scholarly journals Characterization of Emissions and Residue from Measures to Improve Efficiency of In Situ Oil Burns

Author(s):  
Brian K. Gullett ◽  
Johanna Aurell ◽  
Amara Holder ◽  
Nathan Lamie ◽  
Kemal Arsava ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT NUMBER: 1141223 Simulated in situ oil burning tests were conducted in a 14 m × 2.4 m × 2.4 m tank to characterize variations in boom length/width aspect ratios, the use of injection air, nozzle angle, and presence or absence of waves on combustion efficiency. Tests were done with approximately 35 L of unweathered Alaska North Slope oil within an outdoor, fresh water, 63 m3 tank. The combustion plume was sampled with a crane-suspended instrument system. Emission measurements quantified carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), and total carbon. Post-burn residue samples were collected with pre-weight oil absorbent to determining oil mass loss and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in the residue. Plume measurements of modified combustion efficiencies (MCET) ranged from 85% to 93%. Measurement of residual, unburnt oil showed that the oil mass loss ranged from 89% to 99%. A three-fold variation in PM2.5 emission factors was observed from the test conditions where the emission factors decreased with increased MCE. The TPH in the residue were found to decrease with increased oil mass loss percentage. In terms of combustion efficiency and oil consumption, results suggest that the most effective burns were those that have high length to width boom aspect ratios and added injection air.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elise-Andrée Guérette ◽  
Clare Paton-Walsh ◽  
Maximilien Desservettaz ◽  
Thomas E. L. Smith ◽  
Liubov Volkova ◽  
...  

Abstract. We characterised trace gas emissions from Australian temperate forest fires through a mixture of in situ open-path FTIR measurements spectroscopy and selective ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) and White cell FTIR spectroscopy of grab samples. We report emission factors for a total of 25 trace gas species measured in smoke from nine prescribed fires. We find significant dependence on modified combustion efficiency (MCE) for some species, although regional differences indicate that the use of MCE as a proxy may be limited. We also find that the fire-integrated MCE values derived from our in situ on-the-ground open-path measurements are not significantly different from those reported for airborne measurements of smoke from fires in the same ecosystem. We then compare our average emission factors to those measured for fires in North American temperate ecosystems and for fires in Australian savanna and find that, although emission factors of some species agree within 20 %, others differ by a factor of 2 or more. This indicates that the use of ecosystem-specific emission factors is warranted for applications involving emissions from Australian forest fires.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Chatfield ◽  
Meinrat O. Andreae ◽  
◽  

Abstract. Studies of emission factors from biomass burning using aircraft data complement the results of lab studies and extend them to conditions of immense hot conflagrations. We illustrate and discuss emission relationships for 422 individual samples from many forest-fire plumes in the Western US. The samples are from two NASA investigations: ARCTAS (Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites) and SEAC4RS (Studies of Emissions and Atmospher-ic Composition, Clouds, and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys). This work provides sample-by-sample enhancement ratios (EnRs) for 23 gases and particulate properties. Many EnRs provide candidates for emission ratios (ERs, corresponding to the EnR at the source) when the origin and degree of transformation is understood and appropriate. From these, emission factors (EFs) can be estimated when the fuel dry mass consumed is known or can be estimated using the carbon mass budget approach. This analysis requires understanding the interplay of mixing of the plume with surrounding air. Some initial examples emphasize that measured Ctot = CO2 + CO in a fire plume does not necessarily describe the emissions of the total carbon liberated in the flames, Cburn. Rather, it represents Ctot = Cburn + Cbkgd, which includes possibly varying background concentrations for en-trained air. Consequently, we present a simple theoretical description for plume entrainment for multiple tracers from flame to hundreds of kilometers downwind and illustrate some intrinsic linear behaviors. The analysis suggests a Mixed Effects Regression Emission Technique (MERET), which can eliminate occasional strong biases associated with the commonly used normalized excess mix-ing ratio (NEMR) method. MERET splits Ctot to reveal Cburn by exploiting the fact that Cburn and all tracers respond linearly to dilution, while each tracer has consistent EnR behavior (slope of tracer concentration with respect to Cburn). The two effects are separable. Two or three or preferably more emission indicators are required as a minimum; here we used ten. Limited variations in the EnRs for each tracer can be incorporated and the variations and co-variations analyzed. The percentage CO yield (or the modified combustion efficiency) plays some role. Other co-relationships involving ni-trogen and organic classes are more prominent; these have strong relationships to the Cburn to O3 emission relationship. In summary, MERET allows fine spatial resolution (EnRs for individual ob-servations) and comparison of similar plumes distant in time and space. Alkene ratios provide us with an approximate photochemical timescale. This allows discrimination and definition, by fire sit-uation, of ERs, allowing us to estimate emission factors.


1993 ◽  
Vol 308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R. Besser ◽  
Thomas N. Marieb ◽  
John C. Bravman

ABSTRACTStrain relaxation in passivated Al-0.5% Cu lines was measured using X-ray diffraction coupled with in-situ observation of the formation and growth of stress induced voids. Samples of 1 μm thick Al-0.5% Cu lines passivated with Si3N4 were heated to 380ºC, then cooled and held at 150ºC. During the test, principal strains along the length, width, and height of the line were determined using a grazing incidence x-ray geometry. From these measurements the hydrostatic strain in the metal was calculated and strain relaxation was observed. The thermal cycle was duplicated in a high voltage scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with a backscattered electron detector. The 1.25 μm wide lines were seen to have initial stress voids. Upon heating these voids reduced in size until no longer observable. Once the samples were cooled to 150ºC, voids reappeared and grew. The measured strain relaxation is discussed in terms of void and θ-phase (Al2Cu) formation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Moazzami Gudarzi ◽  
Maryana Asaad ◽  
Boyang Mao ◽  
Gergo Pinter ◽  
Jianqiang Guo ◽  
...  

AbstractThe use of two-dimensional materials in bulk functional applications requires the ability to fabricate defect-free 2D sheets with large aspect ratios. Despite huge research efforts, current bulk exfoliation methods require a compromise between the quality of the final flakes and their lateral size, restricting the effectiveness of the product. In this work, we describe an intercalation-assisted exfoliation route, which allows the production of high-quality graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and molybdenum disulfide 2D sheets with average aspect ratios 30 times larger than that obtained via conventional liquid-phase exfoliation. The combination of chlorosulfuric acid intercalation with in situ pyrene sulfonate functionalisation produces a suspension of thin large-area flakes, which are stable in various polar solvents. The described method is simple and requires no special laboratory conditions. We demonstrate that these suspensions can be used for fabrication of laminates and coatings with electrical properties suitable for a number of real-life applications.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Zongli Jiang ◽  
Junfeng Wei ◽  
Hiroyuki Enomoto ◽  
...  

Arctic glaciers comprise a small fraction of the world’s land ice area, but their ongoing mass loss currently represents a large cryospheric contribution to the sea level rise. In the Suntar-Khayata Mountains (SKMs) of northeastern Siberia, in situ measurements of glacier surface mass balance (SMB) are relatively sparse, limiting our understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of regional mass loss. Here, we present SMB time series for all glaciers in the SKMs, estimated through a glacier SMB model. Our results yielded an average SMB of −0.22 m water equivalents (w.e.) year−1 for the whole region during 1951–2011. We found that 77.4% of these glaciers had a negative mass balance and detected slightly negative mass balance prior to 1991 and significantly rapid mass loss since 1991. The analysis suggests that the rapidly accelerating mass loss was dominated by increased surface melting, while the importance of refreezing in the SMB progressively decreased over time. Projections under two future climate scenarios confirmed the sustained rapid shrinkage of these glaciers. In response to temperature rise, the total present glacier area is likely to decrease by around 50% during the period 2071–2100 under representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5).


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 2569-2587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Y. Matrosov ◽  
Carl G. Schmitt ◽  
Maximilian Maahn ◽  
Gijs de Boer

AbstractA remote sensing approach to retrieve the degree of nonsphericity of ice hydrometeors using scanning polarimetric Ka-band radar measurements from a U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program cloud radar operated in an alternate transmission–simultaneous reception mode is introduced. Nonsphericity is characterized by aspect ratios representing the ratios of particle minor-to-major dimensions. The approach is based on the use of a circular depolarization ratio (CDR) proxy reconstructed from differential reflectivity ZDR and copolar correlation coefficient ρhυ linear polarization measurements. Essentially combining information contained in ZDR and ρhυ, CDR-based retrievals of aspect ratios are fairly insensitive to hydrometeor orientation if measurements are performed at elevation angles of around 40°–50°. The suggested approach is applied to data collected using the third ARM Mobile Facility (AMF3), deployed to Oliktok Point, Alaska. Aspect ratio retrievals were also performed using ZDR measurements that are more strongly (compared to CDR) influenced by hydrometeor orientation. The results of radar-based retrievals are compared with in situ measurements from the tethered balloon system (TBS)-based video ice particle sampler and the ground-based multiangle snowflake camera. The observed ice hydrometeors were predominantly irregular-shaped ice crystals and aggregates, with aspect ratios varying between approximately 0.3 and 0.8. The retrievals assume that particle bulk density influencing (besides the particle shape) observed polarimetric variables can be deduced from the estimates of particle characteristic size. Uncertainties of CDR-based aspect ratio retrievals are estimated at about 0.1–0.15. Given these uncertainties, radar-based retrievals generally agreed with in situ measurements. The advantages of using the CDR proxy compared to the linear depolarization ratio are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhavya P. Sadanandan ◽  
Jang Han Lee ◽  
Ho Won Lee ◽  
Jae Joong Kaang ◽  
Jae Hyung Lee ◽  
...  

Abstract. Carbon and nitrogen uptake rates by small phytoplankton (0.7–5 μm) in the Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian seas in the Arctic Ocean were quantified using in situ isotope labelling experiments for the first time as part of the NABOS (Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System) program during August 21 to September 22, 2013. The depth integrated C, NO3−, and NH4+ uptake rates by small phytoplankton showed a wide range from 0.54 to 15.96 mg C m−2 h−1, 0.05 to 1.02 and 0.11 to 3.73 mg N m−2 h−1, respectively. The contributions of small phytoplankton towards the total C, NO3−, and NH4+ was varied from 24 to 89 %, 32 to 89 %, and 28 to 89 %, respectively. The turnover times for NO3− and NH4+ by small phytoplankton during the present study point towards the longer residence times (years) of the nutrients in the deeper waters, particularly for NO3−. Relatively, higher C and N uptake rates by small phytoplankton obtained during the present study at locations with less sea ice concentrations points towards the possibility of small phytoplankton thrive under sea ice retreat under warming conditions. The high contributions of small phytoplankton towards the total carbon and nitrogen uptake rates suggest capability of small size autotrophs to withstand in the adverse hydrographic conditions introduced by climate change.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Watson ◽  
Junji Cao ◽  
L.W. Antony Chen ◽  
Qiyuan Wang ◽  
Jie Tian ◽  
...  

Abstract. Peat fuels representing four biomes of boreal (western Russia and Siberia), temperate (northern Alaska, U.S.A.), subtropical (northern and southern Florida, U.S.A), and tropical (Borneo, Malaysia) regions were burned in a laboratory chamber to determine gas and particle emission factors (EFs). Tests with 25 % fuel moisture were conducted with predominant smoldering combustion conditions (average modified combustion efficiency [MCE] = 0.82 ± 0.08). Average fuel-based EFCO2 (carbon dioxide) are highest (1400 ± 38 g kg−1) and lowest (1073 ± 63 g kg−1) for the Alaskan and Russian peats, respectively. EFCO (carbon monoxide) and EFCH4 (methane) are ~12 %‒15 % and ~0.3 %‒0.9  % of EFCO2, in the range of 157‒171 g kg−1 and 3‒10 g kg−1, respectively. EFs for nitrogen species are at the same magnitude of EFCH4, with an average of 5.6 ± 4.8 and 4.7 ± 3.1 g kg−1 for EFNH3 (ammonia) and EFHCN (hydrogen cyanide); 1.9 ± 1.1 g kg−1 for EFNOx (nitrogen oxides); as well as 2.4 ± 1.4 and 2.0 ± 0.7 g kg−1 for EFNOy (reactive nitrogen) and EFN2O (nitrous oxide). An oxidation flow reactor (OFR) was used to simulate atmospheric aging times of ~2 and ~7 days to compare fresh (upstream) and aged (downstream) emissions. Filter-based EFPM2.5 varied by >4-fold (14‒61 g kg−1) without appreciable changes between fresh and aged emissions. The majority of EFPM2.5 consists of EFOC (organic carbon), with EFOC/EFPM2.5 ratios in the range of 52 %‒98 % for fresh emissions, and ~15 % degradation after aging. Reductions of EFOC (~7‒9 g kg−1) after aging are most apparent for boreal peats with the largest degradation in organic carbon that evolves at <140 °C, indicating the loss of high vapor pressure semi-volatile organic compounds upon aging. The highest EFLevoglucosan is found for Russian peat (~16 g kg−1), with ~35 %‒50 % degradation after aging. EFs for water-soluble OC (EFWSOC) accounts for ~20 %‒62 % of fresh EFOC. The majority (>95 %) of the total emitted carbon is in the gas phase with 54 %‒75 % CO2, followed by 8 %‒30 % CO. Nitrogen in the measured species explains 24 %‒52 % of the consumed fuel nitrogen with an average of 35 ± 11 %, consistent with past studies that report ~one- to two-thirds of the fuel nitrogen measured in biomass smoke. The majority (>99 %) of the total emitted nitrogen is in the gas phase, with an average of 16.7 % fuel N emitted as NH3 and 9.5 % of fuel N emitted as HCN. N2O and NOy constituted 5.7 % and 2.9 % of consumed fuel N. EFs from this study can be used to refine current emissions inventories.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (22) ◽  
pp. 14173-14193 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Watson ◽  
Junji Cao ◽  
L.-W. Antony Chen ◽  
Qiyuan Wang ◽  
Jie Tian ◽  
...  

Abstract. Peat fuels representing four biomes of boreal (western Russia and Siberia), temperate (northern Alaska, USA), subtropical (northern and southern Florida, USA), and tropical (Borneo, Malaysia) regions were burned in a laboratory chamber to determine gas and particle emission factors (EFs). Tests with 25 % fuel moisture were conducted with predominant smoldering combustion conditions (average modified combustion efficiency (MCE) =0.82±0.08). Average fuel-based EFCO2 (carbon dioxide) are highest (1400 ± 38 g kg−1) and lowest (1073 ± 63 g kg−1) for the Alaskan and Russian peats, respectively. EFCO (carbon monoxide) and EFCH4 (methane) are ∼12 %–15 % and ∼0.3 %–0.9 % of EFCO2, in the range of 157–171 and 3–10 g kg−1, respectively. EFs for nitrogen species are at the same magnitude as EFCH4, with an average of 5.6 ± 4.8 and 4.7 ± 3.1 g kg−1 for EFNH3 (ammonia) and EFHCN (hydrogen cyanide); 1.9±1.1 g kg−1 for EFNOx (nitrogen oxides); and 2.4±1.4 and 2.0 ± 0.7 g kg−1 for EFNOy (total reactive nitrogen) and EFN2O (nitrous oxide). An oxidation flow reactor (OFR) was used to simulate atmospheric aging times of ∼2 and ∼7 d to compare fresh (upstream) and aged (downstream) emissions. Filter-based EFPM2.5 varied by > 4-fold (14–61 g kg−1) without appreciable changes between fresh and aged emissions. The majority of EFPM2.5 consists of EFOC (organic carbon), with EFOC ∕ EFPM2.5 ratios in the range of 52 %–98 % for fresh emissions and ∼14 %–23 % degradation after aging. Reductions of EFOC (∼7–9 g kg−1) after aging are most apparent for boreal peats, with the largest degradation in low-temperature OC1 that evolves at < 140 ∘C, indicating the loss of high-vapor-pressure semivolatile organic compounds upon aging. The highest EFLevoglucosan is found for Russian peat (∼16 g kg−1), with ∼35 %–50 % degradation after aging. EFs for water-soluble OC (EFWSOC) account for ∼20 %–62 % of fresh EFOC. The majority (> 95 %) of the total emitted carbon is in the gas phase, with 54 %–75 % CO2, followed by 8 %–30 % CO. Nitrogen in the measured species explains 24 %–52 % of the consumed fuel nitrogen, with an average of 35 ± 11 %, consistent with past studies that report ∼1/3 to 2∕3 of the fuel nitrogen measured in biomass smoke. The majority (> 99 %) of the total emitted nitrogen is in the gas phase, with an average of 16.7 % as NH3 and 9.5 % as HCN. N2O and NOy constituted 5.7 % and 2.9 % of consumed fuel nitrogen. EFs from this study can be used to refine current emission inventories.


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