic factor on forest ecosystems

There is a need for the development of simple analytical mathematical models of the burning of large forest areas, necessary for the assessment of the ecological consequences of the impact of the pyrogenic factor. Purpose. Develop mathematical models describing the spread of large-scale forest fires aimed at estimate the ecological consequences of the impact of the pyrogenic factor. Methods. Analytical review of research on the problem, theoretical and computational, mathematical modeling. Results. The results of the main parameters analysis of large forest areas combustion are presented. These include the area covered by the fire, the duration of the fire, the burnout time, the specific mass of combustible materials, the energy and power of combustion, the specific calorific value, the intensity of combustion, the movement speed of the combustion front, the influx of combustible materials, etc. Simple analytical mathematical models of large forest areas combustion have been established. These include the following models: a model with a constant growth rate of the fire area, a two-dimensional model, a model with sectorial movement of the combustion front, a model with a linear growth of the length of the combustion front, a model with a quadratic growth of the change rate of the fire area, and a generalized model. A new fire intensity classification has been proposed, containing 1–7 points from extremely low to extreme intensity. The maximum area covered by the fire (10–100 thousand km2), combustion energy (1–10 EJ) and combustion power (0.1–1 PW) have been estimated. Conclusions. Simple analytical mathematical models of the combustion process of large forest surface areas, which are necessary for quantitative assessment of the ecological consequences of fires, have been developed.

Laminar flame speed correlations for dual fuel flames in high-pressure conditions

The usage of methane as a fuel stands out as a transition strategy to zero carbon energy conversion processes. However, methane is difficult to be made to burn due to its strong molecular structure. To mitigate this issue, a mixture of methane and a more ignitable fuel may be a promising solution for large scale combustion applications. In many of those, the corresponding CFD setup can be very demanding and detailed chemistry may be replaced by simplified approaches, such as laminar flame speed methods. To contribute with robust and reliable modeling of combustion processes fueled by dual fuel mixtures, novel formulations are proposed to improve accuracy of laminar flame speed correlations. To accomplish this task, numerical simulations of 1D freely propagating laminar flames based on detailed chemistry are conducted for various pressures and equivalence ratios. Kinetic mechanisms are obtained from the literature and evaluated with available experimental data. For the best performing mechanism, the resulting laminar flame speeds are mapped based on fresh mixture composition and correlated through power-law wholly empirical equations. The proposed formulations show clear improvements when compared to other existing methods.