Burton Z. Davidson, P.E. Professor II B.S., Syracuse University, 1958 M.S., Syracuse University, 1960 Ph.D., Northwestern Universityu, 1963 Tel: (732) 445-2203 Fax: (732) 445-2581 email: burtond@sol.rutgers.edu

Acid rain, plant reactor safety, fire hazard investigation.

Experimental studies are aimed at the enhancement of total sulfur removal from commercial coals prior to combustion using oxides of nitrogen gas at ambient conditions. The methodology involves the fixed-bed contacting of solvent-swelled and particulated coal particles with nitrogen dioxide-air mixtures. To-date, the technique has resulted in 70% total sulfur removal in commercial grades of coal. This procedure, combined with enhanced flue-gas scrubbing procedures, has overall economic advantages and a reduction in atmospheric sulfur emissions. Future research will also explore the alternative use of microbes to enhance in situ or in-transit coal desulfurization.

Runaway chemical reactions in reactors are caused by inherent design defects, positive eigenvalues, and/or operator errors. By using the methodologies of AI and expert systems analysis, the modern systems safety manager can better analyze and anticipate hidden dangers in the design, fabrication, operation, and maintenance of chemical reactor systems. The objective of the research is focused on the identification of reactor design defects, inherent positive eigenvalues, and human factor errors for a wide variety of documented industrial reactor mishaps that have resulted in extensive property fire-explosion damage and/or personal injury to users. Data from these case studies form the HAZOP procedures and the knowledge base upon which the AI-safety principles and protocols are generated. All codifications include considerations of legal constraints stemming from OSHA and EPA regulations and industry standards.

The various classes of flexible and rigid plastic foam insulation products possess potentially dangerous flammability properties when exposed to indirect heat flux. Unexpectedly low thermal flux can ignite a local smoldering zone that translates into open flaming combustion under certain conditions. The objective of the research is to delineate the mechanism whereby local smoldering combustion can propagate into open flaming combustion for various classes of generic polymer foams, with and without flame retardants. Progress to-date has produced a novel, meso-scaled testing reactor for samples in the particulated state in which a variety of process variables (e.g., direct and indirect ignition heat flux, air flow, particle size and morphology, polymer type, etc.) can be studied under controlled conditions.