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Deliberately lit fires make up over 15% of all fires in New Zealand buildings yet they are typically omitted from the design brief for fire engineering purposes. This report examines where deliberately lit fires should be included as part of the fire engineering design by examination of all deliberately lit fires recorded in the New Zealand Fire Incident Reporting System (NZ FIRS) between the years 1996 and 2006. The main types of buildings identified where consideration of deliberately lit fires within the design would provide benefits are: · Prisons · Psychiatric institutions · Schools · Crowd activities · Attached accommodation The report also examined what is required to include deliberately lit fires as part of the design process. Based on an analysis of the fire incident statistics, the majority of deliberately lit fires are the result of unplanned activities and existing design fires will be adequate. Two critical fire scenarios were identified as exceeding these requirements, the ignition of multiple fires and the use of accelerants. Greater life safety benefits are obtained by considering accelerants. In the case of multiple fires, each fire is likely to be within the capabilities of a fire engineered building however a number of such fires may overwhelm the fire protection features of a building. A number of issues for the fire engineer to consider are briefly discussed. In the case of accelerants, a number of experiments were completed to characterise the heat release rate and species production of a Molotov cocktail based on the fuel volume used. A second round of experiments extended this work by examining the scenario where a Molotov cocktail containing 1000 milliliters of petrol was deployed within a stairwell.

Thesis (MTech (Education)) --Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 1992 / The oil crises in the nineteen seventies led to deliberate attempts to save fuel. The technological development of more energy efficient vehicles by motor manufacturers in leading overseas countries resulted in substantial fuel savings. Experts in this field however, feel that further large scale technological improvements in the manufacturing of motor vehicles during the nineties will not be cost effective. For this reason improved driver training is now being considered. In order to devise an appropriate strategy for the development of a driver training programme to promote fuel efficiency various curriculum development models were evaluated, and on the basis of the chosen model, the need for such a programme was further investigated. At present South Africa has no compulsory training for light motor vehicle drivers. Therefore the degree to which existing voluntary training programmes presented in South Africa include the development of fuel efficient driving techniques, was examined. In addition, effective fuel efficient driver training programmes from abroad were obtained and evaluated. These programmes were used to identify deficiencies in local programmes. On the basis of these investigations a set of guidelines was proposed for the formulation of a training programme to promote fuel efficiency on the part of light motor vehicle drivers. The training programme was devised with due consideration to the current state of driver training in the RSA, possible future developments, as well as the needs of various institutions which might use this programme. The completed training programme, consisting of a students' manual and a supplementary video tape, is presented in separate modules to be used either in their own right or on an integrated basis with existing training material. The students' manual and the supplementary video tape were subjected to critical evaluation by a panel of experts in terms of technical quality and content. It is suggested that the proposed programme could be implemented by the School Driver Education Programme, formal driver training schools as well as by individuals in association with the K53 system.

Petrol attendants are exposed to petrol volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which may have genotoxic and carcinogenic effects. The single cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay) is a method highly sensitive to DNA damage induced by environmental and occupational exposure to carcinogenic and mutagenic agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of exposure of petrol attendants to petrol VOCs and also to determine their effect on DNA damage and repair in lymphocytes of African petrol attendants. The exposed group consisted of 20 subjects, randomly selected from three petrol stations. A control group of 20 unexposed subjects was also chosen and matched for age and smoking habits with the exposed group. Sorbent tubes were used to assess personal exposure of petrol attendants. The comet assay was used to investigate the basal DNA damage and repair capacity in isolated lymphocytes of petrol attendants and control subjects. Blood samples were taken from the petrol attendants at the end of their 8 hour working shift and also from the control subjects. The petrol attendants were found to be exposed to levels of petrol VOCs lower than the occupational exposure limit (OEL) for constituent chemicals. A significant relationship was found between the volume of petrol sold during the shift and the average concentrations of benzene, toluene and the total VOCs measured. However, relative humidity had a negative correlation with the average concentrations of benzene, toluene, xylene and the total VOCs. Significantly higher basal DNA damage was observed with the exposed group compared to the control group. The period of exposure influenced the level of DNA damage and the calculated repair capacity. Smoking and age had a significant influence on the level of DNA damage. DNA repair capacity was delayed in smokers of both exposed and non-exposed group. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Occupational Hygiene))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The dynamics of demand for energy goods such as gasoline are complicated by investment decisions and behavioral habits. Both types of complication can be captured by a habits model, in which past consumption enters into an agent's current utility function. If the agent is forward-looking, or 'rational', then habits imply his consumption of the habit-forming good will be sensitive to his expectation of future market conditions, in particular future prices. This sensitivity implies, in turn, that demand and price elasticity will depend upon price volatility, and that the agent will respond differently to different types of price changes. Price elasticity measured over the mixture of price changes that occur in a given market will therefore underestimate the power of policy instruments that act through permanent or long-run price changes. This thesis examines the implications of rational habits on demand behavior in a multi-good setting, drawing motivation from and considering applications to gasoline demand. Chapter 1 introduces the theory of rational habits, examines a simple perfect-foresight model, and uses microeconometric techniques to look at an application to U.S. gasoline demand. Chapter 2 builds a theory model in which agents have rational habits and future prices are uncertain. The implications of this model are then utilized in Chapter 3, which uses macro-type econometric techniques to test for rational habits in international gasoline demand. The empirical evidence suggests that rational habits may indeed shape demand for gasoline and that traditionally-measured price elasticity should not be used to project consumers' responses to policy interventions.

Turbocharging is used as a means to downsize petrol engines, thereby, producing more power for a lower engine size, when compared with a naturally aspirated engine. Due to the presence of a throttle valve in the intake system in petrol engines, flow is restricted at the outlet pipe of the compressor during low load engine operation. For example, during transient tip out tip in maneuvers. Hence, there is a chance of the turbocharger operating in near surge or surge conditions and, thus, generating surge noise. This Thesis describes an experimental and simulation method to predict and measure the turbocharger surge noise. Initially, experimental transient tip-in and tip-out maneuver was performed on a non turbocharged car with a petrol engine. The measured noise level in the intake manifold, at a low frequency of up to 1200 Hz, was analysed and was shown not to represent surge noise. Next, a one dimensional simulation method was applied to simulate the noise of the engine and this demonstrated an increase in the acoustic pressure level in the intake manifold during the tip in and tip out maneuver. However, a surge noise pattern was not observed in the analysis of acoustic pressure signals in the intake system using Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT). The simulation procedure was also used to inform the design of an experimental rig to recreate the surge noise under laboratory conditions. An experimental turbocharger noise rig, designed and built for this purpose, is explained in the Thesis. Important component parts likely to be involved in the surge noise generation such as the intake system, compressor, throttle body, compressor recirculation valve and measurement and control systems were integrated into the test rig. Background noise contributions from the electric motor, AC mains, supercharger pulley, throttle body, inverter fan, throttle body gearing and structural vibration of the supporting structure were identified from the analysed frequency components of the signals from surface microphone measurements taken at the intake system. This helped to clearly identify the surge noise frequency components (3250 Hz) in the STFT analysis. The fundamental mechanism of noise generation was identified using an analysis of the experimental results and a frequency calculation for vortex shedding and the radial acoustic resonances. One of the main conclusions of the Thesis is that the compressor recirculation valve (CRV) open or close position, the CRV delay time and the throttle position are major contributing factors to the cause of the surge noise. Another major conclusion is that the radial acoustic resonance may be a mechanism of surge noise generation. Finally, a passive solution to reduce the surge noise is proposed. A pipe with cross ribs is designed as a passive solution using the radial acoustic resonance calculation and the corresponding nodal patterns. This solution demonstrated a measured intake system noise reduction of up to 10dB under compressor surge conditions.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Environmental Health Faculty of Applied Sciences Cape Peninsula University of Technology / Soil contamination by metals is a serious environmental problem that has significant implications for human health. Roadside soils have been shown to have considerable contamination due to depositions of metals by vehicles. Metal pollution poses significant environmental concerns because most metals are not biodegradable and often have long half-lives, thus predicating far reaching effects on biological systems, including the soil. Unleaded petrol has been available in South Africa since 1996. The conversion from leaded to unleaded petrol has been a slow process. Leaded petrol has been totally phased out since January 2006. The manganese-containing fuel additive methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) that was introduced to automobile fuel formulae as an octane boosting and “anti-knock” agent, to replace or reduce the lead content in petrol, was officially approved in some developed countries. Despite the fact that metal contamination of soil has long been known, few studies have been carried out into its vertical distribution in the soil. The objectives of this investigation were: firstly, to assess the accumulation of lead and manganese in soil along the N1 highway; secondly, to determine the vertical distribution of lead and manganese in soil along the N1 highway; and thirdly, to compare the concentrations of lead and manganese in soil along the N1 highway, before and after the banning of leaded petrol in South Africa. Six soil samples were taken at each site approximately two meters from the road verges and at a depth of approximately 0-2cm of surface soil. The sampling period commenced on the 16th of February 2011 and ended on the 28th of December 2011. Once-off soil samples were also collected at sites 1, 5 and 6 at depths of 0-2cm, 30cm and 60cm, respectively. Samples were digested with 10 ml 55% nitric acid. Lead and manganese concentrations were determined by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrophotometer (ICP–MS). The mean concentrations of lead found in the roadside soils of the N1 highway ranged between 7.32mg/kg and 2068.31mg/kg and these were of high concentrations when compared to studies done in other countries. Results from the vertical distribution of lead investigation showed that lead concentrations ranged from 52.72mg/kg to 215.94mg/kg at surface level, from 15.80mg/kg to 164mg/kg at a depth of 30cm and from 14.06mg/kg to 216.07mg/kg at a depth of 60cm from the surface. It was also shown that there is a positive correlation between lead concentration and the amount of organic content (although not statistical), concluding that as the amount of organic content increases lead concentrations also increase. The mean manganese concentrations found in the roadside soils of the N1 ranged between 12.17mg/kg and 221.47mg/kg. The levels of manganese in the soil were found to be relatively low when compared to other studies an indication of mild to low metal contamination of the sampled soils. Results from the vertical distribution of manganese concentrations showed that concentrations in the soil ranged from 39.23 mg/kg to 63.32 mg/kg at surface level, from 14.4mg/kg to 310.86mg/kg for depths of up to 30cm, and from 4.42mg/kg to 343.96mg/kg for depths of up to 60cm. No relationships of manganese levels in the soil were found at any of the sites when sites were compared prior to the banning of lead and after the banning of lead despite the increased traffic volumes and, thus, increased MMT usage over the years, indicating that manganese contribution from MMT is very low and does not significantly increase soil contamination along the N1 highway. However, further investigations are needed into the future to monitor manganese contamination that may possibly occur.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T13:58:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 436652 Parte B.pdf: 7282853 bytes, checksum: 528179ce162072b031ecd2e536cb1eed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-01-27 / A captura e armazenamento de carbono em forma??es geol?gicas ? umatecnologia promissora para mitiga??o das emiss?es do principal g?s de efeito estufa,o CO2. Contudo, sua aplica??o envolve manter a integridade dos materiaisempregados nos po?os de inje??o para evitar vazamento de CO2. Neste contexto,este trabalho prop?e-se a investigar a integridade da pasta de cimento em presen?ado CO2 quando submetida ?s condi??es de armazenamento geol?gico de carbono,visando compreender os mecanismos envolvidos no processo de degrada??o docimento em fun??o da temperatura. Para tal, pastas endurecidas de cimento classeG foram submetidas a testes de degrada??o em dois meios reacionais, CO2supercr?tico ?mido e ?gua saturada com CO2, a 50 ?C, 70 ?C, 90 ?C e 150 ?C e 15MPa. As t?cnicas de microscopia eletr?nica de varredura (MEV), difra??o de raios-x(DRX), an?lise termogravim?trica (TGA), microdureza Vickers e de resist?ncia ?compress?o foram utilizadas para avaliar o efeito da degrada??o na estrutura epropriedades mec?nicas da pasta de cimento. Os resultados obtidos indicam que aprofundidade da camada degradada pode ser representada por uma fun??ologar?tmica em fun??o da temperatura para ambos os meios reacionais. Para umamesma temperatura, n?o foram observadas diferen?as significativas entre asprofundidades de camada degradada entre os dois meios reacionais. Contudo, omeio aquoso saturado com CO2 mostrou-se mais agressivo para a pasta de cimento.A profundidade de camada degradada da pasta de cimento variou linearmente coma raiz quadrada do tempo, indicando que o processo foi dominado por difus?o emambos os meios reacionais. Observou-se que o aumento da temperatura e do tempode exposi??o da pasta de cimento a meios contendo CO2 promove um decr?scimomais significativo na resist?ncia ? compress?o.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T13:58:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 438650.pdf: 10714196 bytes, checksum: afe6821031ca980065a1b68ea1f81fd7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-28 / The issue of greenhouse gases particularly the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, has concerned the world opinion about climate changing. Therefore new technologies to diminish these gases have been developed in order to restrain global warming. Geologic carbon sequestration is been appointed as one effective way to achieve this goal for a short period of time. However, researches show that when injecting carbon dioxide into sedimentary geological formations, deep saline aquifers, coal seams and depleted or abandoned fields of oil exploration the environment becomes more aggressive and the material used in oil well construction is subjected to successive chemical attacks, which may compromise its integrity, allowing gas leakage and occasional contamination. It has been observed that class G cement paste may suffer some degradation in a shorter period of time than expected oil well service life due to a chemical attack in presence of CO2. The cement paste plays an important role in isolating other well components from the production areas. Thence, admixtures, which modify cement compound properties, may be used in order to increase the slurry performance. The purpose of this paper is to determine the changes caused by adding these substances into properties of cement paste, both fresh and hardened. Also, it is necessary to study the influence of water reducing anti-foam and silica fume admixtures on the resistance to carbonation in cement pastes whether they are used individually whether together. Different amount of admixtures pastes have been subjected to carbonation tests in acid environment in two degradation environments wet superficial CO2 and water saturated with CO2 at temperature and pressure conditions of 70? C and 15MPa respectively during a 7 day time period. Differential thermal analysis (TGA) and the use of optical microscopy scanning electron (SEM) were used to determine the matrix changes of cement paste induced by the incorporation of admixtures. Changes in the strength were also evaluated. Results showed that all mechanical properties were improved with the use of admixtures tested, while the resistance to carbonation showed positive results in low w/c pastes, anti-foam and all the admixtures together. However, silica fume incorporation, individually and water reducing admixture provided a decrease of resistance to degradation in CO2 presence. / As mudan?as clim?ticas t?m gerado preocupa??o mundial a respeito da emiss?o de gases de efeito estufa, em especial a libera??o de g?s carb?nico na atmosfera. Assim, vem-se desenvolvendo tecnologias que visam ? mitiga??o desses gases, para conter o aquecimento global. O sequestro geol?gico de carbono tem sido apontado como uma das formas mais importantes para se alcan?ar este objetivo. Entretanto, pesquisas demonstram que ao se injetar o g?s carb?nico em forma??es rochosas sedimentares, aqu?feros salinos, jazidas de carv?o e campos de explora??o de petr?leo maduros ou abandonados, o meio se torna mais agressivo e os materiais empregados na constru??o dos po?os est?o sujeitos a ataques ?cidos que podem comprometer sua integridade, possibilitando o vazamento deste g?s e ocasionais contamina??es. Observa-se que a bainha de cimento classe G, importante para isolar os demais componentes do po?o e as zonas de produ??o, pode degradar-se em um per?odo de tempo muito menor do que a vida ?til projetada para o po?o devido ao ataque ?cido em presen?a de CO2. Para aumentar o desempenho da pasta, podem ser empregadas subst?ncias, normalmente chamadas de aditivos, que modificam as propriedades do comp?sito ciment?cio. O objetivo deste trabalho ? estudar a influ?ncia dos aditivos redutor de ?gua, desincorporador de ar e s?lica ativa na resist?ncia ao ataque ?cido nas pastas de cimento, empregados individualmente e em conjunto. Pastas com diferentes teores de aditivos foram submetidas a ensaios de carbonata??o em meio ?cido, em dois meios de degrada??o, CO2 supercr?tico ?mido e ?gua saturada com CO2, nas condi??es de temperatura e press?o de 70?C e 15 MPa, respectivamente, durante o per?odo de 7 dias. Para determinar o efeito da utiliza??o dos aditivos, sobre a composi??o da matriz ciment?cea, foram empregados an?lise termogravim?trica (TGA), al?m do emprego de microscopia ?ptica e eletr?nica de varredura (MEV), para an?lises microestruturais. Tamb?m foram avaliadas as altera??es na resist?ncia ? compress?o. Resultados mostram que todas as propriedades mec?nicas s?o melhoradas com o emprego dos aditivos testados, enquanto a resist?ncia ao ataque qu?mico em presen?a de CO2 apresenta resultados positivos em pastas aditivadas com redutor de ?gua e desincorporador de ar e com o emprego de todos em conjunto. Entretanto, a incorpora??o de s?lica, individualmente, proporciona redu??o na resist?ncia ? degrada??o em presen?a de CO2.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T13:58:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 438724.pdf: 14689669 bytes, checksum: a1ef097caab3eeeb45c677d83ab88027 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-29 / In the scenario of CO2 geological storage aiming mitigation of environmental impacts, the degradation of the materials used in the construction of wells, which may occur over time, becomes a concern, since it can facilitate the gas leakage to the surface. The major risk is the degradation of the cement that can occur in the presence of CO2 and water or brine promoting acid carbonation that causes an increase in permeability and porosity, and loss in mechanical properties. The most susceptible regions to the escape of CO2 caused by degradation of the cement are the interfaces with the steel pipe casing and with the rock formation. This study aims investigate the degradation of class G cement paste by CO2, simulating conditions similar to a 1.500 meter-depth well, which corresponds to a 70 ?C temperature and a 15 MPa pressure, at its interfaces with the steel and sandstone of Rio Bonito Formation (Paran? Basin). The degradation of the cement paste, either in the supercritical CO2 or water saturated with CO2 media in the presence of sandstone rock and carbon steel has led to the formation of calcium and iron carbonates and subsequent dissolution of these carbonates at the interfaces with the rock and steel, creating regions of porosity. The sandstone did not constitute an obstacle for the passage of CO2, indicating that the precipitation of carbonates in the pores of the sandstone in an amount great enough to difficult or prevent the passage of CO2 probably only occurs with a long term exposure to CO2. The supercritical CO2 medium provided a greater chemically altered area if compared with the use of water saturated with CO2. However, the use of water saturated with CO2 was more aggressive to the interfaces since promoted its displacement, which indicates that the CO2 has migrated more easily through the upper and lower faces of the specimens. For the shorter times of exposure to humidified CO2 or water saturated with CO2, 7 and 14 days, the degradation depth of the cement paste was small (<1mm); however, the CO2 percolation reached 4 mm after 28 days. / No cen?rio de armazenamento geol?gico de CO2, visando mitiga??o de impactos ambientais, a degrada??o dos materiais utilizados da constru??o dos po?os, que pode ocorrer ao longo do tempo, passa a ser uma preocupa??o uma vez que pode propiciar o vazamento deste g?s para a superf?cie. Um risco importante ? a degrada??o da pasta de cimento em presen?a de CO2 e ?gua ou salmoura, ocorrendo a carbonata??o em meio ?cido que gera aumento da permeabilidade, porosidade e perda nas propriedades mec?nicas. As regi?es mais sucet?vies ? fuga da CO2, ocasionada pela degrada??o da pasta de cimento, s?o as interfaces da pasta de cimento com o tubo de a?o do revestimento e com a forma??o rochosa. Este trabalho tem como finalidade estudar a degrada??o por CO2 da pasta de cimento classe G, simulando condi??es pr?ximas de po?os de profundidade de 1.500 m, que corresponde a uma temperatura de 70 ?C e uma press?o de 15 MPa, nas suas interfaces com o a?o e rocha sedimentar arenosa da Forma??o de Rio Bonito (Bacia do Paran?) em tempos de 7, 14 e 28 dias. A degrada??o da pasta de cimento, tanto no meio CO2 supercr?tico ou em ?gua saturada com CO2, em presen?a de rocha arenito e do a?o ao carbono, levou ? forma??o de carbonatos de c?lcio e de ferro e posterior dissolu??o desses carbonatos nas interfaces com a rocha e com o a?o, criando regi?es porosas. Considerando os tempos de rea??o utilizados neste trabalho, a rocha arenito n?o constituiu obst?culo significativo para a passagem do CO2, indicando que a precipita??o de carbonatos nos poros da rocha em quantidade suficiente para dificultar ou impedir a passagem de CO2 provavelmente s? ocorrer? com longos tempos de exposi??o ao CO2. O meio de CO2 supercr?tico ?mido propiciou uma maior ?rea alterada quimicamente se comparada com o meio de ?gua saturada com CO2. No entanto, o meio de ?gua saturada com CO2 mostrou-se mais agressivo para as interfaces, uma vez que promoveu a perda de ader?ncia das mesmas devido o CO2 ter migrado mais facilmente pelas faces superior e inferior dos corpos de prova. Para os tempos mais curtos de exposi??o ao CO2 ?mido ou ?gua saturada com CO2, 7 e 14 dias, houve um pequeno avan?o da frente de degrada??o na pasta de cimento (< 1 mm), entretanto, aos 28 dias a difus?o do CO2 atingiu 4mm.