Detection and Mitigation of Hazardous Releases in Infrastructure Systems

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助的。该项目的目标是开发和应用一种新技术，用于自动检测和实时缓解基础设施系统中意外或故意的危险泄漏。建议的技术可用于以可靠、成本效益高和社会可接受的方式保护客运航站楼、交通隧道、高楼或向市政当局输送水的渠道。将建立一个实验室规模的原型，以演示该方法实时检测和控制危险化学品的能力。能够检测多种化学制剂的微型传感器将安装在原型的战略位置。传感器将检测化学毒剂，并将信号传输到计算机控制模型。该模型将为安装在通道壁上的排气阀提供最佳运行方案。化学云的消除将通过最佳的环境流体吹气和吸气或注入中和化学品来实现。传感和控制模型将在两个大规模应用中进行测试，包括底特律大都会机场的麦克纳马拉航站楼和底特律-温莎隧道。该项目将汇集电气、机械和环境工程领域的最先进设备和技术。它将培养三名博士生，从事跨学科的研究工作，包括微电子、流体力学、计算科学、管理、成本优化、控制理论以及传感器和执行器的仪器。原型系统将成为密歇根科技日展品的一部分，该软件的用户友好版本将在网上和Ann Arbor Hands on Museum提供。未被充分代表的少数族裔学生将通过密歇根大学的工程双学位项目参与该项目。最终产品将为安全、交通和监管机构在紧急情况下做出关键决策提供强大的工具。它将产生一种新的方法，在没有人为干预的情况下实时应对潜在的灾难。它将为研究生和本科生、专业工程师、高中生和普通公众提供一个独特的机会，让他们了解多学科研究的进步如何改变我们的基础设施安全方法，并提高生活质量。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The objective of this project is to develop and apply a novel technology for the automatic detection and real-time mitigation of accidental or deliberate hazardous releases in infrastructure systems. The proposed technology can be used to protect a passenger terminal, transportation tunnel, tall building or channel carrying water to a municipality in a reliable, cost-effective and socially acceptable way. A prototype will be built at laboratory scale to demonstrate the ability of the method to detect and control hazardous chemicals in real time. Microsensors capable of detecting a broad menu of chemical agents will be installed at strategic locations in the prototype. The sensors will detect the chemical agent and transmit a signal to a computer control model. The model will provide optimal operation scenarios for bleed valves mounted on the channel walls. Elimination of the chemical cloud will be achieved by optimal blowing and suction of ambient fluid or injection of counteracting chemicals. The sensing and control model will be tested in two large-scale applications including the McNamara terminal of the Detroit Metropolitan airport and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. This project will bring together state of the art equipment and technologies from electrical, mechanical and environmental engineering. It will train three doctoral students in an interdisciplinary research effort including microelectronics, fluid mechanics, computational science, management, cost optimization, control theory and instrumentation of sensors and actuators. The prototype system will become part of the Michigan Tech Day exhibits and a user friendly version of the software will be made available both on line and at the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum. Underrepresented minority students will participate in the project through the Dual Degree in Engineering Program of the University of Michigan. The final product will provide a powerful tool to security, transportation and regulatory agencies for making critical decisions during times of emergency. It will produce a new methodology for addressing potential disasters in real time without human intervention. It will offer graduate and undergraduate students, professional engineers, high school students and the general public a unique opportunity to appreciate how advances in multidisciplinary research can transform our methods for infrastructure security and improve the quality of life.