Mohsen Mostafa, Mario Elia, Vincenzo Giannico, Raffale Lafortezza, G. Sanesi
Identifying the relationship between forest roads and wildfires in forest ecosystems is a crucial priority to integrate suppression and prevention within wildfire management. In various investigations, the interaction of these elements has been studied by using road density as one of the anthropogenic dependent variables. This study focused on the use of a broader set of metrics associated with forest road networks, such as road density, the number of links (edges), and access percentage based on two effect zones (road buffers of 75 m and 97 m). These metrics were employed as response variables to assess forest road network suitability in relation to wildfires, specifically the number and size of fires (2000–2021), using the Apulia region (Italy) as a case study. In addition, to enhance the comprehensive understanding of road networks in forest ecosystems in relation to wildfires, this study considered various affecting factors, including land-cover data (forest, maquis, natural grassland), geomorphology (slope, aspect), vegetation (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)), and morphometric indexes (Topographic Position Index (TPI), Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI), Topographic Wetness Index (TWI)). We used geographically weighted regression (GWR) and ordinary least squares (OLS) to analyze the interaction between forest road metrics and dependent variables. Results showed that the GWR models outperformed the OLS models in term of statistical results such as R2 and the Akaike Information Criterion (AICc). We found that among road metrics, road density and number of links do not effectively demonstrate the correlation between roads and wildfires as a singular criterion. However, they prove to be a beneficial supplementary variable when considered alongside access percentage, particularly within the 75-m buffer zone. Our findings are used to discuss implications for forest road network planning in a broader wildfire management analysis. Our findings demonstrate that forest roads are not one-dimensional and static infrastructure; rather, they are a multi-dimensional and dynamic structure. Hence, they need to be analyzed from various perspectives, including accessibility and ecological approaches, in order to obtain an integrated understating of their interaction with wildfire.
{"title":"Assessing Forest Road Network Suitability in Relation to the Spatial Occurrence of Wildfires in Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems","authors":"Mohsen Mostafa, Mario Elia, Vincenzo Giannico, Raffale Lafortezza, G. Sanesi","doi":"10.3390/fire7060175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7060175","url":null,"abstract":"Identifying the relationship between forest roads and wildfires in forest ecosystems is a crucial priority to integrate suppression and prevention within wildfire management. In various investigations, the interaction of these elements has been studied by using road density as one of the anthropogenic dependent variables. This study focused on the use of a broader set of metrics associated with forest road networks, such as road density, the number of links (edges), and access percentage based on two effect zones (road buffers of 75 m and 97 m). These metrics were employed as response variables to assess forest road network suitability in relation to wildfires, specifically the number and size of fires (2000–2021), using the Apulia region (Italy) as a case study. In addition, to enhance the comprehensive understanding of road networks in forest ecosystems in relation to wildfires, this study considered various affecting factors, including land-cover data (forest, maquis, natural grassland), geomorphology (slope, aspect), vegetation (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)), and morphometric indexes (Topographic Position Index (TPI), Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI), Topographic Wetness Index (TWI)). We used geographically weighted regression (GWR) and ordinary least squares (OLS) to analyze the interaction between forest road metrics and dependent variables. Results showed that the GWR models outperformed the OLS models in term of statistical results such as R2 and the Akaike Information Criterion (AICc). We found that among road metrics, road density and number of links do not effectively demonstrate the correlation between roads and wildfires as a singular criterion. However, they prove to be a beneficial supplementary variable when considered alongside access percentage, particularly within the 75-m buffer zone. Our findings are used to discuss implications for forest road network planning in a broader wildfire management analysis. Our findings demonstrate that forest roads are not one-dimensional and static infrastructure; rather, they are a multi-dimensional and dynamic structure. Hence, they need to be analyzed from various perspectives, including accessibility and ecological approaches, in order to obtain an integrated understating of their interaction with wildfire.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"77 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141111932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wenxiong Xi, Pengchao Liu, Qihan Shao, Wenjie Guo, Jian Liu
This study focuses on the three-dimensional flow and combustion characteristics of a cavitied scramjet engine with multi-position injection. A single-equation large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence model is employed, with a detailed reaction mechanism for hydrogen combustion, as described by Jachimowski. The combustion characteristics of hydrogen in the scramjet combustion chamber are analyzed. Based on the combustion chamber model, the influence of different equivalence ratios, injection timing, injection positions, and injection pressures on the flame formation and propagation process are compared. The results indicate that within a certain range, an increase in the equivalence ratio enhances the combustion intensity and chamber pressure. In the case of multi-position injection, the order of injection from different nozzles has little effect on the final flame stabilization mode and pressure distribution. The opposite-side distribution of nozzles can effectively improve the fuel efficiency and the internal pressure. Furthermore, when the nozzles are closely placed in the opposite-side distribution, the combustion efficiency increases, although this leads to a higher total pressure loss. In scenarios where the fuel injection duration is short, an increase in the injection pressure at the upstream nozzles of the cavity results in a higher local equivalence ratio, as well as reduced fuel mixing and ignition time.
{"title":"Parametric Study of Flow and Combustion Characteristic in a Cavitied Scramjet with Multi-Position Injection","authors":"Wenxiong Xi, Pengchao Liu, Qihan Shao, Wenjie Guo, Jian Liu","doi":"10.3390/fire7060176","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7060176","url":null,"abstract":"This study focuses on the three-dimensional flow and combustion characteristics of a cavitied scramjet engine with multi-position injection. A single-equation large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence model is employed, with a detailed reaction mechanism for hydrogen combustion, as described by Jachimowski. The combustion characteristics of hydrogen in the scramjet combustion chamber are analyzed. Based on the combustion chamber model, the influence of different equivalence ratios, injection timing, injection positions, and injection pressures on the flame formation and propagation process are compared. The results indicate that within a certain range, an increase in the equivalence ratio enhances the combustion intensity and chamber pressure. In the case of multi-position injection, the order of injection from different nozzles has little effect on the final flame stabilization mode and pressure distribution. The opposite-side distribution of nozzles can effectively improve the fuel efficiency and the internal pressure. Furthermore, when the nozzles are closely placed in the opposite-side distribution, the combustion efficiency increases, although this leads to a higher total pressure loss. In scenarios where the fuel injection duration is short, an increase in the injection pressure at the upstream nozzles of the cavity results in a higher local equivalence ratio, as well as reduced fuel mixing and ignition time.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"68 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141109923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Walter Garcia-Suabita, Mario José Pacheco, D. Armenteras
In Colombia’s Orinoco, wildfires have a profound impact on ecosystem dynamics, particularly affecting savannas and forest–savanna transitions. Human activities have disrupted the natural fire regime, leading to increased wildfire frequency due to changes in land use, deforestation, and climate change. Despite extensive research on fire monitoring and prediction, the quantification of fuel accumulation, a critical factor in fire incidence, remains inadequately explored. This study addresses this gap by quantifying dead organic material (detritus) accumulation and identifying influencing factors. Using Brown transects across forests with varying fire intensities, we assessed fuel loads and characterized variables related to detritus accumulation over time. Employing factor analysis, principal components analysis, and a generalized linear mixed model, we determined the effects of various factors. Our findings reveal significant variations in biomass accumulation patterns influenced by factors such as thickness, wet and dry mass, density, gravity, porosity, and moisture content. Additionally, a decrease in fuel load over time was attributed to increased precipitation from three La Niña events. These insights enable more accurate fire predictions and inform targeted forest management strategies for fire prevention and mitigation, thereby enhancing our understanding of fire ecology in the Orinoco basin and guiding effective conservation practices.
{"title":"Multitemporal Dynamics of Fuels in Forest Systems Present in the Colombian Orinoco River Basin Forests","authors":"Walter Garcia-Suabita, Mario José Pacheco, D. Armenteras","doi":"10.3390/fire7060171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7060171","url":null,"abstract":"In Colombia’s Orinoco, wildfires have a profound impact on ecosystem dynamics, particularly affecting savannas and forest–savanna transitions. Human activities have disrupted the natural fire regime, leading to increased wildfire frequency due to changes in land use, deforestation, and climate change. Despite extensive research on fire monitoring and prediction, the quantification of fuel accumulation, a critical factor in fire incidence, remains inadequately explored. This study addresses this gap by quantifying dead organic material (detritus) accumulation and identifying influencing factors. Using Brown transects across forests with varying fire intensities, we assessed fuel loads and characterized variables related to detritus accumulation over time. Employing factor analysis, principal components analysis, and a generalized linear mixed model, we determined the effects of various factors. Our findings reveal significant variations in biomass accumulation patterns influenced by factors such as thickness, wet and dry mass, density, gravity, porosity, and moisture content. Additionally, a decrease in fuel load over time was attributed to increased precipitation from three La Niña events. These insights enable more accurate fire predictions and inform targeted forest management strategies for fire prevention and mitigation, thereby enhancing our understanding of fire ecology in the Orinoco basin and guiding effective conservation practices.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"142 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141114718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Gravit, I. Dmitriev, Nikita Shcheglov, Anton Radaev
The hydrocarbon temperature–time curve is widely used instead of the standard curve to describe the temperature in the environment of structural surfaces exposed to fire in oil and gas chemical facilities and tunnels. This paper presents calculations of the ratio of time to reach critical temperatures at different nominal fire curves for steel structures such as bulkheads and columns with different types of fireproofing. The thermophysical properties of the fireproofing materials were obtained by solving the inverse heat conduction problem using computer simulation. It was found that the time interval for reaching critical temperatures in structures with different types of fireproofing in a hydrocarbon fire decreased, on average, by a factor of 1.2–1.7 compared to the results of standard fire tests. For example, for decks and bulkheads with mineral wool fireproofing, the K-factor of the ratio of the time for reaching the critical temperature of steel under the standard curve to the hydrocarbon curve was 1.30–1.62; for plaster, it was 1.56; for cement boards, it was 1.34; for non-combustible coatings, it was 1.38–2.0; and, for epoxy paints, it was 1.71. The recommended values of the K-factor for fire resistance up to 180 min (incl.) were 1.7 and, after 180 min, 1.2. The obtained dependencies would allow fireproofing manufacturers to predict the insulation thickness for expensive hydrocarbon fire experiments if the results of fire tests under standard (cellulosic) conditions are known.
碳氢化合物温度-时间曲线被广泛用于替代标准曲线来描述油气化工设施和隧道中暴露于火灾中的结构表面的环境温度。本文介绍了采用不同类型防火材料的钢结构(如舱壁和支柱)在不同名义火灾曲线下达到临界温度的时间比计算结果。防火材料的热物理性质是通过计算机模拟解决反热传导问题获得的。结果发现,在碳氢化合物火灾中,采用不同类型防火材料的结构达到临界温度的时间间隔与标准火灾试验结果相比平均缩短了 1.2-1.7 倍。例如,对于使用矿棉防火材料的甲板和舱壁,在标准曲线和碳氢化合物曲线下,钢材达到临界温度的时间比的 K 因子为 1.30-1.62;对于石膏,为 1.56;对于水泥板,为 1.34;对于不燃涂料,为 1.38-2.0;对于环氧涂料,为 1.71。180 分钟(含)以内的耐火 K 系数建议值为 1.7,180 分钟以后为 1.2。如果已知在标准(纤维素)条件下进行的防火测试结果,防火材料制造商就可以根据所获得的相关系数来预测昂贵的碳氢化合物防火实验所需的隔热层厚度。
{"title":"Oil and Gas Structures: Forecasting the Fire Resistance of Steel Structures with Fire Protection under Hydrocarbon Fire Conditions","authors":"M. Gravit, I. Dmitriev, Nikita Shcheglov, Anton Radaev","doi":"10.3390/fire7060173","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7060173","url":null,"abstract":"The hydrocarbon temperature–time curve is widely used instead of the standard curve to describe the temperature in the environment of structural surfaces exposed to fire in oil and gas chemical facilities and tunnels. This paper presents calculations of the ratio of time to reach critical temperatures at different nominal fire curves for steel structures such as bulkheads and columns with different types of fireproofing. The thermophysical properties of the fireproofing materials were obtained by solving the inverse heat conduction problem using computer simulation. It was found that the time interval for reaching critical temperatures in structures with different types of fireproofing in a hydrocarbon fire decreased, on average, by a factor of 1.2–1.7 compared to the results of standard fire tests. For example, for decks and bulkheads with mineral wool fireproofing, the K-factor of the ratio of the time for reaching the critical temperature of steel under the standard curve to the hydrocarbon curve was 1.30–1.62; for plaster, it was 1.56; for cement boards, it was 1.34; for non-combustible coatings, it was 1.38–2.0; and, for epoxy paints, it was 1.71. The recommended values of the K-factor for fire resistance up to 180 min (incl.) were 1.7 and, after 180 min, 1.2. The obtained dependencies would allow fireproofing manufacturers to predict the insulation thickness for expensive hydrocarbon fire experiments if the results of fire tests under standard (cellulosic) conditions are known.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"27 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141118314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ben J. French, Brett P. Murphy, David M. J. S. Bowman
The pyrodiversity–biodiversity (P–B) hypothesis posits that spatiotemporally variable fire regimes increase wildlife habitat diversity, and that the fine-grained mosaics resulting from small patchy fires enhance biodiversity. This logic underpins the patch mosaic burning (PMB) paradigm and reinforces the benefits of Indigenous fire management, which tends to promote pyrodiversity. However, tests of the P–B hypothesis and PMB paradigm are few. One of the most comprehensive field evaluations—a snapshot study of pre-existing fire mosaics in south-east Australian semi-arid mallee eucalypt woodlands—found little support. To explore the longer-term effects of fire mosaic grain size on habitat availability and biodiversity, we combined published data from the mallee study with a simple fire simulation. We simulated 500 years of landscape burning under different fire sizes. In the resulting mosaics, we assessed the proportional mixture and patch configuration of successional habitat states, then summarised habitat availability through time using a composite index based on the published fire history responses of 22 vertebrate taxa from the mallee study. Small fires formed fine-grained mosaics with a stable habitat mixture and with habitat diversity occurring at fine scales. Large fires formed coarse-grained mosaics with the opposite properties. The fine-grained mosaics maintained optimal habitat availability for vertebrate diversity over 500 years, while the fluctuating habitat mixture in the coarse-grained mosaics was unlikely to maintain maximum vertebrate diversity. Broadly, our results support the P–B hypothesis and justify further field-testing and evaluation of PMB programs to manage both pyrodiversity and biodiversity in the mallee and other flammable landscapes.
{"title":"Promoting Optimal Habitat Availability by Maintaining Fine-Grained Burn Mosaics: A Modelling Study in an Australian Semi-Arid Temperate Woodland","authors":"Ben J. French, Brett P. Murphy, David M. J. S. Bowman","doi":"10.3390/fire7060172","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7060172","url":null,"abstract":"The pyrodiversity–biodiversity (P–B) hypothesis posits that spatiotemporally variable fire regimes increase wildlife habitat diversity, and that the fine-grained mosaics resulting from small patchy fires enhance biodiversity. This logic underpins the patch mosaic burning (PMB) paradigm and reinforces the benefits of Indigenous fire management, which tends to promote pyrodiversity. However, tests of the P–B hypothesis and PMB paradigm are few. One of the most comprehensive field evaluations—a snapshot study of pre-existing fire mosaics in south-east Australian semi-arid mallee eucalypt woodlands—found little support. To explore the longer-term effects of fire mosaic grain size on habitat availability and biodiversity, we combined published data from the mallee study with a simple fire simulation. We simulated 500 years of landscape burning under different fire sizes. In the resulting mosaics, we assessed the proportional mixture and patch configuration of successional habitat states, then summarised habitat availability through time using a composite index based on the published fire history responses of 22 vertebrate taxa from the mallee study. Small fires formed fine-grained mosaics with a stable habitat mixture and with habitat diversity occurring at fine scales. Large fires formed coarse-grained mosaics with the opposite properties. The fine-grained mosaics maintained optimal habitat availability for vertebrate diversity over 500 years, while the fluctuating habitat mixture in the coarse-grained mosaics was unlikely to maintain maximum vertebrate diversity. Broadly, our results support the P–B hypothesis and justify further field-testing and evaluation of PMB programs to manage both pyrodiversity and biodiversity in the mallee and other flammable landscapes.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"34 38","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141117764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The resurgence of passenger flows after the pandemic poses a significant challenge to the safe operation of rail transit. Therefore, adopting the waiting hall of an ultralarge railway station hub as an example, thermal radiation and evacuation simulations were conducted by the Fire Dynamics Simulator and Pathfinder, respectively. Island-style shops, known for their high crowd density and fire load, were defined as fire sources, and the effectiveness of a 6 m wide fire isolation zone was validated via the adoption of the dual-validation model. By comparing the relationships between the total evacuation population after passenger flow recovery and various evacuation parameters, it was shown that passengers were not evenly distributed among the exits in the waiting hall during an emergency, leading to uneven utilization. Furthermore, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the evacuation process under simulated fire conditions, an evacuation simulation involving 10,000 evacuees over a duration of 324.8 s was conducted. This study provides a theoretical basis for optimizing fire emergency evacuation plans for ultralarge railway station hubs.
{"title":"Numerical Simulation of Passenger Evacuation and Heat Fluxes in the Waiting Hall of an Ultralarge Railway Station Hub","authors":"Hua Chen, Yujing Feng, Chenyang Zhang, Liuyang Yu, Ya Shu, Yong Zhang, Tianchang Meng, Chaozhe Jiang, Fang Xu","doi":"10.3390/fire7060174","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7060174","url":null,"abstract":"The resurgence of passenger flows after the pandemic poses a significant challenge to the safe operation of rail transit. Therefore, adopting the waiting hall of an ultralarge railway station hub as an example, thermal radiation and evacuation simulations were conducted by the Fire Dynamics Simulator and Pathfinder, respectively. Island-style shops, known for their high crowd density and fire load, were defined as fire sources, and the effectiveness of a 6 m wide fire isolation zone was validated via the adoption of the dual-validation model. By comparing the relationships between the total evacuation population after passenger flow recovery and various evacuation parameters, it was shown that passengers were not evenly distributed among the exits in the waiting hall during an emergency, leading to uneven utilization. Furthermore, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the evacuation process under simulated fire conditions, an evacuation simulation involving 10,000 evacuees over a duration of 324.8 s was conducted. This study provides a theoretical basis for optimizing fire emergency evacuation plans for ultralarge railway station hubs.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"136 22","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141114996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We present a novel statistical methodology for analyzing shifts in spatio-temporal fire occurrence patterns within the Brazilian Pantanal, utilizing remote sensing data. Our approach employs a Log-Gaussian Cox Process to model the spatiotemporal dynamics of fire occurrence, deconstructing the intensity function into components of trend, seasonality, cycle, covariates, and time-varying spatial effects components. The results indicate a negative correlation between rainfall and fire intensity, with lower precipitation associated with heightened fire intensity. Forest formations exhibit a positive effect on fire intensity, whereas agricultural land use shows no significant impact. Savannas and grasslands, typical fire-dependent ecosystems, demonstrate a positive relationship with fire intensity. Human-induced fires, often used for agricultural purposes, contribute to an increase in both fire frequency and intensity, particularly in grassland areas. Trend analysis reveals fluctuating fire activity over time, with notable peaks in 2018–2021.
{"title":"The Dynamics of Fire Activity in the Brazilian Pantanal: A Log–Gaussian Cox Process-Based Structural Decomposition","authors":"Fernanda Valente, M. Laurini","doi":"10.3390/fire7050170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7050170","url":null,"abstract":"We present a novel statistical methodology for analyzing shifts in spatio-temporal fire occurrence patterns within the Brazilian Pantanal, utilizing remote sensing data. Our approach employs a Log-Gaussian Cox Process to model the spatiotemporal dynamics of fire occurrence, deconstructing the intensity function into components of trend, seasonality, cycle, covariates, and time-varying spatial effects components. The results indicate a negative correlation between rainfall and fire intensity, with lower precipitation associated with heightened fire intensity. Forest formations exhibit a positive effect on fire intensity, whereas agricultural land use shows no significant impact. Savannas and grasslands, typical fire-dependent ecosystems, demonstrate a positive relationship with fire intensity. Human-induced fires, often used for agricultural purposes, contribute to an increase in both fire frequency and intensity, particularly in grassland areas. Trend analysis reveals fluctuating fire activity over time, with notable peaks in 2018–2021.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"124 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141123790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dongli Gao, Xuanwen Liang, Qian Chen, Hongpeng Qiu, Eric Wai Ming Lee
Understanding exit choice behaviour is essential for optimising safety management strategies in building evacuations. Previous research focused on contextual attributes, such as spatial information, influencing exit choice, often using utility models based on monotonic functions of attributes. However, during emergencies, evacuees typically make rapid, less calculated decisions. The choice of context can significantly impact the evaluation of attributes, leading to preference reversals within the same choice set but under varying context conditions. This cognitive psychological phenomenon, known as context effects, encompasses the compromise effect, the similarity effect, and the attraction effect. While researchers have long recognised the pivotal role of context effects in human decision making, their incorporation into computer-aided evacuation management remains limited. To address this gap, we introduce context effects (CE) in a social force (SF) model, CE-SF. Evaluating CE-SF’s performance against the UF-SF model, which considers only the utility function (UF), we find that CE-SF better replicates exit choice behaviour across urgency levels, highlighting its potential to enhance evacuation strategies. Notably, our study identifies three distinct context effects during evacuations, emphasising their importance in advancing safety measures.
{"title":"Modelling Context Effects in Exit Choice for Building Evacuations","authors":"Dongli Gao, Xuanwen Liang, Qian Chen, Hongpeng Qiu, Eric Wai Ming Lee","doi":"10.3390/fire7050169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7050169","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding exit choice behaviour is essential for optimising safety management strategies in building evacuations. Previous research focused on contextual attributes, such as spatial information, influencing exit choice, often using utility models based on monotonic functions of attributes. However, during emergencies, evacuees typically make rapid, less calculated decisions. The choice of context can significantly impact the evaluation of attributes, leading to preference reversals within the same choice set but under varying context conditions. This cognitive psychological phenomenon, known as context effects, encompasses the compromise effect, the similarity effect, and the attraction effect. While researchers have long recognised the pivotal role of context effects in human decision making, their incorporation into computer-aided evacuation management remains limited. To address this gap, we introduce context effects (CE) in a social force (SF) model, CE-SF. Evaluating CE-SF’s performance against the UF-SF model, which considers only the utility function (UF), we find that CE-SF better replicates exit choice behaviour across urgency levels, highlighting its potential to enhance evacuation strategies. Notably, our study identifies three distinct context effects during evacuations, emphasising their importance in advancing safety measures.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"63 22","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140964781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Methane explosions often occur during the closure process of mine fire zones, during which the concentration of combustible gases such as monoxide and ethylene produced by coal combustion dynamically changes, which changes the risk of methane explosion. Therefore, studying the gas concentration distribution and methane explosion limits during the process of mine closure is of great significance for disaster prevention and control. In this paper, a three-dimensional physical model of gob was built, and the distribution of monoxide and ethylene in the process of fire zone closure was investigated. Further, the explosion limits of methane enriched with CO and C2H4 in the closed fire zone of gob were analyzed. The results indicate that CO and C2H4 would form a small-scale accumulation phenomenon near the fire zone after the closure of the fire zone, and when the fire zone is closed for more than 15 min, the mixed combustible gases in the environment lose their explosiveness.
在矿井火区关闭过程中,煤炭燃烧产生的一氧化碳、乙烯等可燃气体的浓度发生动态变化,甲烷爆炸的危险性也随之改变,经常发生甲烷爆炸。因此,研究矿井封闭过程中的瓦斯浓度分布和甲烷爆炸极限对灾害防治具有重要意义。本文建立了煤层气三维物理模型,研究了火区封闭过程中一氧化碳和乙烯的分布。此外,还分析了富含 CO 和 C2H4 的甲烷在高炉封闭火区的爆炸极限。结果表明,火区封闭后,CO 和 C2H4 会在火区附近形成小范围积聚现象,当火区封闭超过 15 min 后,环境中的混合可燃气体会失去爆炸性。
{"title":"Characteristics of Carbon Monoxide and Ethylene Generation in Mine’s Closed Fire Zone and Their Influence on Methane Explosion Limits","authors":"Dong Ma, Leilin Zhang, Tingfeng Zhu, Zhenfang Shi","doi":"10.3390/fire7050168","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7050168","url":null,"abstract":"Methane explosions often occur during the closure process of mine fire zones, during which the concentration of combustible gases such as monoxide and ethylene produced by coal combustion dynamically changes, which changes the risk of methane explosion. Therefore, studying the gas concentration distribution and methane explosion limits during the process of mine closure is of great significance for disaster prevention and control. In this paper, a three-dimensional physical model of gob was built, and the distribution of monoxide and ethylene in the process of fire zone closure was investigated. Further, the explosion limits of methane enriched with CO and C2H4 in the closed fire zone of gob were analyzed. The results indicate that CO and C2H4 would form a small-scale accumulation phenomenon near the fire zone after the closure of the fire zone, and when the fire zone is closed for more than 15 min, the mixed combustible gases in the environment lose their explosiveness.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"1 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140982227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Xing, Cheng Wang, Dongli Gao, Wei Wang, A. Yuen, Eric Wai Ming Lee, G. Yeoh, Q. N. Chan
This study investigated the interplay between exit selection models and local pedestrian movement patterns within floor field frameworks. Specifically, this investigation analysed the performance of a multinomial logit exit choice model, incorporating both expected utility theory and cumulative prospect theory frameworks when coupled with three distinct local-level pedestrian movement models (FF-Von Neumann, FF-Moore, and NSFF). The expected utility theory framework considers the deterministic component as a linear relationship, while the cumulative prospect theory framework further considers the decision-maker’s risky attitudes by transforming objective terms into subjective terms using a power value function. The core objective was to comprehend how local movement dynamics, as represented by the floor field models, influence decision-making during exit selection. Comparative analyses revealed intriguing variations between the three local models, despite their shared expected utility theory-based exit choice framework. These discrepancies stemmed from the diverse pedestrian trajectory behaviours generated by each model. Consequently, these local dynamics impacted the decision-maker’s assessment of critical factors, such as the number of evacuees close to the decision-maker (NCDM) and the number of evacuees close to an exit (NCE), which the exit choice model incorporates. These assessments, in turn, significantly affected higher-level decision-making. The integration of the three models with the multinomial logit exit choice model, using either cumulative prospect theory and expected utility theory frameworks, further strengthened the observed bilateral relationship. While the specific nature of this relationship varied depending on the chosen framework and its implementation details, these consistent findings demonstrate the robustness of the results. This reinforced the influence of local-level pedestrian dynamics on higher-level exit selection, highlighting the importance of accurate crowd dynamics modelling, especially when advanced exit choice models consider local movement factors.
{"title":"Impact of the Local Dynamics on Exit Choice Behaviour in Evacuation Model","authors":"S. Xing, Cheng Wang, Dongli Gao, Wei Wang, A. Yuen, Eric Wai Ming Lee, G. Yeoh, Q. N. Chan","doi":"10.3390/fire7050167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7050167","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigated the interplay between exit selection models and local pedestrian movement patterns within floor field frameworks. Specifically, this investigation analysed the performance of a multinomial logit exit choice model, incorporating both expected utility theory and cumulative prospect theory frameworks when coupled with three distinct local-level pedestrian movement models (FF-Von Neumann, FF-Moore, and NSFF). The expected utility theory framework considers the deterministic component as a linear relationship, while the cumulative prospect theory framework further considers the decision-maker’s risky attitudes by transforming objective terms into subjective terms using a power value function. The core objective was to comprehend how local movement dynamics, as represented by the floor field models, influence decision-making during exit selection. Comparative analyses revealed intriguing variations between the three local models, despite their shared expected utility theory-based exit choice framework. These discrepancies stemmed from the diverse pedestrian trajectory behaviours generated by each model. Consequently, these local dynamics impacted the decision-maker’s assessment of critical factors, such as the number of evacuees close to the decision-maker (NCDM) and the number of evacuees close to an exit (NCE), which the exit choice model incorporates. These assessments, in turn, significantly affected higher-level decision-making. The integration of the three models with the multinomial logit exit choice model, using either cumulative prospect theory and expected utility theory frameworks, further strengthened the observed bilateral relationship. While the specific nature of this relationship varied depending on the chosen framework and its implementation details, these consistent findings demonstrate the robustness of the results. This reinforced the influence of local-level pedestrian dynamics on higher-level exit selection, highlighting the importance of accurate crowd dynamics modelling, especially when advanced exit choice models consider local movement factors.","PeriodicalId":12279,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"26 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140983966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}