Zeolite Heat Storage: Key Parameters from Experimental Results with Binder-Free NaY

The application of heat storage systems in households or the industry is one possibility to optimize the degree of heat utilization and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast to established heat storage systems based on water, zeolitic systems reach energy densities of 150–200 kWh m⁻³ and allow for seasonal storage with almost no heat loss. However, a commercial breakthrough was not yet successful. Given this background, it is the aim of the present study to identify appropriate operational parameters for a zeolite heat storage system in the laboratory and to prepare an upscaling to demonstration scale. To this end, the pressure drop of the zeolite bed, the cycle time, and the optimal process parameters during thermal loading and deloading were determined.     

Social influence in a virtual tunnel fire – Influence of conflicting information on evacuation behavior

Evacuation from a smoke filled tunnel requires quick decision-making and swift action from the tunnel occupants. Technical installations such as emergency signage aim to guide tunnel occupants to the closest emergency exits. However, conflicting information may come from the behavior of other tunnel occupants. We examined if and how conflicting social information may affect evacuation in terms of delayed and/or inadequate evacuation decisions and behaviors. To this end, forty participants were repeatedly situated in a virtual reality smoke filled tunnel with an emergency exit visible to one side of the participants. Four social influence conditions were realized. In the control condition participants were alone in the tunnel, while in the other three experimental conditions a virtual agent (VA) was present. In the no-conflict condition, the VA moved to the emergency exit. In the active conflict condition, the VA moved in the opposite direction of the emergency exit. In the passive conflict condition, the VA stayed passive. Participants were less likely to move to the emergency exit in the conflict conditions compared to the no-conflict condition. Pre-movement and movement times in the passive conflict condition were significantly delayed compared to all other conditions. Participants moved the longest distances in the passive conflict condition. These results support the hypothesis that social influence affects evacuation behavior, especially passive behavior of others can thwart an evacuation to safety.     

A Review of the Biomechanics of Staircase Descent: Implications for Building Fire Evacuations

Fire Technology - Movement on stairs is a crucial factor that influences people’s ability to evacuate from buildings in fire emergencies. In fact, the accessibility of stairs during...     

Modeling and mapping dynamic vulnerability to better assess WUI evacuation performance

Wildland‐urban interface (WUI) fire incidents are likely to become more severe and will affect more and more people. Given their scale and complexity, WUI incidents require a multidomain approach to assess their impact and the effectiveness of any mitigation efforts. The authors recently produced a specification for a simulation framework that quantifies evacuation performance during WUI incidents including inputs from three core domains: fire development, pedestrian performance and vehicular traffic [26]. This framework could produce new insights by simulating evolving conditions of WUI incidents based on developments and interactions between the core components. Thus, it aims to overcome known limitations of previous approaches (eg, static assessment, single domain approaches, or lack of projection), as well as to provide explanatory insights into the outcomes produced by the simulation. The proposed framework would also advance geo‐spatial mapping of WUI incidents. The concept of dynamic vulnerability, , is at the core of the framework and is enabled by the integrated simulation framework and the emergent conditions predicted. This allows users to construct richer incident narratives from the perspective of specific locations or subpopulations, and also makes fewer simplifying assumptions regarding interactions between the three core domains.