Detection and Mitigation of Hazardous Releases in Infrastructure Systems

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

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.