在危险品事件中使用热成像摄像机

BY JOHN BLACK

Although the primary use of a热成像摄像头(TIC)在火灾现场,要找到热源并协助occupant searches,这些摄像机的使用不仅仅是火灾事件。从基础培训中,我们知道抽动可以提供巨大的好处,以帮助在汽车事故和城市搜救活动中寻找人员,但是这种热技术如何在危险材料事件中使我们受益?

识别和制定事件行动计划for any requiredrescuesshould be the tactical priority and benchmark for such incidents. Considering the priority for rescues, if an exposed or affected person who may be experiencing an altered mental state has wandered away from the immediate scene, the crew assigned to search for this individual would benefit greatly in terms of time and efficiency if equipped with a TIC, especially during nighttime operations. This is one obvious example of the benefits of applying the TIC’s thermal detection capability at a hazardous materials incident.

相关的消防员培训

With the management of any incident, the quality of information supplied can dictate the success or failure of the job. Relevant, current information is crucial when formulating efficient and effective tactics. The TIC can provide additional information for the incident management team (IMT).

通过应用一些创造性技术并了解对象如何与红外能量相互作用,事件指挥官(ICS)可以加速事件解决方案并减少机组人员的曝光率。在下面,我将讨论一些申请,其中TIC可以看到看不见的并协助船员。

使用TIC使容器内容物的水平可见。空气的上部以比底部的液体更高的速度加热。空气的上部比液体的下部温暖,因此产生了容器内部水平的明显指示。左侧的温度表示相机显示的温度范围;SP1是容器的表面温度。

(1)使用TIC使容器内容物的水平可见。空气的上部以比底部的液体更高的速度加热。空气的上部比液体的下部温暖,因此产生了容器内部水平的明显指示。左侧的温度表示相机显示的温度范围;SP1是容器的表面温度。(Photos by author.)

有害物质事件,会影响地面区域l present differently

(2)有害物质事件,会影响地面区域l present differently. This is what you could expect the ground to look like after completion of decontamination or after a surface spill of liquid. Concrete surfaces tend to heat water up more quickly than grassy areas, which make this contrasting effect a little less obvious on concrete than on grassy areas.

Storage Tank Levels

Using a TIC, we can obtain valuable thermal spectrum information from storage tanks containing liquid chemicals that may not be obtained otherwise. Over the course of the day, most liquids absorb thermal energy at a rate slower than the air; at night, this process is reversed, with liquids giving off their absorbed heat at a slower rate than the air. The difference in heat release rates between the liquid and the air can make it possible to identify the internal liquid levels within the containers and therefore provide more information to the IMT. In some situations, this may be limited or not possible at all, depending on the tank’s construction or materials. Some containers are insulated and will show no indication of content levels. Others may use polished metals such as stainless steel; these surfaces will have high reflectance values and result in an incorrect interpretation of the situation because a number of reflections from nearby heat sources have been bought into the TIC’s view. In such circumstances, you may obtain information from other areas of the tank or container, such as the pipe fittings or the valves. Do the valves at various heights look different? Does the labeling where the surface is less reflective than the main tank material now show an internal level (photo 1)?

通过确定加压血管内的物料水平,例如在火灾事件期间可能含有液化石油气体(LPG)的水平储罐,并在整个事件中不断审查这些水平,IMT可以确定灾难性事件(例如沸腾事件)是否沸腾 -液体,扩张蒸气爆炸(BLEVE)即将到来,然后进行必要的战术调整。

Likewise, solid chemicals (e.g., granulated chlorine) may also provide additional information when viewed using a TIC. Using the TIC to view these types of oxidizers is excellent for determining if an exothermic chemical reaction is beginning or is in progress. Again, this information may be extremely beneficial to the IC and may assist in identifying the chemical.

确定释放范围

Drawing a line around a hazmat incident to determine the extent of the affected area is not easy. Unlike managing a structure fire or wildfire where we can see visually where the fire extension is, information regarding hazmat spills may not be so obvious. The chemical plume size combined with wind direction and speed will certainly be a factor in determining the scene size. The spill size, combined with any active water runoff, can also be an IC’s headache in determining the placement of any exclusion zones (photo 2).

在实施任何战术动作时,请考虑这些动作是否会导致问题,并阻碍事件的安全,快速解决。例如,如果基于科学建议的当前策略需要使用水抑制任何化学反应,那么这种水可能会流入天然水路或排水系统中吗?我们现在是否要污染周围的生态系统?使用抽动进行常规场景评估可能会显示实际发生的事情。

发射率

TIC从物体的表面收集红外能,然后视觉向操作员显示不同级别的强度。物体向抽动的热量呈现如何取决于该物体的发射率。具有高发射率属性的对象(通常是钝,非金属的对象)将对发生的事情显示更准确的说明。发射率较低的物体往往更具反射性,并且可以将附近的其他热源引入显示器。液体化学物质的发射率可能与溢出物发生的地面的发射率可能有所不同,因此很可能在相机上表现得很好。

正确使用抽动时,与地面形成对比的液体的能力可以很好地表明溢出物的程度和大小。您还可以监视溢出物,以确定它是否正在延伸,以及溢出物是否沿着附近的任何水道沿着地形沿着地形延伸。如果溢出尺寸随着时间的推移而减小,则可能需要质疑这是由于蒸发还是由于地面吸收而质疑。这可能是化学特性的另一个线索。同样,我们拥有的信息越多,可以平稳的事件解决方案的机会就越大。

由于抽动只能看到红外能量,因此地面和液体之间温度或发射率的明显差异对于提供清晰的图像至关重要。如果地面温度或发射率与液体的温度相似,则可能不会显示液体井的大小或位置。It’s unlikely that they will be a perfect match and not show any effects, but as shown in the image of the decontamination process that is occurring on the cement (photos 3-4), the effect isn’t as dramatic as when this process is undertaken on a grassy area (photo 5).

A TIC image shows decontamination water clearly on the concrete surface

(3-4)抽动图像在混凝土表面上清楚地显示了净化水。图像的较明亮区域是施用水的地方。您可以使用它来评估净化过程的覆盖范围。

A TIC image shows decontamination water clearly on the concrete surface

(4)

地下管道泄漏

液体池在地面和地面吸收should show clearly on the camera, possibly enabling you to detect underground leaks with the TIC. A number of factors can affect how well this process works; it depends on any differences between the surrounding unaffected terrain and the affected area, the ground temperature vs. that of the substance, and the emissivity of the chemical and that of the ground. Substantially sized underground pipes transporting liquid that may be leaking could pose an imminent risk of causing ground slippage or collapse since the increased moisture levels have changed the soil’s stability. This moisture should show up within the infrared spectrum as an area of interest. Countless drone contractors use this same principle to monitor public spaces such as golf courses and public parks for any water leaks.

管道泄漏

The valves within a pipeline system may also be a failure point and produce leaks. Depending on the piping system’s design, the amount of pressure within the system, and the characteristics of the material that is being piped or stored, they may all present differently on a TIC. Steam will display as an area of heat while other products that are normally a gas at room temperature but are being piped as a liquid will display as a cold area at the leak site.

The decontamination water is clearly seen in this image of a grassy area

(5)在草地的这一形象中清楚地看到了净化水。

Decontamination Monitoring

Once crews have been within the prescribed exclusion zones and after any departmental procedures, you may need to undertake on-site personnel decontamination. Again, TICs can fill a niche role to assist in monitoring decontamination for effectiveness. The overall objective in any hazmat response is to render the situation and area free of any danger. There is little point in having crews move the chemicals from the immediate spill area to the assigned decontamination area with no way to determine the contamination at the decontamination area.

在净化过程中使用抽动,您可以轻松地看到净化中的任何径流如何影响地形,并希望将来制定一项计划。照片3-5清楚地显示了水的存在以及在短时间的净化后如何影响地面。将此过程扩展到大型化学事件,您可以开始想象这如何成为IMT的认真考虑。

When implementing any firefighter decontamination method, consider using the TIC to monitor the process. As the water flows over the firefighter, it will display areas of contrast against the areas that are not. This could enable you to make the decontamination process more efficient and effective.

Viewing Gases

你不可能成功查看the gas or product directly using a standard TIC; you would need a specialized optical gas imaging camera that is designed to view the specific spectral ranges of specific gases. If this type of camera is unavailable, the TIC operator needs to think creatively and look for the indirect effects of the leak on the surrounding objects and structures, which may indicate the leak location. The adiabatic process of a gas that is now pressurized into a liquid, when rapidly released, can reduce the temperatures of the nearby valves or pipework and will show quite clearly on the TIC display.

当您迅速放出内容物时,请考虑一个独立的呼吸器气缸(大量流量,大压降);阀组件将开始冰。在蒸汽释放中,温度将升高。如果管道或阀门具有某种绝缘系统,例如泡沫或纤维材料,请仔细注意;这可能会隐藏任何温度差。

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

随着小型无人飞机系统(SUASS)的出现以及现在可用的光学和热成像能力,可以查看和记录整个场景。通过在事件的持续时间内使用光学成像系统和热成像系统从上面观察场景,您可以制定有价值的时间表数据,随着事件的展开,告知IMT并提供帮助后的分析。

Using an sUAS, you can monitor waterways for real-time runoff; monitor crews for safety; and efficiently establish hot, warm, and cold zones. For example, if you can determine that the liquid runoff has ceased flowing and is being contained effectively, you may be able to reduce the size of the exclusion zones and therefore reduce the travel time for crews traveling to affected areas in unnecessary personal protective equipment. Also, the data sUASs provide will be valuable in evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the incident’s management and be helpful in any future court proceedings. If an sUAS is unavailable, alternatives such as deploying aerial apparatus that have thermal imaging capabilities incorporated into the appliance or a firefighter with a TIC may provide the same overall perspective of the scene.

看法

您查看场景的角度也可以改变您所看到的。从地面上查看场景可能会显示出似乎很感兴趣的区域,但实际上是附近物体的反射。重要的是要以尽可能接近垂直的角度查看一个区域或感兴趣的对象。正如您在基本的抽动培训中所学到的那样,您可以通过从不同角度移动和查看该物体是否反映该对象是否反射。如果对象移动,消失或实质性变化,则可能只是反映。

每当使用消防抽动,识别并说明其188金博网网址多少局限性。抽动操作员必须研究他所看到的东西,然后辨别出正常的事物,什么不正常,是定性评估。为消防服务开发的抽动不允许用户调整所需的设置以允许准确的温度读数,因此请勿依靠抽搐显示的温度。

安全

确保您使用的抽动适合环境。大多数抽动不是本质上安全的,因此不适合在爆炸性的气氛中使用。尽管有些是操作员,但必须了解相机能够操作的环境。如果考虑在下一个Hazmat响应中使用TIC,请考虑使用它的位置以及如何使用它,如果它可以安全地使用,并在使用前向科学专家寻求任何建议。

You can see how adding the layer of thermal imagery can assist in resolving hazmat incidents. Depending on your fire department’s policy and how it determines a hazmat incident is resolved, reviewing the documented TIC imagery may provide the evidence required to ensure scene rehabilitation has been completed properly. The TIC imagery and video can help you confirm the size of the contaminated area and that the contamination has been removed for any future litigation.

抽动是适应性的设备,总体上是低成本,并且不需要专业技能即可操作。凭借创造力,开放的思想以及对这项技术如何运作的理解,您可以通过不断考虑:“通过抽动来看待这一点,提供不同的观点吗?”


JOHN BLACKis a full-time senior firefighter who has been based in Australia for the past 11 years. He has a level 2 certification in thermography and has a professional interest in training and furthering thermal technology use within the fire service and at incident operations.

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