Abstract
The use of sensor data for the optimization of combustion systems such as reactors, turbines or engines is well advanced and has seen applications for several years. This is not the case for other applications such as fire, soil remediation or waste management. These combustion systems introduce complexity and uncertainties that make data assimilation extremely difficult. The difficulty relies many times on the capacity to extract meaningful information from the data but other times are associated to the nature of the data usage. For example, spacecraft is a highly controlled environment with potentially very high sensor density where data assimilation can enable effective prediction of fire growth. Nevertheless, given the operational complexities of spacecraft, for appropriate response, the predictions require speed and precision many times is unattainable. In contrast, for in-situ soil remediation using smouldering combustion, sensor data and sensor quality is poor. While the process is slow and does not require great spatial or temporal resolution predictions are many times insufficient to control the remediation process. This presentation will explore the complexities of managing combustion systems by assimilation of sensor data through different examples. The SAFFIRE space program and the STaR soil remediation technology will be used to illustrate the main issues to be considered.
About the speaker
Prof José Torero received his BSc for the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in 1989, and his MSc and PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991 and 1992 respectively. Prof Torero was the Landolt & Cia Chair in Innovation for a Sustainable Future at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the BRE Trust/RAEng Professor of Fire Safety Engineering at The University of Edinburgh, an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland and Charge de Recherche at the French National Centre for Scientific Research prior to moving to The University of Queensland in 2012, where he is currently the Professor and Head of Civil Engineering.
Prof Torero’s research focuses on the field of Fire Safety Engineering where he specializes in the behavior of fire in complex environments such as forests, tall buildings, novel architectures, tunnels, aircraft and spacecraft.
Prof Torero was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa by Ghent University (Belgium) in 2016. He is a Chartered Engineer (UK), a Registered Professional Engineer in Queensland, a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the British Royal Academy of Engineering, the British Royal Society of Edinburgh and the US Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
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