Portable emergency action system for chemical releases

• US 5,724,255 A
• Filed: 08/27/1996
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arista Tek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The University of Wyoming Research Corporation
• Inventors: Nordin, John S., Smith, Verne E., Routh, Thayne K., King, Samuel B., Sheesley, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAM, TUAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US08/703,863
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 364/500, 364/578-580, 364/496, 364/420, 364/550, 364/800-803, 364/806, 364/221, 364/221.1-221.2, 364/221.9, 364/264.3-264.5, 364/274.9, 364/916.3, 364/DIG. 1-2, 395/10, 395/20-23, 395/50, 395/68, 395/903, 395/906, 395/920, 395/928, 395/930, 395/932, 395/500, 340/515-517, 340/505, 340/506, 340/632, 340/286.01
• US Class Current: 700/266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/025 adapted to a specific application

Abstract

The present invention provides a calculated protective action zone, such as a safety zone which can be used for evacuation purposes, using simplified input methods and systems and simplified internal calculation methods to model the chemical data. Yet, it uniquely retains a significantly high degree of accuracy corresponding to more expensive, complicated, time consuming state of the art models for the chemical releases as described above. It may be used for dense gas dispersion and other releases. To accomplish this, the methods and systems of the present invention may use a post-processed modeled data base and selected multi-variable equations combined with qualitative and quantitative input and may include default values for various factors. The system may include a small, hand-held electronic calculating element such as a palmtop computer, with extended battery life for portability, although it is equally applicable for high end processors on stationary computers.

Claims

1. An emergency chemical release response method comprising the steps of:

a. accepting an electronic representation of at least a chemical identifier by an electronic calculating element;

b. electronically selecting at least one type of model of response determination from alternative models related to said chemical identifier;

c. utilizing said model in said electronic calculating element;

d. determining a protective action zone through use of said electronic calculating element; and

e. outputting a result of said protective action zone on at least a visual output element connected to said electronic calculating element.

2. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said step of electronically selecting at least one type of model comprises the step of electronically selecting a non differential model.

3. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said model comprises a dense gas dispersion model.

4. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said model comprises a direct solution model.

5. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 2 wherein said step of electronically selecting at least one type of model comprises the step of electronically selecting a non differential polynomial model.

6. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said step of electronically selecting at least one type of model comprises the step of electronically selecting a neural network model.

7. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said step of electronically selecting at least one type of model comprises the step of electronically selecting a lookup table model.

8. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

a. identifying a chemical based on said chemical identifier;

b. determining whether said chemical has a toxicity level index associated with said chemical; and

c. utilizing an output of said step of determining whether said chemical has said toxicity level index in the step of electronically selecting at least one type of model of response determination.

9. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said step of determining said protective action zone comprises the steps of utilizing significant effect parameters and excluding preselected low effect parameters.

10. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 9 wherein said step of utilizing significant effect parameters comprises the step of providing sufficient significant effect parameters to approximate differential models.

11. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said step of electronically selecting at least one type of model comprises the step of electronically selecting multiple models and wherein said step of determining said protective action zone comprises the steps of:

a. initially utilizing at least one model to approximate an intermediate protective action zone with significant effect parameters;

b. intermediately outputting said intermediate protective action zone; and

c. subsequently more thoroughly determining a more thorough protective action zone with at least one additional low effect parameter.

12. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said step of determining said protective action zone with said electronic calculating element consists of the step of utilizing a palmtop computer.

13. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said step of electronically selecting at least one type of model of response determination from alternative models based on said chemical identifier comprises the step of selecting a rapid calculational model.

14. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 1 wherein said step of determining said protective action zone through use of said electronic calculating element in which calculation occurs for a user without the user directly referring to other reference materials.

15. An emergency chemical release response system comprising:

a. an electronic calculating element;

b. an electronic memory connected with said electronic calculating element;

c. an input element connected to said electronic calculating element to allow at least a chemical identifier input;

d. a chemical database stored in said memory in which said chemical identifier is associated with said chemical database;

e. at least one type of model of response determination based on said chemical identifier selected from a set of alternative models stored in said memory; and

f. at least a visual output element connected to said electronic calculating element.

16. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein at least one of said models comprises a non differential model.

17. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein at least one of said models comprises a non differential polynomial model.

18. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein at least one of said models comprises a dense gas dispersion model.

19. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein at least one of said models comprises a direct solution model.

20. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein at least one of said models comprises a neural network model.

21. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein at least one of said models comprises a lookup table model.

22. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein said chemical database further comprises a toxicity level index associated with said chemical release and at least one of said models is affected by said toxicity level index.

23. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein said input comprises significant effect parameters and excludes preselected low effect parameters.

24. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 22 wherein said input comprises significant effect parameters and excludes preselected low effect parameters.

25. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 24 wherein said significant effect parameters are sufficient to approximate differential models.

26. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 23 wherein said significant effect parameters are sufficient to approximate differential models.

27. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein said electronic calculating element consists of a palmtop computer.

28. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 15 wherein at least one of said models and said chemical database are configured to not require a user to directly refer to other reference materials.

29. An emergency chemical release response method comprising the steps of:

a. electronically utilizing a second model of a chemical identifier with a second goal in an electronic calculating element selected from alternative models of response determination related to said chemical identifier wherein said second model is developed from a first model of said chemical identifier with a first goal and wherein said first model is corresponded to said alternative models of response determination related to said chemical identifier;

b. electronically accessing a database containing information related to at least one selected chemical;

c. accepting an electronic input of at least one parameter related to said chemical identifier;

d. calculating a protective action zone by said electronic calculating element for said chemical release utilizing said step of electronically utilizing said second model of said chemical identifier; and

e. outputting a result of said protective action zone on at least a visual output element connected to said electronic calculating element.

30. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 further comprising the step of first modeling of said chemical release to develop said first model of said chemical identifier with said first goal.

31. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said first model of said chemical identifier with said first goal comprises a first goal of accuracy.

32. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of electronically utilizing said second model of said chemical identifier with said second goal comprises the step of utilizing said second model based on a second goal of operational efficiency.

33. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said first model of said chemical identifier with said first goal comprises a first goal of correlation to physical phenomena.

34. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of electronically utilizing said second model of said chemical identifier with said second goal comprises the step of utilizing said second model based on a second goal of rapid calculational time.

35. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein at least one of said alternative models which said first model is corresponded thereto comprises a dense gas dispersion model.

36. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein at least one of said alternative models which said first model is corresponded thereto comprises an iterative solution model.

37. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein at least one of said alternative models which said second model is selected therefrom comprises a direct solution model.

38. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of electronically utilizing said second model of said chemical identifier with said second goal comprises the step of retaining said second model in said electronic calculating element.

39. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of accepting said electronic input comprises the step of accepting significant effect parameters input.

40. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of accepting said electronic input comprises the step of providing optional qualitative and quantitative categories.

41. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of accepting said electronic input comprises the step of providing optional defaults.

42. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of electronically utilizing said second model of said chemical identifier with said second goal comprises the step of utilizing a non differential model.

43. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of electronically utilizing said second model of said chemical identifier with said second goal comprises the step of utilizing a non differential polynomial model.

44. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of electronically utilizing said second model comprises the step of electronically utilizing a neural network model.

45. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said electronically utilizing said second model of said chemical identifier with said second goal comprises the step of utilizing a lookup table model.

46. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of calculating said protective action zone occurs for a user without requiring the user to directly refer to other reference materials.

47. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 29 wherein said step of calculating said protective action zone consists of the step of utilizing a palmtop computer.

48. An emergency chemical release response system comprising:

a. an electronic calculating element;

b. an electronic memory connected to said electronic calculating element;

c. an input element connected to said electronic calculating element to allow at least a chemical identifier input;

d. a chemical database contained in said memory in which said chemical identifier is associated with said chemical database;

e. a second model of a chemical identifier with a second goal stored in said memory wherein said second model is developed from a first model of said chemical identifier with a first goal and wherein said second model is selected from alternative models of response determination related to said chemical identifier; and

f. at least a visual output element connected to said electronic calculating element.

49. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said first goal comprises accuracy.

50. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said second goal comprises operational efficiency.

51. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said first goal comprises correlation to physical phenomena.

52. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said second goal comprises rapid calculational time.

53. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said second model is retained in said electronic calculational element.

54. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said input comprises significant effect parameters.

55. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said input comprises optional qualitative and quantitative input.

56. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said input comprises optional defaults.

57. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein at least one of said alternative models which said second model is selected therefrom comprises a non differential model.

58. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein at least one of said alternative models which said second model is selected therefrom comprises a non differential polynomial model.

59. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein at least one of said alternative models which said second model is selected therefrom comprises a neural network model.

60. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein at least one of said alternative models which said second model is selected therefrom comprises a lookup table model.

61. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said second model and said chemical database are configured to not require a user to directly refer to other reference materials.

62. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 48 wherein said electronic calculating element consists of a palmtop computer.

63. An emergency chemical release response method comprising the steps of:

a. providing chemical information on an electronic calculating element to include at least a chemical identifier associated with said chemical information;

b. electronically utilizing at least one type of model of response determination from alternative models related to said chemical identifier on said electronic calculating element;

c. limiting prompting for input to optional human sensory input and automated input;

d. prompting for said input;

e. calculating a protective action zone based on said optional human sensory input and automated input with said model on said electronic calculating element; and

f outputting on a visual output element a result of said protective action zone wherein said visual output element is connected to said electronic calculating element.

64. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 63 wherein said step of calculating said protective action zone occurs for a user without requiring the user to directly refer to other reference materials.

65. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 63 wherein said step of calculating said protective action zone comprises the step of calculating utilizing significant physical and meteorological parameters and excluding preselected low effect parameters.

66. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 63 wherein said step of prompting for optional human sensory input and automated input comprises the step of providing optional defaults.

67. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 63 wherein said step of calculating said protective action zone comprises the step of calculating with a rapid calculational model.

68. An emergency chemical release response system comprising:

a. an electronic calculating element;

b. an electronic memory connected to said electronic calculating element;

c. an input element connected to said electronic calculating element for at least a chemical identifier input and limited to optional human sensory input and automated input;

d. a chemical database contained in said memory in which said chemical identifier is associated with said chemical database to identify a chemical;

e. at least one type of model of response determination from alternative models related to said chemical identifier on said electronic calculating element; and

f. at least a visual output element connected to said electronic calculating element.

69. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 68 wherein at least one of said models and said chemical database are configured to not require a user to directly refer to other reference materials.

70. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 68 wherein said input comprises significant physical and meteorological parameters and excludes preselected low effect parameters.

71. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 68 wherein said input comprises optional defaults.

72. An emergency chemical release response system as described in claim 68 wherein at least one of said models comprises a rapid calculational model.

73. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 68 wherein at least one if said models comprises a dense gas dispersion model.

74. An emergency chemical release response method as described in claim 68 wherein at least one of said models comprises a direct solution model.