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1. Introduction
Modern railways have moved a long way from the slow, noisy, polluting and poor safety record of their earlier ancestors and offer speed, comfort, convenience and enhanced safety approaching those of air travel these days. This is largely driven by incorporation of many modern innovations into the infrastructure, rolling stock and operations comprising advanced computing on-board and track side, high-speed communications, energy efficient traction systems and new track materials. These evolutionary changes have rendered railways a highly attractive mode of transportation in today’s world.
2. A Life-cycle Perspective
The systematic safety assurance of a product, system or process (PSP) requires the consideration of key activities at each phase of the development and deployment. This is referred to as the life-cycle perspective and constitutes the backbone of the most standards and codes of practice.
The generic PSP safety life-cycle comprises 12 phases as follows:
The life-cycle concept constitutes the backbone of the systems engineering practice and the most system safety processes, standards and codes of practice. It exists in a variety of forms and detailed stages depending on the source. One old reference from railway safety standards [1,2] depicts this as a 12–14 phase process by separating many of the later stages such as monitoring and modification into distinct phases as depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1.
System Safety Life-cycle According to CENELEC Standards
3. System Level Requirements and Classifications
The starting point of a comprehensive understanding of a desired or existing system is the so-called system level perspective. Once a level of interest in the hierarchy is stated, then the clear description of the system is the principal starting step.
3.1. System Level Perspective
The question of perspective and level is quite fundamental to understanding the system, its constituents, the topology, interfaces and dynamic behaviour. The so-called ‘top-level’ system perspective is a vision and representation that includes four classes of constituents, namely
People comprising users, operators, suppliers and the public (the latter category is relevant to the safety and security issues) that is sometimes referred to as stakeholders,
Control and automation system that performs functions based on embedded logic and algorithms in machines of mechanical, electro-mechanical or electronic nature,
The infrastructure that supports the functioning of the system. This includes supporting systems and the host environment that surrounds the system including the energy supply, major interfaces with neighbouring or supporting systems/sub-systems, etc.,
Processes and rules that govern the interactions between people, automation and the infrastructure. These are a broad range of operational, legal, commercial and emergency response conventions that create a common understanding for all system stakeholders. The socio-economic setting within which a system is realized and operated can also be considered as a part of the environmental rules and constraints that influence the functions and behaviours of the systems.
A general view of the broad system composition is depicted in Figure 2 as the so-called top-level system perspective.
Figure 2.
Top-level Railway System Constituents Perspective
The system of interest exists within such a setting and delivers a utility function or service as part of a larger natural or socio-economic system. However, the systematic study and analysis of the most systems requires the forms of conceptualisation, representation and formalisation that provides a backdrop for the study and understanding of the system properties.
Most system studies start with a ‘rich-picture’ representation that places the system in its host environment and where possible, includes many of the four classes of information detailed above. One such illustration is given in Figure 3 for the safety study of a school within the proximity of a railway environment.
Figure 3.
Rich-picture Representation of a Top-level System Perspective
The rich-picture representation and associated often pictorial forms of top-level system representation are largely employed in requirements capture and safety studies at the early phases of the life cycle.
3.2. System Level Requirements
In the life-cycle perspective, especially the one depicted in Figure 1 above, the specification of requirements including the safety requirements commence in phase 4 of the system life cycle. This in practice is unreal and untrue. Most system requirements and indeed some high-level safety requirements are known at the start of the life cycle. These are broadly derived from a number of sources comprising:
Past experience of similar or reference systems,
Customer and stakeholder expectations,
Contractual documents,
Operational principles known in the domain and derived or represented in the concept of operation (ConOps),
Regulations, standards, rules and codes of practice.
It is worth noting therefore that the system performance requirements are not strictly the matter for a specific time or phase in the life cycle and can predate the system. It is also an evolutionary and iterative process that gains more details the further development moves down the life-cycle phases. The derivation of system level requirements (SLR) is depicted in Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Derivation of System Level Requirements
The feedback loop from later phases of the life cycle such as the system integration phases back to the SLR is quite normal and in the same sense that system safety properties evolve in terms of understanding and detail, requirements, especially at system level may emerge much later than desired. This is a natural consequence of complexity of requirements, expected functions and behaviours as well as the evolving understanding or operational expectations of the client that may impose additional expectations on the system after the early phases of the life cycle.
3.2.1. Classification of SLR
Given the diversity of stakeholders and forms of requirements, it is constructive to classify a large list of requirements into distinct and verifiable classes. These classes are often chosen from performance point of view of stakeholder groupings to make reference and satisfaction arguments simpler and more efficient. The typical classes for such groupings of requirements within a railway context constitute a broad range as depicted in Table 1:
Costs, finance, social benefit, return on investment,... \n\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Environmental
\n\t\t\t
Temperature, humidity, vibration, shock, water ingress, rapid cycles, ....
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Integrity
\n\t\t\t
Reliability, availability, maintainability and associated metrics
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Safety
\n\t\t\t
The exposure of people especially clients, operators, service provider and the public to the harmful effects, system failures and accidents, expected level of safety, norms, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Security
\n\t\t\t
Immunity of the system to malicious intent in physical and cyber spaces including surveillance, espionage, attacks, contamination by CBRN,...
Operational modes, operational principles & rules that have to be observed, trains per hour, door operations, dispatching and station management, degraded operations, emergencies & evacuation, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Usability
\n\t\t\t
Accessibility issues for the elderly and disabled, lifts, support staff, ramps, steps, hand rails, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Social
\n\t\t\t
Scope of service, pricing, user affordability considerations, potential for suicides, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Regulatory
\n\t\t\t
The rules, regulations, targets and standards applicable to the design, development, installation, testing, commissioning and full passenger service, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Temporal
\n\t\t\t
The timing and speed of execution of the project, delivery in staged phases, operational constraints, dwell times, service periods, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Contractual/legal
\n\t\t\t
The obligations of the supply chain in delivering the requirements both legal as well as contractual, penalties and loss limitation, staged payments, operation and maintenance considerations, force majeure conditions, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Performance monitoring
\n\t\t\t
Proactive and reactive monitoring of system performance based on credible systemic predictors/indicators, identification of critical system states, avoidance of down times and accidents through intelligent supervisory systems, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Human resource
\n\t\t\t
The numbers, types and essential knowledge, experience and seniority of the human resources required to operate, monitor and maintain/upgrade the system including resources from the supply chain and temporary staff, organisational structure, reporting, health and safety issues, control and command, necessary licensing, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Training and competencies
\n\t\t\t
The initial training for the different classes of operators, maintainers, support and auxiliary staff to bring them to the minimum level of competence for operational readiness and continued maintenance of the knowledge in the event of system change and upgrades, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Business continuity
\n\t\t\t
Full consideration of maintaining a service level in the event of natural or manmade disasters and major disruptions, redundancy and operational contingencies in such circumstances, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Operational readiness
\n\t\t\t
Consideration of a minimal configuration of the system, supporting sub-systems, human resources, infrastructure, timing, time tabling and response arrangements that render a new system or one recovering from failure or degradation ready for full service operations, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Expected life and life-extension
\n\t\t\t
The client’s expectation of the utility and continued functionality of the system in terms of normal operational life, obsolescence, necessary upgrades and maintenance activities and decision criteria for decommissioning and disposal of the system including safety and sustainability considerations, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Special interest
\n\t\t\t
Requests, needs and expectations of various social and formal groups who will be affected by the operation of the system including proximity, noise and vibration levels, EMC, disturbance, working hours, contingencies in the event of major accidents and catastrophes, ...
\n\t\t
\n\t
Table 1.
Classification of System Level Requirements for a Railway Context
Any PSP may have an impact or specifically fit within one or more of the above classes. In this spirit and contrary to the immediate focus on a technical system, the classifications depicted in Table 1 should be used as a check-list to capture potential impact of any PSP on wider classes of requirements than mere technical and safety dimensions.
4. System Level Safety and Security Requirements
Safety is a system level emergent property and can best be understood and assured through a systems and high-level perspective. The highest level of perspective for the railways the so-called ‘top-level’ is the entire railway as a system comprising the constituents detailed in Section 3.1. Understanding of the total railway system safety performance requires a systematic study of the system level interactions between the system constituents and people exposed to the machinery, infrastructure and operations of the railway system. The CENELEC Technical Report TR50451 [3] developed to support EN50129 developed in 1998 details a perspective on the whole railway safety in which three key stakeholders collaborate to understand, analyse and communicate the principal requirements. The principal active stakeholders are the infrastructure manager (IM) and the railway undertakings (RU) who operate the services. The third key stakeholder involved is the safety regulator, often a government appointed entity. The proposed perspective is for the principal stakeholders who understand the operational railway, that is the RU and IM, to conduct safety analysis, identify system level hazards, conduct risk analysis and determine the tolerability level for the key system level hazards that they manage. This is referred to as the determination of the tolerable hazard rate (THR). The concept is depicted from CENELECTR50451 in Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Collaborative Approach to Railway System Safety, Stakeholders and Responsibilities
The tolerable rate for a hazard (THRH) and the derivation of safety integrity level (SIL) are presented in Figure 5 in the relative order and ownership.
The manufacturers, service providers and supply chain are expected to employ the published THRs to determine what hazards relate to their services/products and determine their share of the hazards affected and SIL applicable to their PSP/service. This is principally a collaborative approach to the achievement of system safety that is likely to render more benefits to the industry than the current disjointed and market driven approach.
The system safety life cycle as depicted in Section 2 implies that the specification of the system requirements, especially the safety requirements for a PSP commences after system risk analysis, that is in phase 4 and well after the start of a project or programme. Whilst many of the detailed safety requirements emerge from the identification of the product/system behaviours that lead to hazardous states, in a similar manner to the general system requirements, many of the safety requirements are known at a high level of detail at the start of a project or programme. These come from a multiplicity of sources, standards, rules, reference products/systems, regulations, customer needs, existing operational safety performance data, existing operational principles, safety functions and finally, any industry level set of safety hazards. This is depicted in Figure 6. These are all recorded in the product/SLR as detailed in Table 1 and the system level safety requirements (SLSR) that constitute a subset.
In principle, if the national level safety data in terms of principal railway hazards and the THRs are known, then these can used together with a causal analysis and apportionment to derive the safety requirements for a complete PSP. Alas, in the absence of such desirable data, the process depicted here is the next best alternative solution to the identification of PSP safety requirements.
Figure 6.
Derivation of System Level Safety Requirements for a PSP
It is also customary to initiate safety activities at the outset of a project or programme through conducting high-level hazard studies. The preliminary hazard studies that lead to an understanding of the potential system hazards are referred to as PHA. These often employ a system representation in the form of rich-picture or Process & Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) and lead to the identification and capture of hazardous states arising from system composition, placement or the environment since at this stage, not much is known about the total system functionality or design. The PHA is then followed by IHA/OHA/SHA/SSHA at later stages of the life cycle as the design and development, integration and construction progresses.
The relationship between safety studies and the life-cycle phases is depicted in Table 2.
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tItem\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tLC Phase\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tPrincipal Safety Activity\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
1
\n\t\t\t
Concept definition
\n\t\t\t
⋅ Hazid of system concept representations ⋅ Hazid of system composition, topology, placement, interfaces & Comms ⋅ Verify against industry hazards ⋅ Verify against ref system hazards ⋅ Conduct PHA ⋅ Establish hazard log and capture all identified system level hazards
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
2
\n\t\t\t
Detailed definition and operational context
\n\t\t\t
⋅ Evaluate past experience data for safety ⋅ Establish safety plan (overall) ⋅ Hazop of Ops Scenarios ⋅ Specify system functions and tag the safety related functions ⋅ Identify safety protection functions ⋅ Conduct SHA and develop core hazards ⋅ Conduct IHA &SSHA on the Comms and sub-systems ⋅ Hazard log capture
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
3
\n\t\t\t
Risk analysis and evaluation
\n\t\t\t
⋅ Determine the risk acceptance principles and criteria ⋅ Perform system risk analysis based on core hazards ⋅ Perform risk evaluation ⋅ Determine THRs ⋅ Hazard log capture and update
⋅ Specify top-level system safety requirements ⋅ Define safety acceptance criteria for the system ⋅ Define safety-related functional requirements ⋅ Determine SIL for safety functions ⋅ Establish safety validation plan ⋅ Hazard log capture and update
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
5
\n\t\t\t
Architecture and apportionment
\n\t\t\t
⋅ Apportion system safety targets & requirements ⋅ Specify sub-system and component safety requirements ⋅ Allocate safety functions to sub-systems ⋅ Define sub-system and component safety acceptance criteria ⋅ Update safety plan and safety validation plan ⋅ Hazard log capture and update
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
6
\n\t\t\t
Design and implementation
\n\t\t\t
⋅ Implement safety plan by review, analysis, testing and data assessment ⋅ Implement safety functions in line with relevant SIL guidelines in reference standards ⋅ Ensure hazard control and risk mitigation solutions are designed in ⋅ Justify safety-related design decisions ⋅ Undertake project control covering: ⋅ Safety management ⋅ Control of sub-contractors and suppliers ⋅ Develop test scripts ⋅ Prepare generic product safety case ⋅ Hazard log update with all hazard control options implemented
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
7
\n\t\t\t
Manufacture/production
\n\t\t\t
⋅ Implement safety plan for production activities ⋅ Hazard log update
⋅ Implement commissioning programme ⋅ Implement validation plan ⋅ Conduct Safety Validation tests, analysis ⋅ Prepare specific application safety case ⋅ Seek safety approvals ⋅ Hazard log update with test results, new hazards
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
10
\n\t\t\t
Acceptance
\n\t\t\t
⋅ Assess specific application safety case ⋅ Detail all safety-related application conditions (SRACS) in the O&M Manuals ⋅ Close out all hazard-related actions ⋅ Ensure operational readiness ⋅ Hazard log update and handover
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
11
\n\t\t\t
Operation and Maintenance& Performance Monitoring
\n\t\t\t
⋅ Undertake on-going safety centred maintenance ⋅ Assess the safety impact of any system upgrades and conduct risk analysis before implementation ⋅ Perform on going safety performance monitoring and hazard log maintenance ⋅ Implement SRACs ⋅ Collect, analyse, evaluate and use performance & safety statistics ⋅ Capture any emerging hazards in the hazard log
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
12
\n\t\t\t
Decommissioning
\n\t\t\t
⋅ Establish Decommissioning Safety Plan (DSP) ⋅ Perform hazard analysis and risk assessment for decommissioning activities ⋅ Implement DSP
\n\t\t
\n\t
Table 2.
LC Phase-related Principal Safety Activities
In principle, safety requirements of a composite system comprise functional and non-functional categories. The automation and control systems generally deliver algorithmic safety functions hence largely satisfy functional safety requirements (FSaR) even though any product, system, process/service may additionally have non-functional requirements that affect its safety performance.
The FSaR category is depicted in the class definition in Table 3.
⋅ Is a positive statement of desirable safe performance to be achieved ⋅ Relates to ensuring the control or supervision of an undesirable system hazard to be avoided ⋅ Relates to a user/environment/operational need ⋅ Can be classed as Mandatory or Desirable ⋅ All Mandatory FSaRs shall be met by the design ⋅ Has a hierarchy from function to HW, SW and PW \n\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Operations
\n\t\t\t
⋅ FSaRs translate into real algorithmic action/activity that has to be performed by SW, HW, PW or System ⋅ Has direct control/protection/supervisory role in system ⋅ Has varying risk control/protection capability ⋅ Has different levels of confidence defined by SIL ⋅ Satisfies one or more classes of Stakeholders ⋅ Is traceable to system level requirements (SLR and SLSR) ⋅ Has to be specified in a specific level of safety attainment to reduce costs of implementation
\n\t\t
\n\t
Table 3.
Functional Safety Requirements Class
The non-functional category largely relate to operating and environmental conditions, health and safety issues, materials, packaging and manufacturing aspects of a PSP and are not treated in this guidance. The non-functional safety requirements (NFSaR) are depicted in the class definition in Table 4.
Is a positive statement of desirable safety feature, e.g. electrical, EMC immunity etc. Relates to a user/environment/operational need Can be classed as Mandatory or Desirable All Mandatory NFSaRs shall be met
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Operations
\n\t\t\t
NFSaRs translate into features that need to be realised Has varying risk control/mitigation capability Satisfies one or more classes of Stakeholders Is traceable to system level requirements (SLR and SLSR) Influences environmental, safety, health and welfare, materials, packaging and manufacturing aspects
\n\t\t
\n\t
Table 4.
Non-Functional Safety Requirements Class
It is also important to note that the apparent overlap between various hazard studies from PHA to SHA is matters of perspective and detail. What is identified at PHA is largely very high level and coarse issues akin to core hazard concept developed in the UK system level study and later adopted by ETCS, the European Train Control System. The more detailed hazards identified at the system and sub-system level often fit within these Core Hazard categories hence no repetition of the effort or waste of energies should occur in subsequent hazard studies.
5. System Level Safety Study–UK National Railways
To this date and since the initial publication of the CENELEC TR-50451 [3] initially published as R009-004 in 1999, only one system level study of the whole railway infrastructure and operations has been conducted in the United Kingdom, largely designed and implemented by the author and the supporting team at Railtrack plc in 1996.
The so-called risk profiling of UK Railways attempted to study the whole railway system from the view point of safety risks posed to three key groups, namely:
The Passengers,
The Workers and Employees,
The General Public and the railway Neighbours.
This national level study was scoped at the level of the whole UK national railway system and after three years resulted in identification, verification and publication of three hazard logs relating to the three groups studied and an integrated quantified safety and environmental risk model.
The idea of core hazard was devised to classify and group hazards with similar root, causation or synergy into larger classes and avoid dealing with many tens of detailed issues identified in the course of the national level study. The core hazards and the detailed hazards are the basis of determining the system level safety requirements (SLSR) for the entire railway. However, since the hazards and the requirements are system level properties that are heavily influenced by the national culture, it is not possible or indeed could be misleading to adopt the SLSR safety requirements from another country. In reality, each nation state needs to conduct their own studies to arrive at a current and culture sensitive nature of the safety risks of their national railways to the population.
The risk profiling of Railways project employed a detailed scenario-based scrutiny of the exposure of each group of people to the operational and infrastructure hazards of the national railway. The scenarios were themed around a ‘Day in the Life of...’ each group and took three years to complete. The hazards identified through the study were verified against a number of sources by a number of independent engineering safety consultancy organisations. After verification and checks for coverage and completeness, the identified hazards were modelled employing a systematic framework comprising causal, consequence and loss evaluation stages [4] in order to establish the risks and strive towards generating a safety risk profile for the national railways. The outcome was the first total railway system level integrated risk model that was capable of being employed to assess the impact of various changes, technologies and innovations on the safety performance of the national level railway or aspects of it. It also generated THRs for all the published groups of hazards for use in the supply chain. This study influenced TR-50451 [3] and the approach to collaboration in railway safety.
In principle, a national level railway Hazard Portfolio for each of the three affected groups, followed by determination of the risk tolerability level for the occurrence of these hazards is the only systematic approach to understanding system level safety issues and apportioning these products, systems and processes/services in a traceable, realistic and meaningful manner.
5.1. Passengers group
The national level safety study of the passenger group was planned and conducted over a number of workshops with diverse participants from many of the stakeholder groups. A series of pictographics and photos were taken and composed into ‘A Day in the Life of a Railway Passenger’ that covered most credible scenarios that a typical passenger would interact with the railways. This comprised entering a railway station, using the facilities, going to a platform, boarding a train, travelling, reaching their destination, alighting and eventually leaving the railway premises. The rich-picture representations were employed as the backdrop to a creative Hazop style process to identify all deviations from the normal behaviour that could result in a hazardous state to which a passenger was exposed to.
By the end of the national level workshops, 101 hazards had been identified [5] for the passenger group taking into account variations in age, conditions and luggage handling. The identified hazards were shared with the participants for offline verification and completeness checks. Through a further review, all hazards with common causality or synergy were grouped as a cluster under a core hazard. For the passenger group, each core hazard was tagged with a H for Hazard, P for Passenger and a unique number that represents the relative proximity of the hazard to an accident scenario. The core hazards for the passenger group, relating to the exposure scenarios throughout a railway journey are depicted as follows.
5.1.1. Core Hazard: HP500 – Abnormal or Criminal Behaviour
The HP500 addresses the range of abnormal and criminal behaviours that are known to take place within the railway infrastructure. This does not, however, address abnormal working practices of railway personnel, with the exception of train drivers and senior conductors. This cluster comprises a number of lower level hazards that were identified at the stakeholder workshops, namely
HP425 Irresponsible behaviour
HP426 Destructive behaviour (all forms)
HP427 Crossing line at station
5.1.2. Core Hazard: HP502 – Crowding
The causal model for HP502 represents the range of factors that potentially could cause a crowding situation to arise (e.g. a special event causing an increase in passengers, or an incident causing panic amongst an otherwise manageable number of passengers).
The consequence model for HP502 represents the development of a crowding situation to a level at which injuries or loss of balance (see HP506) could occur. This hazard cluster comprises:
HP502 Crowding
5.1.3. Core Hazard: HP503—Loss of Passenger Compartment Integrity During Movement
The scope of this core hazard includes the following:
Doors opened early on stopping slam shut or CDL trains, potentially resulting in passengers and workers on the train falling out of the train or passengers and workers on the station platform being struck by open doors.
Slam shut or CDL trains departing with a door open, potentially resulting in passengers and workers on the station platform being struck by the open door or the open door being struck by a passing train.
Doors opened during train movement, potentially resulting in passengers or workers falling out of the train.
Doors on the wrong side of the platform unlocked (on trains with sliding or CDL doors) or opened (on trains with slam shut doors), potentially leading to passengers or workers getting off the train on the wrong side, or falling out of the train onto the track. Also included here are incidents where doors which are on the same side of the train as the platform but which are not adjacent to the platform (e.g. when a train is longer than the platform) are unlocked or opened and passenger or worker leaves or falls out of the train.
Train carriage decoupling during movement, potentially leading to passengers or workers falling off the train.
Doors failing to open at a station are included within this core hazard in the causal analysis for consistency with earlier work but consequence barriers are not modelled as it is considered that there are no safety implications within the scope of this core hazard associated with doors failing to open. Train doors are barriers to consequence escalation for other core hazards, for example HP507 ‘Onset of fire/explosion’, but failure of train doors to open does not in itself present a hazard. This cluster comprises:
HP503 Loss of passenger compartment integrity during movement
5.1.4. Core Hazard: HP504—Passengers in Path of Closing Train Doors
This hazard encompasses ‘passenger in path of closing train door’ (HP504) and ‘worker in path of closing train’ (HW503). The scope of this core hazard includes
Passenger or worker hit by closing door.
Passenger or worker caught in door of stationary train, potentially leading to the train moving off, dragging the person along the platform.
Passenger or worker trying to board a moving train, potentially leading to apparel being caught on the door and dragged along the platform or opening the door then falling and being hit by the door or caught up in the door.
The cluster comprises;
HP504HP504 passenger/apparel in path of closing train door
5.1.5. Core Hazard: HP506—Loss of Balance
We have excluded from this core hazard falls to trespassers and falls occurring on level crossings. The scope of passengers has been enlarged to include all persons in a railway station. We also excluded a few falls that were suicide attempts, but included some where there was no clear determination. We have excluded passengers falling as a result of trying to enter or leave the train, while it is still moving. This cluster comprises
HP413 Loss of balance on the ground
HP414 Loss of balance on stairs and escalators
HP415 Loss of balance getting on and off trains
HP416 Loss of balance whilst in a train
5.1.6. Core Hazard: HP509—Inappropriate Separation between Running Railways and Passengers
The HP509 Core Hazard for inappropriate separation between running rail and passengers has been developed to include those situations where the distance between the running rail and people is not sufficient to ensure the safety of passengers.
This core hazard does not include Core Hazard HN501 failure of level crossing to protect the public from passing trains. This model also does not include incidents of inappropriate separation between running rail and passengers resulting from suicide. Finally, this model does not include incidents of inappropriate separation between running rail and people caused by derailment. This cluster comprises:
HP509Inappropriate separation between rail & passengers
5.1.7. Core Hazard: HP510—Inappropriate Separation between Un-insulated Live Conductors and Passengers
The scope of ‘Inappropriate separation between un-insulated live conductors and passengers’ includes the following:
HP417 Occurrence of DC power arc
HP418 Existence of touch potential
HP419 Inappropriate separation from DC conductor rail
HP420 Structure in contact with live conductor rail
HP421 Inappropriate separation from OHL
HP422 Structure in contact with OHL
HP423 Occurrence of AC power arc
HP424 Inappropriate separation from OHL induced voltage
5.1.8. Core Hazard: HP512—Passenger Protruding Beyond Train Gauge During Movement
Core Hazards HP512, passenger protruding beyond train gauge during movement, have been developed to include all situations in which a person is protruding outside the gauge of a moving train.
The model excludes incidents resulting from suicide or attempted suicide— these are assumed to be covered under HP500 Abnormal or Criminal Behaviour. The cluster comprises
HP512 Passenger protruding beyond train gauge
5.1.9. Core Hazard: HP513—Unsecured Objects at Height
This core hazard falls within the generic grouping of ‘Objects Falling from Height’ affecting passengers (HP513) which includes the following:
Objects falling from height within stations (HP513, HP512) as a result of degradation (e.g. falling glass) or maintenance or construction work.
Objects thrown at trains (HP513, HW512).
Falling luggage stored at height on trains and falling train furniture (HP513).
Dropped crane loads (HW512).
The cluster comprises
HP513 Unsecured objects falling from height
5.1.10. Core Hazard: HP515—Inappropriate Separation between Passengers and Moving Vehicle (Other Than Rail Vehicle)
The scope of this core hazard is concerned with inappropriate separation between passengers (HP515) and moving vehicles (not rail vehicles). This encompasses the following:
Accidents involving road vehicles in collision with pedestrians, other vehicles or structures in the vicinity of stations and work sites (including workers at level crossings in local control mode).
Accidents involving non-road motorised vehicles, push trolleys and catering trolleys.
Accidents involving overturned machinery and inadequate control of wheel set movements.
The cluster comprises:
HP515 inappropriate separation between passenger and moving vehicle (non-rail)
5.1.11. Core Hazard: HP516— Handling Heavy Loads
The hazard is defined to assume some error had occurred in handling a heavy load since otherwise the estimated number of incidents would be so high to be meaningless as a hazard. Various scenarios were identified, including strain injuries from carrying and lifting luggage, luggage falling on to other passengers usually inside trains and cases of luggage falling down escalators and stairs.
The cluster comprises:
HP516 Error in handling heavy load
5.1.12. Core Hazard: HP517—Incompatibility of Train and Structure Gauge
The HP517 (incompatibility of train and structure gauge) have been developed to include those situations where the clearances between trains and infrastructure have been compromised. This hazard includes events where the train or its load extend beyond the specified gauge due to errors in loading, equipment failures or damage; movement errors leading to the train going onto the wrong route; track defects/misalignment; failures or damage leading to civil structures compromising the clearance. This core hazard does not consider events which have resulted in objects on the line (HP511), railway construction/ maintenance works, unsound structures (HP514) or unsecured objects at height (HP513). The cluster comprises
HP517 incompatibility of train and structure gauge
5.1.13. Core Hazard: HP600—Abnormal Deceleration
The risk model for HP600 ‘Abnormal deceleration’ has been developed to strictly model only those instances of a train’s slowing sharply when not actually as a part of a derailment or collision scenario. The consequences of the abnormal deceleration part of derailment and collision scenarios are assumed to be included in the loss estimation for those events. The cluster comprises
HP600 Abnormal Deceleration (super-set of HP518 &HW516)
5.1.14. Core Hazard: HP601—Uncontrolled Approach to Buffer
In the causal model, malicious or reckless behaviour on the part of the driver of the relevant train has been assumed to have been included in the data for ‘Driver error’. The causal model has been populated using the SMIS database and data from Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports.
The consequences of this hazard have been taken forward only to the point of the accident’s occurring, that beyond is assumed to be calculated by loss modelling. Therefore, the incidence of fire due to buffer-stop collision has not been separately developed in the consequence model. The consequences have been assumed to fall into three bands: collisions at speeds at or below that for which the buffers have been designed; collisions at speeds greater than that for which the buffers have been designed; and collisions with siding buffer-stops. The effects of TPWS and ATP have been ignored, as they were fitted in only a small minority of cases at the time. The consequence model has been populated using expert judgement. The cluster comprises
HP601 Uncontrolled approach to buffer (HP501 &HW501)
5.1.15. Core Hazard: HP602—Loss of Train Guidance (Passenger Trains)
The risk model for HP602 ‘Loss of train guidance (Passenger Train)’ has been developed to strictly model only those instances where a derailment actually occurs. The losses associated with this model include those occurring before the derailment due to abnormal deceleration, if there are any. However, where such deceleration avoids a derailment, the consequences are included in the ‘Abnormal Deceleration’ model. The cluster comprises
HP602 Loss of train guidance (Passenger Train) (HP412, HW409 &HN402)
5.1.16. Core Hazard: HP603—Loss of Train Guidance (Freight Trains)
The risk model for HP603 ‘Loss of train guidance (Freight Train)’ has been developed to strictly model only those instances where a derailment actually occurs. The losses associated with this model include those occurring before the derailment due to abnormal deceleration, if there are any. However, where such deceleration avoids a derailment, the consequences are included in the ‘Abnormal Deceleration’ model. The cluster comprises
HP603 Loss of train guidance (Freight Train) (HP411, HW408 &HN401)
5.1.17. Core Hazard: HP604—Objects/Animals on the Line
The risk model for HP604 ‘Objects/Animals on the line’ has been developed to model only the instances of animals or objects being on the running railway and having some effect thereon. There may be many instances of animals entering and leaving the railway having no effect at all and being entirely unnoticed. These scenarios are not modelled, neither are those in which other objects, such as litter, come to rest on the railway, but do not affect the system at all. Instances of objects and animals on the line causing fires are captured in the fire models and not within this model. This model also specifically excludes all causes and consequences arising from the Core Hazard HN501 ‘Crossing running railway at a Level Crossing’. The cluster comprises
HP604 Object/animals on line (HP511, HW510 &HN514)
5.1.18. Core Hazard: HP605—Inappropriate Separation between Trains
The risk model for HP605 ‘Inappropriate separation between trains’ has been developed to address only the scenarios in which the separation between trains, normally provided by the signalling system, has broken down. This hazard is defined such that there is no interface between it and the ‘Loss of Balance’ core hazards. The cluster comprises:
HP605 Inappropriate separation between trains (HP505, HW504, HN505)
5.1.19. Core Hazard: HP606—Onset of Fire/Explosion
Core Hazard HP507 onset of fire/explosion for passengers has been developed to include those situations where fire is a spontaneous event, however, the situations where fire is a secondary consequence of a train collision or derailment are excluded. Noxious fumes are included when the cause is fire related.
Consideration has been given to the interface of his Core Hazard with Core Hazard HP500 / HW500 / HN500 abnormal or criminal behaviour. The cluster comprises:
The HP514 Core Hazard for Unsound/Unsecured Structure has been developed to include those situations where structures are unstable creating a threat to passengers or neighbours. This core hazard shall not include instability of trains or the movement of materials on trains. Consideration has been given to the interface of this core hazard with the core hazards object on line and inappropriate separation between trains.
All structures going beyond the railway boundary are covered here and not in HP509, inappropriate separation between running rail and passenger.
Neither the causal nor the consequence models refer to situations where structures are unstable creating a threat to workers. This is a part of Core Hazard HW512 Unsecured Objects at Height and Core Hazard HW517 Collapsing Machinery/Materials/ Structures. The cluster comprises
HP404 Unsound/Unsecured Tree
HP405 Unsound/Unsecured Tunnel
HP406 Unsound/Unsecured Under-bridge / Culvert
HP407 Unsound/Unsecured over-bridge
HP408 Unsound/Unsecured Station
HP409 Unsound/Unsecured Signalling Structure
HP410 Unsound/Unsecured Electrification Structure
5.2. Workers Group
The national level safety study of the railway workers group was planned and conducted over a number of workshops with diverse participants from many of the stakeholder groups. A similar set of prompts and photos focused on this group were taken and composed into ‘A Day in the Life of a Railway Worker’ that covered most credible scenarios that employees/workers interact with the railways. This comprised planning, operating, station duties, maintenance and driving of trains. The pictorial scenarios were likewise employed as the backdrop to a creative Hazop style process to identify all circumstances where railway employees/workers were potentially exposed to hazardous states.
By the end of the national level workshops, 119 hazards had been identified [5] for the workers group. Through a further review, all hazards with common causality or synergy were grouped as a cluster under a core hazard. For the passenger group, each core hazard was tagged with a H for hazard, W for workers and a unique number that represents the relative proximity of the hazard to an accident scenario. The core hazards for the workers group, relating to the exposure scenarios are depicted as follows.
5.2.1. Core Hazard: HW500—Abnormal or Criminal Behaviour
The model developed for HW500 addresses the range of abnormal and criminal behaviours that are known to be performed within the railway infrastructure. They do not, however, address abnormal working practices of railway personnel, with the exception of train drivers and senior conductors. This was agreed with the experts at the start of the modelling process. The cluster comprises
HW426 Irresponsible behaviour
HW427 Destructive behaviour
HW428 Crossing line at station
5.2.2. Core Hazard: HW502—Loss of Passenger Compartment Integrity During Movement
The scope of this core hazard includes the following:
Doors opened early on stopping slam shut or CDL trains, potentially resulting in workers on the train falling out of the train or workers on the station platform being struck by open doors.
Slam shut or CDL trains departing with a door open, potentially resulting in workers on the station platform being struck by the open door or the open door being struck by a passing train.
Doors opened during train movement, potentially resulting in workers falling out of the train.
Doors on the wrong side of the platform unlocked (on trains with sliding or CDL doors) or opened (on trains with slam shut doors), potentially leading to workers getting off the train on the wrong side, or falling out of the train onto the track. Also included here are incidents where doors which are on the same side of the train as the platform but which are not adjacent to the platform (e.g. when a train is longer than the platform) are unlocked or opened and passenger or worker leaves or falls out of the train.
Train carriage decoupling during movement, potentially leading to workers falling off the train.
Doors failing to open at a station are included within this core hazard in the causal analysis for consistency with earlier work but consequence barriers are not modelled as it is considered that there are no safety implications within the scope of this core hazard associated with doors failing to open. Train doors are barriers to consequence escalation for other core hazards, for example HP507 ‘Onset of fire/explosion’, but failure of train doors to open does not in itself present a hazard.
The cluster comprises
HW502 Loss of passenger compartment integrity during movement
5.2.3. Core Hazard: HW503—Worker in Path of Closing Train Doors
This hazard encompasses workers in path of closing train (HW503). The scope of this core hazard includes
Worker hit by closing door.
Worker caught in door of stationary train, potentially leading to the train moving off, dragging the person along the platform.
Worker trying to board a moving train, potentially leading to apparel being caught on the door and dragged along the platform or opening the door then falling and being hit by the door or caught up in the door.
The cluster comprises
HW503 HW503 worker/apparel in path of closing train door
5.2.4. Core Hazard: HW505—Loss of Balance
We have excluded from this core hazard any falls occurring on level crossings, although works crossings were included. There is some overlap at the consequence side with HW508. We have included falls getting on and off trains by drivers and cleaning staff who often have to negotiate steps and gaps which would not be encountered by passengers. The cluster comprises
HW410 Loss of balance on the ground
HW411 Loss of balance on stairs and escalators
HW412 Loss of balance getting on and off trains
HW413 Loss of balance whilst in a train
HW414 Loss of balance when working at height
5.2.5. Core Hazard: HW508—Inappropriate Separation between Running Railways and Workers
The HW508 Core Hazard for inappropriate separation between running rail and workers has been developed to include those situations where the distance between the running rail and people is not sufficient to ensure the safety of workers.
This core hazard does not include Core Hazard HN501 failure of level crossing to protect the public from passing trains. This model also does not include incidents of inappropriate separation between running rail and workers resulting from suicides. Finally, this model does not include incidents of inappropriate separation between running rail and people caused by derailment. The cluster comprises
HW402 Red zone working
HW403 Green zone working
5.2.6. Core Hazard: HW509—Inappropriate Separation between Un-insulated Live Conductors and Workers
The scope of ‘Inappropriate separation between un-insulated live conductors and workers’ includes the following:
HW415 Occurrence of DC power arc
HW416 Existence of touch potential
HW417 Structure exposed to leakage current [DC]
HW418 Inappropriate separation from conductor rail
HW419 Structure in contact with live conductor rail
HW420 Inappropriate separation from OHL
HW421 Structure in contact with live OHL
HW422 Inappropriate separation from OHL induced voltage
HW423 Inappropriate separation from ground potential
HW424 Occurrence of AC power arc
HW425 Structure exposed to current leakage [AC]
5.2.7. Core Hazard: HW511—Worker Protruding Beyond Train Gauge During Movement
Core Hazard HW511, worker protruding beyond train gauge during movement, have been developed to include all situations in which a person is protruding outside the gauge of a moving train.
The model developed excludes incidents resulting from suicide or attempted suicide—these are assumed to be covered under HHW500 abnormal or criminal behaviour. The cluster comprises
HW511 Worker protruding beyond train gauge
5.2.8. Core Hazard: HW512—Unsecured Objects at Height
This core hazard falls within the generic grouping of ‘Objects Falling from Height’ affecting workers (HW512) that includes the following:
Objects falling from height within stations (HP513, HP512) as a result of degradation (e.g. falling glass) or maintenance or construction work.
Objects thrown at trains (HP513, HW512) or hung in front of trains (HW512).
Falling luggage stored at height on trains and falling train furniture (HP513, HW512).
Dropped crane loads (HW512).
Falling objects from the infrastructure (HW512, HN512).
The cluster comprises:
HW512 Unsecured objects at height
5.2.9. Core Hazard: HW513—Inappropriate Separation between Workers and Moving Vehicle (Other Than Rail Vehicle)
The scope of this core hazard is concerned with inappropriate separation between the workers (HW513) and moving vehicles (not rail vehicles). This encompasses the following:
Accidents involving road vehicles in collision with pedestrians, other vehicles or structures in the vicinity of stations and work sites (including workers at level crossings in local control mode).
Accidents involving non-road motorised vehicles, push trolleys and catering trolleys.
Accidents involving overturned machinery and inadequate control of wheel set movements.
The cluster comprises:
HW513 inappropriate separation between workers and vehicles
5.2.10. Core Hazard: HW514—Handling Heavy Loads
The core hazard was defined to assume some error had occurred in handling a heavy load since otherwise the estimated number of incidents could be so high to be meaningless as a hazard. We scoped the hazard to cover manual handling of loads, including unloading from vehicles.
We did not formulate a definition of a heavy load as a specific weight but considered any incident where the handling of a load caused some loss and where the weight of the load was a factor. We followed the general approach of HP516 of dividing the hazard into problems with lifting, carrying or stacking a load. The cluster comprises
HW514 Improper manual handling of heavy load
5.2.11. Core Hazard: HW517—Unsound/Unsecured Machinery/Materials or Structures
The scope of this core hazard includes the following:
Crane and rail crane collapse potentially leading to a worker being crushed.
Collapse of stacked materials potentially leading to a worker being crushed.
Inadequate protection for working at height potentially leading to a worker falling whilst working at height.
Misuse or inadequate maintenance of tools causing worker injury.
5.2.12. Core Hazard: HW518—Work in Confined Spaces
We kept the scope of this hazard quite large to include events where workers are in spaces such as offices and drivers in cabs and are exposed to hazards such as fumes from batteries. There is probably some overlap with core hazard area HW512 in the consequences relating to workers in a confined space being affected by toxic or hazardous fumes. We have excluded shunting incidents since these are being dealt with under Core Hazard area HW508.
The cluster comprises:
HW518 Work taking place in confined space
5.2.13. Core Hazard: HW519—Contaminated Water and/or Land
The core hazards for contaminated water and/or land for workers and neighbourhood (HW519 and HN502, respectively) have been defined as the release of harmful substances likely to cause contamination of the environment. This allows the consideration of detection, mitigation and remediation barriers in the consequence domain. The release of toxic gases likely to cause harm to workers or neighbours has also been considered under this core hazard.
This core hazard considers harm to workers or neighbours as a result of coming into contact with land, water or air contaminated with harmful substances, rather than coming into contact with the harmful substances themselves although the toxicology is similar, the frequency and dispersion will differ. Core Hazard HW521, workers in proximity to harmful substances covers the case where water or land contamination is not an issue.
The cluster comprises:
HW519 Release of hazardous substances
5.2.14. Core Hazard: HW520—Inappropriate Working Methods/Environment
The scope of this hazard was defined to include most ‘occupational’ accidents where typically a single worker is affected. We also included the case of crane loads and other mechanical equipment fouling trains passing nearby as this was always due to operator error. Any particular scenario where an inappropriate working method was applied to result in an incident which was also covered by another core hazard was excluded. For example, if an inappropriate lifting technique was applied to a task involving a heavy object, we did not consider this part of this core hazard but dealt with it under HW514.
The cluster comprises
HW520 Inappropriate working methods/environment
5.2.15. Core Hazard: HW521—Workers in Proximity to Harmful Substances
The Core Hazards Workers in Proximity to Harmful Substances (HW521) have been defined as the hazard presented to workers when in proximity to uncontrolled harmful substances. This includes those harmful substances carried by the railway (dangerous goods) as well as harmful substances routinely used in the running and maintenance of the railway (fuel oils, caustics, etc.). It does not include substances which are harmful only due to their physical state, for example boiling water or hot food, or indeed, railway food in general.
The case where workers come into proximity to harmful substances through contaminated water or land is not considered in this report as that case is covered under Core Hazard HW519 contaminated water and/or land. The cluster comprises
HW521 Workers in proximity to harmful substances
5.2.16. Core Hazard: HW522—Road Vehicle Accidents
Core Hazard HW522, road vehicle accidents covers accidents to workers in road vehicles whilst on railway business, but on the public highway. The model excludes incidents on Railtrack property and controlled infrastructure—these are covered under Core Hazards HW513/HP515 inappropriate separation between workers/passengers and Moving Vehicle (other than Rail Vehicle).The cluster comprises:
HW522 Road Vehicle Accident
5.2.17. Core Hazard: HW523—Objects Thrown or Falling from Train
The core hazard considered in this report considers the impact on workers of ‘Objects Thrown or Falling from Train’. The impact on neighbours of objects thrown or falling from trains is included in the work scope for HN511 and is not included in the scope of work reported here. The work scope for HW523 includes the following:
Objects deliberately thrown from trains.
Objects falling off trains, for example shattered brake disk.
Loads falling from freight trains, including ballast.
The cluster comprises:
HW523 Object thrown or falls from train
5.3. Neighbours group
The national level safety study of the railway neighbours group was planned and conducted over a number of workshops with diverse participants from many of the stakeholder groups. Neighbours are those who live within proximity of the railway environment and cross the line at level crossings. A similar set of prompts and photos focused on this group were taken and composed into ‘A Day in the Life of a Railway Neighbour’ that covered most credible scenarios that neighbours of the railways get exposed to generally involuntarily. The pictorial scenarios were employed as the backdrop to a creative Hazop style process to identify all circumstances where railway neighbours were potentially exposed to hazardous states.
By the end of the national level workshops, 64 hazards had been identified [5] for the neighbours group. In a similar manner, Core Hazards were developed for the neighbour group; each Core Hazard was tagged with a H for Hazard, N for Neighbour and a unique number that represents the relative proximity of the hazard to an accident scenario. The core hazards for the neighbour group, relating to the exposure scenarios are depicted as follows.
5.3.1. Core Hazard: HN500—Abnormal or Criminal Behaviour
The models for HP500, HW500 and HN500 address the range of abnormal and criminal behaviours that are known to be performed within the railway infrastructure. They do not, however, address abnormal working practices of railway personnel, with the exception of train drivers and senior conductors. This was agreed between Human Engineering and Railtrack at the start of the modelling process. The cluster comprises
HN416 Suicide attempt
HN417 Trespass
HN418 Abnormal behaviour at special events
5.3.2. Core Hazard: HN501—Crossing Running Railway at Level Crossing
Core Hazard HN501, crossing running railway at a level crossing, has been developed to include all situations in which a user (i.e. a Neighbour) is present on a level crossing without the intended degree of protection from trains. This may arise from intentional or inadvertent misuse of the crossing by the neighbour as well as from failures and errors in railway equipment and procedures.
The definition excludes situations in which harm may arise when using a level crossing as intended, for example if a user falls and injures themselves on a crossing but is still able to cross within the design time limit. Such occurrences are assumed to be subsumed within Core Hazard HN506, loss of balance.
The model excludes incidents at level crossings resulting from suicide or attempted suicide—these are assumed to be covered under HN500 abnormal or criminal behaviour
The model is limited to neighbour hazards and thus does not consider hazards at worker crossings provided within stations, depots, sidings etc. Un-authorised neighbour use of such crossings should be regarded as abnormal or criminal behaviour (HN500), being a form of trespass. (Unauthorised passenger use is covered in Core Hazards HP509 inappropriate separation between running railway and workers/ passengers.)
It should be noted that HN509, inappropriate separation between running railway and neighbourhood, did not consider level crossing hazards. HN501 and HN509 are thus taken to be mutually exclusive.). The cluster comprises
HN480 crossing running railway at a manual level crossing
HN481 crossing running railway at an automatic level crossing
HN482 crossing running railway at user worked level crossing
HN484 crossing running railway at a level crossing
5.3.3. Core Hazard: HN502—Contaminated Water and/or Land
The core hazards for contaminated water and/or land for neighbours have been defined as the release of harmful substances likely to cause contamination of the environment. This allows the consideration of detection, mitigation and remediation barriers in the consequence domain. The release of toxic gases likely to cause harm to workers or neighbours has also been considered under this core hazard.
This core hazard considers harm to workers or neighbours as a result of coming into contact with land, water or air contaminated with harmful substances, rather than coming into contact with the harmful substances themselves—although the toxicology is similar, the frequency and dispersion will differ. The cluster comprises
HN502 Contaminated Water and/or Land
5.3.4. Core Hazard: HN503—Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) Caused to by Railway Operations
EMI caused by railway operations to businesses, general public, adjacent buildings, hospitals, HN503 has been developed to include those situations where EMI from the infrastructure or rolling stock could affect the safety of neighbours directly. This core hazard does not include EMI caused by infrastructure or rolling stock to signalling and track circuits, or interference between the rolling stock and infrastructure. Such interference could be considered part of the base event frequencies for other core hazards. Interference caused by radio systems is not explicitly examined, it is considered to be subsumed into the frequencies of the initiating events identified and would be subject to the same design controls and regulations. In addition, this core hazard does not consider the effects of earth leakage currents causing corrosion of steel pipelines or structures. Thus issues such as HN30 (corrosion of structures from dc rail systems) are covered under HN510. That core hazard also covers the possibility of electrocution due to inductive pickup in cables running adjacent to the AC electrified lines. The cluster comprises
HN503 EMI impact on neighbourhood
5.3.5. Core Hazard: HN504—Impact from Railway Construction/Maintenance Works
The scope of ‘impact from railway construction and maintenance works’ includes the following:
Inappropriate construction and maintenance practices’ not included under other core hazards
Dumping heavy loads onto roads, buildings and property of neighbours
Release of flammable materials (other than gas mains) and damage to electrical cabling and gas mains
The cluster comprises
HN504 Impact from railway construction/maintenance works
5.3.6. Core Hazard: HN506—Loss of Balance
We have excluded from this core hazard falls to trespassers and falls occurring on level crossings. As all persons on stations are regarded as passengers for the purpose of this project, the relevant neighbours for this core hazard are basically those persons using footpaths and footbridges which form part of the railway infrastructure. Footpaths alongside public roads are part of the public highway and are excluded. The cluster comprises
HN403 Loss of balance on the ground
HN404 Loss of balance on stairs
5.3.7. Core Hazard: HN509—Inappropriate Separation between Running Railway and Neighbourhood
The HN509 Core Hazard for inappropriate separation between running rail and neighbours have been developed to include those situations where the distance between the running rail and people is not sufficient to ensure the safety of passengers, workers or neighbourhood.
This core hazard does not include Core Hazard HN501 failure of level crossing to protect the public from passing trains. This model also does not include incidents of inappropriate separation between running rail and neighbourhood resulting from suicide. Finally, this model does not include incidents of inappropriate separation between running rail and people caused by Derailment. The cluster comprises
HN509 Inappropriate separation between rail &neighbours
5.3.8. Core Hazard: HN510—Inappropriate Separation between Un-insulated Live Conductors and the Public
The scope of ‘inappropriate separation between un-insulated live conductors and the public’ includes the following:
HN405 Occurrence of DC power arc
HN406 Existence of touch potential
HN407 Structure exposed to leakage current [DC]
HN408 Inappropriate separation from DC conductor rail
HN409 Structure in contact with live conductor rail
HN410 Inappropriate separation from OHL live conductor
HN411 Structure in contact with live OHL
HN412 Inappropriate separation from OHL induced voltage
HN413 Inappropriate separation from ground potential
HN414 Occurrence of AC power arc
HN415 Structure exposed to leakage current [AC]
5.3.9. Core Hazard: HN511—Flying Debris from Moving Train and Objects Falling from Trains
HN511 Core Hazard for flying debris from moving trains and objects falling from trains has been developed to include those situations where parts of the train and objects carried on the train are separated from the moving train and are a potential hazard to neighbours.
This core hazard does not include things falling from bridges into the surrounding neighbourhood. These incidents are covered in the Core Hazard HN512 unsecured objects at height.
Neither the causal nor the consequence models refer to situations where parts of the train and objects carried on the train are separated from the moving train and are a potential hazard to passengers or workers. The cluster comprises
HN511 Flying debris / objects falling from trains
5.3.10. Core Hazard: HN512—Unsecured Objects at Height
This core hazard falls within the generic grouping of ‘Objects Falling from Height’ affecting neighbours (HN512) which includes the following:
Objects falling from height within stations (HP513, HP512) as a result of degradation (e.g. falling glass) or maintenance or construction work.
Objects thrown at trains (HP513, HW512) or hung in front of trains (HW512).
Falling luggage stored at height on trains and falling train furniture (HP513, HW512).
Dropped crane loads (HW512).
Falling objects from the infrastructure (HW512, HN512).
The cluster comprises
HN512 Unsecured objects falling from height
6. System Level Security Issues
The transportation network constitutes the artery of economic activity and growth in modern economies. Whilst challenged by telecommunications and internet technologies, the movement of goods and people is still an indispensable aspect of social and economic life contributing around one tenth of the GDP in the developed world
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
. It is not surprising therefore to find transportation on the social and political agenda and any faults, failures and consequent accident, being given a high degree of publicity and exposure. Traditionally, the key mantra in transportation has been safety followed by reliability, punctuality, cost, journey time and quality of travel. This has held true so far for the most modes of transport until recently when malicious intent with the aim of disrupting the network, victimising its customers and inflicting large economic losses has added a new ingredient to the traditional concerns of the industry. The malicious intent broadly falls into the following categories:
Antisocial Behaviour and Vandalism
IP Espionage/Violations
Theft, Extortion, and Fraud
Robberies, Assaults
Sabotage
Terrorism and CBRN Attacks
Whilst vandalism is of limited consequence and often related to adventure seeking youth, the other categories of concern specifically terrorism pose a largely new sinister development often beyond the powers of transportation authorities to predict, prevent or contain. This is where the power of scientific structured approaches and methodologies principally applied in safety engineering can be exploited to render assurance in transportation security in road, rail, shipping and aviation transport hubs.
The proficient assessment, control and mitigation of safety and security risks demand a systematic and objective approach to understanding and proactive management of response processes. However, the traditional focus of security relating to the physical infrastructure and systems is now extended to cyber systems in view of the extensive deployment of modern communications and computing in the railways. A systematic approach to system level security should consider physical and cyber threats and vulnerabilities to assure adequate security throughout the life cycle of the product, process, system or undertaking.
Many facets of a system’s performance are inter-related and overall optimisation requires a reasonable insight into the desirable system properties and performance profile. This is equally applicable to the transportation and railways where the provision of service is nowadays taking place within a commercial and cost/performance conscious environment.
Adoption of a systemic and numerate approach to safety and security assurance within an integrated systems framework yields a more inclusive understanding of key facets of performance and the inevitable trade-offs between cost, reliability, quality, safety, security and capacity, journey time/punctuality in the railway context. It also generates rational criteria in support of decision making thus reducing the dependency upon opinion-based subjectivity, lengthy processes and less-informed costly choices. The enhanced objectivity and transparency would result in streamlined decision making and more efficient/responsive processes thus saving time and cost and fostering progress. Additionally, it generates major economic benefits by arriving at a right solution first time. In short, a more objective and numerate approach could help to avoid the subjectivity which be-devils much of the current approach to safety and security management.
Finally, an integrated approach to safety and security assurance that is based on a generic accident model is intuitively more pertinent than one based on anecdotal observation and view of available technologies. It rebalances focus on risks that arise during design, installation, operation, maintenance and retrofitting. It cuts across organisational boundaries, roles, responsibilities and requisite competences that, in the system life-cycle approach, tend to be overlooked thus constraining our perception of risks.
In view of the increasing concerns over security of the transportation systems, the advanced processes and methodologies principally developed and applied in safety critical industries such as nuclear, transportation, oil and gas industries should be extended to the prognosis of transportation vulnerabilities to malicious intent
UITP-UIC Press Release June 2004
. The new framework is intended to principally harness the significant overlaps between safety and security landscape to offer:
Systematic and scientific study of transportation networks with a view to identify vulnerabilities to malicious intent in a multi-modal environment whilst also identifying safety and environmental issues.
Assessment of the risks associated with significant hazards, vulnerabilities or threats.
Identification of principal elimination, control and mitigation measures.
Cost-benefit studies to provide technical, procedural and organisational risk elimination/control/mitigation measures with highest potential impact.
Transportation threat/vulnerability log to keep key stakeholders informed and engaged in the overall assurance process.
Transportation surety cases to capture the system, safety and security issues (hazards, threats and vulnerabilities), control and mitigation measures and the rationale for the continued vigilance and continual improvement.
Safety and security (Surety) management systems to provide a framework for continued control and fulfilment of the obligations by the duty holders.
The key benefits will accrue from a structured and cost-effective and high-performance approach to the integrated safety and security assurance of products, systems and services hence surety. In view of the generic nature of the process, these capabilities can be extended to provide the integrated services beyond transportation.
Integrated framework for assurance of safety and security is highly pertinent to the emerging profile of the railways in that, whilst safety is subject to an impressive record of improvement, security is a largely unknown and poses the bigger challenge in the overall assurance landscape.
The risk profiling of the national railways depicted in Section 5 did not take security threats and system level vulnerabilities into account. This was largely driven by the concerns over network safety at the time and lack of immediate security threats to the railways. Ever-since, railways and mass transit systems in the European mainland and indeed in Asia have been targets of attacks and terrorism highlighting the need for a consistent, comprehensive and effective approach to security assurance alongside that of safety.
7. Safety Roles and Competences
The safety performance of the various transportation modes is on the steady improvement largely driven by better regulation, improved deployment of communications and computing technologies in spite of rising speeds and passenger numbers. Many countries in North West Europe outperform the European average for passenger and workforce fatalities with Denmark, United Kingdom and Netherlands in the top three best performing countries that have performance an order of magnitude below the European average.
The European Railway Agency (ERA) has published indicative statistics on the relative safety of various transportation modes that indicates railways are approaching aviation levels of safety on a normalised (per billion kilometre of passenger travel) basis (Table 5).
Relative Safety of Transportation Modes (Source ERA)
Taking the top level system’s constituents perspective as depicted in Figure 2, we postulate that whilst advancing technology has made significant contributions to the reliability and integrity of the automation and infrastructure, the human (people and process) aspects have lagged behind in the relative scale of improvement. The principal aspects relating to people’s influence on the safety performance relate to their competence and the collective values/behaviours referred to as safety culture. The rules, codes of practice and standards constitute the other key contributory facet of overall system safety framework. The desired improvements in rules and standards as well as understanding and improving collective safety culture are beyond the scope of the current discussion. Here, we concentrate on the systematic characterisation, evaluation, assessment and management of safety competences as a key aspect of the human dimension in safety performance.
7.1. Competence
The European Guide to good practice in knowledge management [6] defines competence as an appropriate blend of knowledge, experience and motivational factors that enables a person to perform a task successfully. In this context, competence is the ability to perform a task correctly, efficiently and consistently to a high quality, under varying conditions, to the satisfaction of the end client. This is a much more demanding portfolio of talents and capabilities than successful application of knowledge. So a competent person is much more than and knowledge worker [20]. Competency may also be attributed to a group or a team when a task is performed by more than one person in view of the multi-disciplinary nature, complexity or the scale. A competent person or team requires a number of requisite qualities and capabilities, namely
The domain knowledge empirical, scientific or a blend of both.
The experience of application (knowing what works) in different contexts and the requisite skills.
The drive, motivation to achieve the goals and strive for betterment/excellence as well as appropriate behaviours such as team work, leadership, compliance with professional codes etc.
The ability to adapt to changing circumstances and demands by creating new know-how.
The ability to perform the requisite tasks efficiently and minimise wastage of physical and virtual resources.
The ability to sense what is desired and consistently delivers a high quality to the satisfaction of the end client(s).
The right blend of these abilities renders a person or group of people (a team) competent in that they would achieve the desired outcomes consistently, efficiently, every time or more often than not satisfying or exceeding the expectations of the clients over varying circumstances. Such persons/groups will be recognised for their mastery of the discipline and not just considered a fount of relevant knowledge often characterised by qualifications. In this spirit, competence is the ability to generate success, satisfaction, value and excellence from the application of knowledge and knowhow.
The Business Dictionary [7] defines competence as a cluster of related abilities, commitments, knowledge and skills that enable a person (or an organisation) to act effectively in a job or situation. It further states that competence indicates sufficiency of knowledge and skills that enable someone to act in a wide variety of situations. Because each level of responsibility has its own requirements, competence can occur in any period of a person’s life or at any stage of his or her career. With reference to the legal profession, the dictionary defines competence as the capacity of a person to understand a situation and to act reasonably. The disputes regarding the competence of an individual are settled by a judge and not by a professional (such as a doctor or a psychiatrist) although the judge may seek expert opinion before delivering at a judgment.
In the context of UK’s Managing Health and Safety in Construction (CDM Regulations), [8] the HSE elaborates on the necessity for competence as follows.
To be competent an organisation or individual must have:
Sufficient knowledge of the tasks to be undertaken and the risks involved.
The experience and ability to carry out their duties in relation to the project, to recognise their limitations and take appropriate action to prevent harm to those carrying out construction work, or those affected by the work.
The HSE [9] further maintain that competence develops over time. Individuals develop their competence through a mix of initial training, on-the-job learning, instruction, assessment and formal qualification. In the early stages of training and experience, individuals should be closely supervised. As competence develops, the need for direct supervision should be reduced. If you are engaging a person or organisation to carry out construction work for you, then you need to make a reasonable judgement of their competence based on evidence. The evidence will usually be supplied to you by the person or organisation quoting or bidding for the work. There are many industry card schemes which can help in judging competence. However, the possession of a card by an individual is only one indication of competence. You are expected to make efforts to establish what qualifications and experience the cardholder has.
7.2. Recent Developments
The matters of competence and relevance of the deployed human resource to the requirements of mission and safety critical tasks have always been recognised but not been explicitly formalised until recently. The European Standard for Safety Critical Software [11] in the rail sector is potentially the first to recognise and formalise human competence requirements in the context of high-integrity software development for railway applications. The tables in Annex B of the standard have ten normative role specifications in the development of high-integrity software for safety applications, namely
B.1: Software Requirements Manager
B.2: Software Designer
B.3: Software Implementer
B.4: Software Tester
B.5: Software Verifier
B.6: Software Integrator
B.7: Software Validator
B.8: Software Assessor
B.9: Software Project Manager
B.10: Software Configuration Manager.
For each one of the above roles, a template based on the UML Class for the role is developed to describe the minimum essential competence requirements in terms of attributes (qualities) and operations (key activities and responsibilities) in the development and deployment of safety critical software. Whilst these appear simplistic and potentially inadequate, the significance of recognising and incorporating human characteristics in a traditional process only standard cannot be under-stated. In this respect, the competence requirements in the safety critical software standard are just a start and a foundation for more elaborations!
In principle, many of the normative software roles are generic and can be modified and applied to hardware, sub-system and system aspects. In a complex and safety critical project, it is beneficial if not necessary to adopt a systematic approach to characterising, assessing and managing competence in the key roles since as a minimum; these will be required for sub-system and system level software developers where a fair proportion of the change will originate from. To this end, a Competence Assessment and Management System is an essential aspect of a credible strategy within the context of a safety critical programme.
7.3. Competence Assessment and Management, a Systems Approach
Given the six facets of competence elaborated earlier under 7.1, the acquisition, assessment, development and management of competence poses a challenge beyond the traditional education and curriculum vitae. Whilst a blend of all six facets is a pre-requisite for competency and mastery in a given discipline, the significance of each is highly dependent on the context and requirements of a given domain. Whilst theoretical knowledge plays a more significant role in abstract scenarios, experience of application, adaptability and creativity may become more prominent in other domains. Whatever the domain, however, a systems framework for the evaluation, development and enhancement of competence is called for. This by necessity comprises two inter-dependent framework one focused on evaluation and assessment and the other on the management of competence.
7.3.1. Assessment of Competence
The competence assessment framework provides an integrated perspective on competence in a given context whilst additionally empowering the duty holders or the organisation to benchmark each aspect, measure, assess and where necessary take actions to enhance various elements in the framework. [20] This is illustrated in the Weighted Factors Analysis (WeFA) schema of Figure 7. The latter aspects of benchmarking, evaluating, assessing and potentially enhancing competence are inherent in the underpinning WeFA methodology [12] and not elaborated here. The Schema details are omitted and elaborated in the subsequent section.
Figure 7.
The Systemic Competence Assessment Framework
The determination, benchmarking, evaluation and quantified performance assessment of six drivers and three inhibitor Goals in the above WeFA schema is carried out as follows
7.3.1.1. Driver Goals
The requisite ‘domain knowledge and understanding’ in a given context as depicted in the driver Goal 1 (G1) is broadly supported by relevant industry’s skill/competence frameworks. There are a number of such frameworks in use largely within various engineering disciplines in the United Kingdom, for example OSCEng, [13] IRSE [14] and IET [15]. Given the poor state of attention to competence and systematic approaches to its recognition, evaluation and assessment internationally, United Kingdom appears amongst the leading proponents globally [16].
The composition and extent of ‘skill and relevant experience’ in a given context as depicted in the driver Goal 2 (G2) in the assessment framework is supported by subsequent decomposition of G2 into lower-level WeFA structures, the so-called Level 2 and Level 3 goals. This principally helps determine the driver and inhibitor goals for the higher-level goal, the domain experience.
The requisite ‘psycho-physical factors and behaviours’ in a given context as depicted in the driver Goal 3 (G3) in the framework is supported by subsequent decomposition of G3 into lower-level WeFA structures in WeFA. This principally helps determine the driver and inhibitor goals for motivational, behavioural and drive aspects.
The essential determinants of ‘efficiency and waste minimisation’ in carrying out tasks in a given context as depicted in the driver Goal 4 (G4) in the framework is supported by subsequent decomposition of G4 into lower-level WeFA structures that drive or inhibit this goal.
The key determinants of ‘quality, excellence and consistency’ in carrying out tasks in a given context as depicted in the driver Goal 5 (G5) in the framework is supported by subsequent decomposition of G5 into lower-level WeFA structures, drivers and inhibitors, respectively.
Finally, the degree of ‘adaptability, innovation and creativity’ in a given context as depicted in the driver Goal 6 (G6) in the framework is supported by subsequent decomposition into lower-level factors relevant to this focus.
Given the hierarchical nature of WeFA schema, the so-called level 1 goals in the proposed individual competence assurance system are generic and universal. The decomposition of these goals into appropriate drivers and inhibitors in levels 2 and beyond will help tailor the generic model towards specific requirements of a given role in a given context. The driver and inhibitor goals in levels 2 and below in a competence role schema denote the specific measurable predictors for generic level 1 goals such as knowledge, experience.
Once a role is completely characterised through decomposition of the generic model (level 1) into a number of predictors (levels 2 and below), the schema is subsequently weighted by the same expert panel that have helped with the development of the schema. This assigns relative significance to the factors in the schema thus rendering it compatible with the values, preferences and possibly culturally driven norms within the application environment. A calibrated schema is then reviewed, enhanced and validated for general application within the context of use. In an automated environment, a validated/authorised schema can be assigned to every member of staff in a given role, enabling them to evaluate themselves against the criteria and develop a competence profile to establish the areas in need of further development.
7.3.1.2. Inhibitor Goals
The key aspects and the extent of ‘lack or inadequacy of relevant new learning’ in a given context of application as depicted in the inhibitor Goal 1 (G1) in the proposed framework is supported by subsequent decomposition into lower-level WeFA structures, the so-called Level 2 and Level 3 drivers and inhibitors.
The key predictors and the extent of the ‘absence or inadequacy of relevant practice’ in a given context as depicted in the inhibitor Goal 2 (G2) in the framework is supported by subsequent decomposition into lower-level WeFA structures.
Finally, the degree of ‘recurrent errors and violations’ in a given context as depicted in the inhibitor Goal 3 (G3) in the framework is supported by subsequent decomposition into specific predictors of these behaviours and outcomes in the schema.
A suitably developed and validated WeFA schema for competence assessment in a given role, context/domain additionally requires a measurement scale for each goal (driver or inhibitor) as well the weights, that is the strengths of influence(s) from each goal, on higher-level goals. Once established, the weighted framework lends itself to application for assessment and management of individual’s or groups’ competence in fulfilling tasks in the particular context as depicted by the framework. This would render a number of advanced features and benefits, namely
Up to five levels of competence comprising apprentice, technician, practitioner, expert, leader in a given role/domain;
Identification of the gaps and training/experience/mentoring requirements;
A consistent and systematic regime for continual assessment and enhancement.
It should be noted that assessment here is devised and intended as a tool in the service of systematic approach to staff development and should not be misconstrued as an adversarial instrument for classification of people’s contributions to the organisation.
7.3.2. Management of Competence
The deliverables of the engineering process applied to the creation and realization of parts, products, systems or processes often follow a life cycle from concept to decommissioning as popularised by engineering standards as detailed in Section 2.
In this spirit, the human resource involvement/employment within an engineering environment, organisation or project likewise follows a life-cycle comprising seven key phases essential to the systematic and focused management of knowledge, [20] namely
Proactivity comprises corporate policy, leadership, mission, objectives, planning, quality assurance and commitments to competency and service delivery for the whole organisation;
Architecting and profiling which comprises specification and development of a corporate structure aligned with the strategy and policy objectives together with the definition of roles and capabilities to fulfil these;
Placement which essentially involves advertising and attracting candidates matching the role profiles/requirements involving search, selection and induction. Selection relates to deriving role focused criteria and relevant tests to assist with the systematic assessment, scoring and appointment tasks. Induction involves a period of briefing, familiarisation and possibly training the extent of which is determined by the familiarity and competence of the individual concerned and the complexity and novelty of the role;
Deployment and empowerment which involves a holistic description depicting the scope of the responsibility, accountability and technical/managerial tasks associated with a specific role and empowering the individual to fulfil the demands of the role. This would include training, supervision, coaching, resourcing, delineation of requisite authority and accountabilities, mentoring and potential certification as means to empowerment for achievement and development;
Appraisal which involves the planning and setting performance objectives, and identification of the performance indicators/predictors synergistic to the demands of a role and the individual’s domain knowledge, aimed at ensuring all relevant and periphery aspects of the role are adequately addressed and the necessary provisions are made for learning where a need is identified. The evaluation and appraisal provides the necessary feedback on compliance with individual and organisational objectives and achievement, enabling the organisation to identify and reward good performance and develop remedial solutions where necessary;
Organisation and culture which involves clarification of role relationships and communications, support, reward and motivational aspects for competency development including requisite resources and learning processes for attaining the policy objectives. This is intended to develop and foster a caring and sensitive approach/culture nurturing talents and paving the way towards an innovating organisation;
Continual development and progression: this comprises identifying the synergistic aspects which may serve as a complementary and rewarding extension to individuals’/teams’ specific roles. Development may involve managerial, technical, support functions or an appropriate blend of duties at the whole life-cycle level or extensions to the role-specific activities and vision/ career paths above an existing role into other parts of an organisation and even beyond. The review and assessment of success in all the principles inherent in the framework also fall within the continual development principle.
The seven focal areas/principles constitute a systematic competency management framework. It is worth noting, however, that employment and project/product life cycles are orthogonal in that securing the requisite human resource and competence for any phase of an engineering production activity would potentially involve all the seven phases of the competence management.
The traditional process-based prescriptive rules and standards [4] have served the industry over a century where product and system complexities were generally low permitting good design and sufficient testing to ensure integrity of products, processes and systems. The pervasive complexities arising from adoption of new ICT technologies have necessitated a continuous approach to assurance throughout the life cycle as advocated by modern standards. This is now the accepted norm in the most safety and mission critical applications and industries.
Alas, the significance and role of the human agent has been largely ignored so far on the unfounded assumption that a recipe given to any capable and qualified person will ensure quality and integrity of the outcomes. With the ever increasing embedded knowledge contents in most products, processes and systems, the necessity to focus on the humans as the source of such creation, and their fitness for the task in hand is now gaining momentum. In the face of such realisation and demands, our capacity to understand, characterise and evaluate human capabilities and latent potential has lagged significantly behind other technological advances.
We posit that human competence should be regarded as an integral facet of assuring designs, products and services, especially those with safety, security, sustainability or mission critical profile. The continual assurance processes advocated by modern standards need to complemented with focus on human competence to face the modern challenges of high risks and ever increasing complexity. The framework offered uses systems thinking to address assessment and management of competence within a coherent solution for enhancing quality, safety, reliability and assuring integrity.
8. General Trends and Emerging Issues
The statistics published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) in the United Kingdom [17] is a timely reminder of the rise in passenger demand over the recent past that seems to illustrate a rising trend of roughly 50% per decade (Figure 8).
Figure 8.
Rise in UK Railway Passenger Demand (ORR data)
Data from the World Bank relating to a rather similar period [18] seem to pint to a rising trend especially in the developing economies (Figure 9).
Figure 9.
Rise in Global Railway Passenger Demand (World Bank Databank)
Overall, rise in global demand for rail transportation needs to be matched by increasing infrastructure investment, technology development and rising consciousness about the carbon foot print and global warming impact of transportation. Given the highly advantageous position of rail transportation with respect to sustainability, energy efficiency, carbon footprint, convenience and the increasing speeds, this is a growth industry on a competition course with the airlines.
With the advancing technology, increasing automation, land speeds and demand for higher levels of safety, the key issues facing the industry from a safety and security perspective will be
Safety and security assurance of complex communications, supervisory and control systems comprising advanced hardware, hugely intricate heterogeneous software including some COTS components and vast amount of data.
Integration of diverse multi-sourced inter-operable systems into a safe operational railway system.
Understanding, addressing and monitoring of organisational and culture aspects of the human dimension.
Developing and adopting advanced evidence driven scientific frameworks for evaluation, assessment and certification of railway products, services and systems.
Integration of safety and security assessment and management frameworks [19] for enhanced effectiveness, efficiency and cost reduction.
Standardisation and harmonisation of operational rules across international borders.
Developing common methods and metrics for the evaluation and assessment of safety and security.
Finally, with the maturity of the ICT technologies employed and improvement of safety performance, the concern will shift towards security as a more likely cause for incidents and accidents than the traditional concern over safety. Increasing levels of automation in train driving, traffic management and control would expose the future railway environment to a range of security threats that may take the operators, IMs and the authorities by surprise unless security, alongside safety is taken into account throughout the life cycle of products, systems and processes.
To this end, a similar reference portfolio as developed for the UK national railway’s safety hazards is required to address security threats and vulnerabilities at railway system level. This will provide a rational, systematic and consistent support to the operators and the supply chain in the industry empowering them to effectively address the security requirements pertinent to the scope of their services, products, systems and processes.
9. Abbreviations
CBRN Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (attacks)
CDL Central Door Locking
CDM Construction, Design and Management (regulations)
Comms Communications
ConOps Concept of Operations
COTS Commercial-Off-the-Shelf
CRS Customer Requirements Specification
CSC Certificate of Safety Conformity
DRACAS Data Reporting and Corrective Action System
EMC Electro-Magnetic Compatibility
FMECA Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis
FRACAS Failure Reporting and Corrective Actions System
FSaR Functional Safety Requirements
GDP Gross Domestic Product
HAZAN Hazard Analysis
Hazid Hazard Identification
HAZOP Hazard And Operability Study
HRC Human Resource Competence
HSE Health and Safety Executive (UK)
HW Hardware
IHA Interface Hazard Analysis
IP Intellectual Property
ISA Independent Safety Assessor
IT Information Technology
O&M Operation and Maintenance
OHA Operational Hazard Analysis
OHL Over-Head Line
Ops Operations
OPSEC Operational Scenarios
OSHA Operation and System Hazard Analysis
PHA Preliminary Hazard Analysis
PSP Product, System or Process
PW People-ware, the human element in a control system
QMS Quality Management System
RAM Reliability, Availability, Maintainability
SDS System Design Specification
SDSS System Design Safety Specification
SHA System Hazard Analysis
SSHA Sub-system Hazard Analysis
SIL Safety Integrity Level
SLSR Railway System Level Safety Requirements
SMS Safety Management System
SMIS An old UK Safety Management Information System data base
SRS System Requirements Specification
SSHA Subsystem Hazard Analysis
SSRS Subsystem Requirements Specification
SW Software
THR Tolerable Hazard Rate
UML Unified Modelling Language
V&V Verification & Validation
VTR Validation Test Report
\n',keywords:"Railway safety, Railway security, Railway system, Requirements, Emergence",chapterPDFUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/49716.pdf",chapterXML:"https://mts.intechopen.com/source/xml/49716.xml",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/49716",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/49716",totalDownloads:4110,totalViews:1520,totalCrossrefCites:2,totalDimensionsCites:3,totalAltmetricsMentions:0,impactScore:1,impactScorePercentile:73,impactScoreQuartile:3,hasAltmetrics:0,dateSubmitted:"November 19th 2014",dateReviewed:"November 30th 2015",datePrePublished:null,datePublished:"December 16th 2015",dateFinished:"December 11th 2015",readingETA:"0",abstract:"This chapter approaches the concerns over safety and security of modern mainline and light railways from a systems perspective. It addresses the two key concerns from the view point of systemic emergence arising from the interaction between all the principal constituents of the railway system, namely infrastructure, rolling stock, energy and human element comprising workers, passengers and the neighbours of the railways.",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",bibtexUrl:"/chapter/bibtex/49716",risUrl:"/chapter/ris/49716",book:{id:"4789",slug:"railway-research-selected-topics-on-development-safety-and-technology"},signatures:"Ali G. Hessami",authors:[{id:"108303",title:"Prof.",name:"Ali G.",middleName:null,surname:"Hessami",fullName:"Ali G. Hessami",slug:"ali-g.-hessami",email:"hessami@vegaglobalsystems.com",position:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/108303/images/system/108303.jpeg",institution:{name:"City, University of London",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"United Kingdom"}}}],sections:[{id:"sec_1",title:"1. Introduction",level:"1"},{id:"sec_2",title:"2. A Life-cycle Perspective",level:"1"},{id:"sec_3",title:"3. System Level Requirements and Classifications",level:"1"},{id:"sec_3_2",title:"3.1. System Level Perspective",level:"2"},{id:"sec_4_2",title:"3.2. System Level Requirements",level:"2"},{id:"sec_4_3",title:"Table 1.",level:"3"},{id:"sec_7",title:"4. System Level Safety and Security Requirements",level:"1"},{id:"sec_7_2",title:"4.1. Product Level Safety Requirements Specification",level:"2"},{id:"sec_9",title:"5. System Level Safety Study–UK National Railways",level:"1"},{id:"sec_9_2",title:"5.1. Passengers group",level:"2"},{id:"sec_9_3",title:"5.1.1. Core Hazard: HP500 – Abnormal or Criminal Behaviour",level:"3"},{id:"sec_10_3",title:"5.1.2. Core Hazard: HP502 – Crowding",level:"3"},{id:"sec_11_3",title:"5.1.3. Core Hazard: HP503—Loss of Passenger Compartment Integrity During Movement",level:"3"},{id:"sec_12_3",title:"5.1.4. Core Hazard: HP504—Passengers in Path of Closing Train Doors",level:"3"},{id:"sec_13_3",title:"5.1.5. Core Hazard: HP506—Loss of Balance",level:"3"},{id:"sec_14_3",title:"5.1.6. Core Hazard: HP509—Inappropriate Separation between Running Railways and Passengers",level:"3"},{id:"sec_15_3",title:"5.1.7. Core Hazard: HP510—Inappropriate Separation between Un-insulated Live Conductors and Passengers",level:"3"},{id:"sec_16_3",title:"5.1.8. Core Hazard: HP512—Passenger Protruding Beyond Train Gauge During Movement",level:"3"},{id:"sec_17_3",title:"5.1.9. Core Hazard: HP513—Unsecured Objects at Height",level:"3"},{id:"sec_18_3",title:"5.1.10. Core Hazard: HP515—Inappropriate Separation between Passengers and Moving Vehicle (Other Than Rail Vehicle)",level:"3"},{id:"sec_19_3",title:"5.1.11. Core Hazard: HP516— Handling Heavy Loads",level:"3"},{id:"sec_20_3",title:"5.1.12. Core Hazard: HP517—Incompatibility of Train and Structure Gauge",level:"3"},{id:"sec_21_3",title:"5.1.13. Core Hazard: HP600—Abnormal Deceleration",level:"3"},{id:"sec_22_3",title:"5.1.14. Core Hazard: HP601—Uncontrolled Approach to Buffer",level:"3"},{id:"sec_23_3",title:"5.1.15. Core Hazard: HP602—Loss of Train Guidance (Passenger Trains)",level:"3"},{id:"sec_24_3",title:"5.1.16. Core Hazard: HP603—Loss of Train Guidance (Freight Trains)",level:"3"},{id:"sec_25_3",title:"5.1.17. Core Hazard: HP604—Objects/Animals on the Line",level:"3"},{id:"sec_26_3",title:"5.1.18. Core Hazard: HP605—Inappropriate Separation between Trains",level:"3"},{id:"sec_27_3",title:"5.1.19. Core Hazard: HP606—Onset of Fire/Explosion",level:"3"},{id:"sec_28_3",title:"5.1.20. Core Hazard: HP607—Unsound/Unsecured Structures",level:"3"},{id:"sec_30_2",title:"5.2. Workers Group",level:"2"},{id:"sec_30_3",title:"5.2.1. Core Hazard: HW500—Abnormal or Criminal Behaviour",level:"3"},{id:"sec_31_3",title:"5.2.2. Core Hazard: HW502—Loss of Passenger Compartment Integrity During Movement",level:"3"},{id:"sec_32_3",title:"5.2.3. Core Hazard: HW503—Worker in Path of Closing Train Doors",level:"3"},{id:"sec_33_3",title:"5.2.4. Core Hazard: HW505—Loss of Balance",level:"3"},{id:"sec_34_3",title:"5.2.5. Core Hazard: HW508—Inappropriate Separation between Running Railways and Workers",level:"3"},{id:"sec_35_3",title:"5.2.6. Core Hazard: HW509—Inappropriate Separation between Un-insulated Live Conductors and Workers",level:"3"},{id:"sec_36_3",title:"5.2.7. Core Hazard: HW511—Worker Protruding Beyond Train Gauge During Movement",level:"3"},{id:"sec_37_3",title:"5.2.8. Core Hazard: HW512—Unsecured Objects at Height",level:"3"},{id:"sec_38_3",title:"5.2.9. Core Hazard: HW513—Inappropriate Separation between Workers and Moving Vehicle (Other Than Rail Vehicle)",level:"3"},{id:"sec_39_3",title:"5.2.10. Core Hazard: HW514—Handling Heavy Loads",level:"3"},{id:"sec_40_3",title:"5.2.11. Core Hazard: HW517—Unsound/Unsecured Machinery/Materials or Structures",level:"3"},{id:"sec_41_3",title:"5.2.12. Core Hazard: HW518—Work in Confined Spaces",level:"3"},{id:"sec_42_3",title:"5.2.13. Core Hazard: HW519—Contaminated Water and/or Land",level:"3"},{id:"sec_43_3",title:"5.2.14. Core Hazard: HW520—Inappropriate Working Methods/Environment",level:"3"},{id:"sec_44_3",title:"5.2.15. Core Hazard: HW521—Workers in Proximity to Harmful Substances",level:"3"},{id:"sec_45_3",title:"5.2.16. Core Hazard: HW522—Road Vehicle Accidents",level:"3"},{id:"sec_46_3",title:"5.2.17. Core Hazard: HW523—Objects Thrown or Falling from Train",level:"3"},{id:"sec_48_2",title:"5.3. Neighbours group",level:"2"},{id:"sec_48_3",title:"5.3.1. Core Hazard: HN500—Abnormal or Criminal Behaviour",level:"3"},{id:"sec_49_3",title:"5.3.2. Core Hazard: HN501—Crossing Running Railway at Level Crossing",level:"3"},{id:"sec_50_3",title:"5.3.3. Core Hazard: HN502—Contaminated Water and/or Land",level:"3"},{id:"sec_51_3",title:"5.3.4. Core Hazard: HN503—Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) Caused to by Railway Operations",level:"3"},{id:"sec_52_3",title:"5.3.5. Core Hazard: HN504—Impact from Railway Construction/Maintenance Works",level:"3"},{id:"sec_53_3",title:"5.3.6. Core Hazard: HN506—Loss of Balance",level:"3"},{id:"sec_54_3",title:"5.3.7. Core Hazard: HN509—Inappropriate Separation between Running Railway and Neighbourhood",level:"3"},{id:"sec_55_3",title:"5.3.8. Core Hazard: HN510—Inappropriate Separation between Un-insulated Live Conductors and the Public",level:"3"},{id:"sec_56_3",title:"5.3.9. Core Hazard: HN511—Flying Debris from Moving Train and Objects Falling from Trains",level:"3"},{id:"sec_57_3",title:"5.3.10. Core Hazard: HN512—Unsecured Objects at Height",level:"3"},{id:"sec_60",title:"6. System Level Security Issues",level:"1"},{id:"sec_61",title:"7. Safety Roles and Competences",level:"1"},{id:"sec_61_2",title:"7.1. Competence",level:"2"},{id:"sec_62_2",title:"7.2. Recent Developments",level:"2"},{id:"sec_63_2",title:"7.3. Competence Assessment and Management, a Systems Approach",level:"2"},{id:"sec_63_3",title:"7.3.1. Assessment of Competence",level:"3"},{id:"sec_63_4",title:"7.3.1.1. Driver Goals",level:"4"},{id:"sec_64_4",title:"7.3.1.2. Inhibitor Goals",level:"4"},{id:"sec_66_3",title:"7.3.2. Management of Competence",level:"3"},{id:"sec_69",title:"8. General Trends and Emerging Issues",level:"1"},{id:"sec_70",title:"9. Abbreviations",level:"1"}],chapterReferences:[{id:"B1",body:'BS EN 50129:2003, Railway applications. Communication, signalling and processing systems. Safety related electronic systems for signalling.'},{id:"B2",body:'BS ISO/IEC 15288:2002, Systems engineering. System lifecycle processes.'},{id:"B3",body:'CLC/TR 50451:2007, Railway applications. Systematic Allocation of Safety Integrity Requirements.'},{id:"B4",body:'Hessami, A. (1999). Safety Assurance, A Systems Paradigm, Hazard Prevention. Journal of System Safety Society, Volume 35, No. 3, pp. 8–13.'},{id:"B5",body:'Risk Profiling of Railways Report (1997). Can access a copy that includes the Hazards Portfolio at: https://vegaglobalsystems.com/Resources.html. Look in Public Resources/Safety Research online library for the file.'},{id:"B6",body:'European Guide to Good Practice in Knowledge Management, Work Item 5: Culture Working Draft 6.0, CEN-ISSS, July 2003.'},{id:"B7",body:'http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/'},{id:"B8",body:'Managing health and safety in construction, Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (2007). (CDM) Approved Code of Practice, HSE Books, ISBN 9780717662234.'},{id:"B9",body:'Railway Safety Principles and Guidance: Part 3 Section A (2002). Developing and Maintaining Staff Competence HSG197, HSE Books, ISBN 0 7176 1732 7.'},{id:"B10",body:'+Safe Version 1.2, A Safety Extension to CMMi-DEV Version 1.2, Defence Materials Organisation, Australian Department of Defence, March 2007.'},{id:"B11",body:'BS EN 50128:2011, Railway applications. Communications, signalling and processing systems. Software for railway control and protection systems.'},{id:"B12",body:'Hessami, A. and Gray, R. (2002) Creativity, the Final Frontier? The 3rd. European Conference on Knowledge Management ECKM 2002, Trinity College Dublin, 24–25 September 2002.'},{id:"B13",body:'OSCEng (2006). The Occupational Standards Council for Engineering publishes Occupational Standards for Engineering and Manufacturing (www.osceng.co.uk).'},{id:"B14",body:'IRSE (2007). Institution of Railway Signal Engineers Licensing Scheme (www.irselicences.co.uk).'},{id:"B15",body:'IET (2007). Competence Framework – Assessing Competence, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, UK (www.theiet.org/careers/cpd/competences).'},{id:"B16",body:'ORR (2007). The Office of Rail Regulator Railway Safety Publication No 1 Developing and Maintaining Staff Competence.'},{id:"B17",body:'ORR (2015). http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/statistical-releases'},{id:"B18",body:'World Bank (2015). http://databank.worldbank.org/data/'},{id:"B19",body:'Hessami, A.G. (May 2004). A Systems Framework for Safety & Security – The Holistic Paradigm. Systems Engineering Journal USA Volume 7, No 2.'},{id:"B20",body:'Hessami, A.G. and Moore, M. (2010). Manage Competence Not Knowledge, Integrated Systems Design and Technology 2010, Knowledge Transfer in New Technologies, Springer, ISBN 978-3-642-17384-4.'}],footnotes:[{id:"fn1",explanation:"U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis"},{id:"fn2",explanation:"UITP-UIC Press Release June 2004"}],contributors:[{corresp:"yes",contributorFullName:"Ali G. Hessami",address:"a.g.hessami@ieee.org",affiliation:'
Vega Systems, London, UK
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1. Introduction
Due to the elevated level of population growth, energy consumption has risen over the recent decade [1]. This increase in energy demand over the years has changed the energy scenario through manufacturing [2]. Furthermore, even with the current low oil price, the world’s energy demand is anticipated to continue to rise in the future according to the international energy agency’s new policy situation [3], from 13.2% in 2011 up to 17.6% in 2035 as shown Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Primary energy demand in Mtoe (million tonnes of oil equivalent) (a) 2011, (b) 2035 “new policies scenario” and (c) 2035 “450 scenario” (adapted from Ref. [3]).
Currently, dependence on fossil fuels such as petroleum, gas and coal to satisfy energy demand has caused environmental issues owing to anthropogenic greenhouse gas generation. Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are the most abundant greenhouse gasses and have lately contributed significantly to climate change issues [4]. While the level of methane in the environment is smaller than that of carbon dioxide [5], it is surprising that around 20% of worldwide warming occurs is caused by it [6]. Conventionally, there are two main sources of methane emissions including nature occurring activities and anthropogenic activities. Examples of the first source are termites, grasslands, coal beds, lakes, wetlands and forest fires, while examples from the second source are landfills, oil and gas treatment, wastewater treatment plants, coal mining, rice production, livestock and agricultural activities [7]. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency [8], methane manufacturing from landfill sites accounts for almost one-third of all methane produced in the United States alone, where landfill gas consists of 40–45% methane and 55–60% carbon dioxide by quantity by volume [9]. Notwithstanding, the reality that methane is a significant element of natural gas, a big quantity of natural gas is burned globally owing to technological constraints and the high price of carrying this valuable gas from its reservoirs, which are often far from industrial fields and the prospective market [10]. These actions have wasted an important source of hydrocarbons and contributed to global warming by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere [11]. Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) has been implemented globally to decrease carbon dioxide emissions due to pressure to combat global climate change and guarantee viable power sources [12]. In addition, renewable energy is required instantly to replace oil resources to decrease the heavy dependence on crude oil and its unwanted impacts on the atmosphere [13].
In the last few years, the resources of renewable energy, particularly, biogas, have gained massive attention around the world as a substitute for traditional fossil fuels [14]. In Southeast Asia, palm oil biomass is considered one of the most plentiful renewable resources and has enormous potential for the sustainable production of chemical substances and fuels. Liquid waste, known as palm oil mill effluent (POME) generated along with crude palm oil production, is one of Southeast Asia’s environmental problem due to its high pollution characteristics. Therefore, digestion, an aerobic treatment, is widely adopted in the oil palm industries as a reliable and effective treatment for POME. The biogas generated during POME’s anaerobic decomposition is not restored for use, but can be dissipated into the atmosphere [15]. The biogas produced contains two greenhouse gases: methane (60–70%) and carbon dioxide (30–40%) with traces of hydrogen sulfide which can be utilized after purification for heat generation, electricity production, bio-methane production and of synthesis gas (referred to as syngas, mixture of H2 and CO) [16]. In fact, POME could become a significant source for biogas production due to its high organic content [17]. According to the World Meteorological Organization [18], methane and carbon dioxide levels were reported at 1845 ppm (parts per million) and 400.1 ppm (parts per million) respectively in 2015. Methane levels in the environment have been revealed to be below carbon dioxide levels, but have caused about 20% of worldwide warming [19]. Methane production was estimated at 6875 million metric tons which equals the total amount of carbon dioxide from all anthropogenic sources in 2010 [20]. Methane is frequently considered an important natural gas component with small amounts of other hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane and butane containing inert substances such as molecular oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide [21]. When monitoring the negative impact of methane and carbon dioxide, it is paramount to reduce their concentrations so that to avoid the high concentration of the greenhouse gases that lead to negative environmental conditions and increased temperature.
A great deal of extensive studies has been conducted to discover efficient methods of converting methane and carbon dioxide into precious products and thus reducing their elevated atmospheric quantity. Because of its comparatively low price and stability relative to other methods, converting carbon dioxide and methane into syngas is one of the most prevalent technologies [22]. It is one of the most important processes to convert hydrocarbons in the chemical industries to produce syngas [23]. In many distinct applications, such as Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) petroleum synthesis and the manufacturing of methanol and other precious fluid fuels and chemicals, syngas can be regarded as a construction block [24].
Recently, there have been many attempts that have prompted interest in producing alternative fuels by using renewable and environmentally friendly sources of energy, one of the few alternative sources is biogas. Even so, it is not entirely greenhouse gas-free; it does not, however, lead to global warming. Biogas is an appealing alternative for converting fuel to transport and generate electricity [25]. The vital route that will be of benefit to the power generation industry is the direct conversion of biogas, composed of methane and carbon dioxide to hydrocarbons under catalytic decomposition processes.
The use of catalysts in the catalytic reaction is essential in growing syngas manufacturing, as they assist to alter and enhance the reaction rate without consumption in the process [26]. Catalysts operate by offering an alternative mechanism that decreases energy activation, which implies the system needs less energy to achieve the state of transition. While catalytic reaction needs elevated temperatures to operate due to its heat-absorbing nature, the existence of catalysts can significantly decrease the reaction temperature [27].
Recently, there have been many attempts to use monometallic catalysts such as Ni, Co, Fe and Cu in the catalytic process because they are cheap and have a strong magnetization ability [28, 29]. Furthermore, bimetallic such as Ni-Co, Ni-Fe, and Ni-Cu have become very attractive to researchers due to their properties and the diversity of applications when compared with their individual mono-metal counterparts. The incorporation of nickel into Co, Fe, and Cu metals decreases the use of expensive noble metals [30]. Bimetallic catalysts success is thought to be due to the synergy of their parent metals they consist of two separate metals that display elevated dispersion and active sites. Moreover, the physical and chemical properties of the bimetallic catalysts are enhanced due to the formation of the solid solution [31]. For example, Pudukudy et al. [32] and Pinilla et al. [33] revealed a greater carbon output from a bimetallic catalyst compared to a monometallic catalyst.
2. Energy and environment: current and difficult situations
At the moment, the adverse effect on the environment from the burning of fossil fuels, coal and compressed natural gas has become one of the main global issues [34]. Climate change occurs when the greenhouse effect rises, as demonstrated by flash floods, wind storms, heat waves and sudden droughts in a number of nations [35]. In addition, worldwide demand for energy is growing while fossil-fuel energy sources are quickly declining. Fossil fuels are one of the non-renewable energy resources that will be depleted in several decades if large-scale sources of energy are continually used [36]. As shown in Figure 2, the world production of fossil oil is at the peak of the production, and it is expected to diminish by the year 2050 [37]. Because of these situations, it is essential to replace petroleum consumption, minimize future expenses and eliminate the adverse effect on health and the environment. Thus, the replacement of non-renewable energy source with renewable resources is imperative to fulfill the needs of the energy demand without causing harm to the environment and mankind [38]. Due to this crisis, various kinds of energy are used to meet the large demand for petroleum-based fuel such as wind turbines, river dams, solar panels, geothermal power and biofuels [39].
Figure 2.
Oil and natural gas production in the NZE (adapted from Ref. [37]).
The conversion of methane into liquid fuels or greater hydrocarbons has been performed extensively. Bradford and Vannice [40] studied the growth of methanol, formaldehyde, propanol, benzene and other aromatics through direct oxidative conversion of methane. Unfortunately, all the aforementioned processes produce low yields or they are not recommended for an industrial scale. Today, various technologies are available for the production of syngas from natural gas. This gas is a component of precious fluid fuels and chemicals like Fischer-Tropsch oil, methanol and dimethyl ether [41].
2.1 Biogas
The most significant renewable energy sources in the globe are biomass and hydropower. However, the use of other renewable resources is necessary to minimize the negative climate impacts caused by the excessive use of fossil fuels. In that sense, biogas will play an important role in the future. The biogas primary energy has increased 70% between 2008 and 2013 [42] and its production is expected to double in 2022 up to 45 × 109 m3. Biogas is a gas consisting primarily of methane and carbon dioxide generated from anaerobic digestion of organic matter from agricultural waste, landfills, urban wastewater and industrial wastewater. It is considered, therefore, a renewable energy source [43].
Based on the residue, biogas can contain traces of other compounds that hinder its use in the production of energy, making it necessary to install costly purification systems. Among them, the most significant are H2S, NH3, halogenated hydrocarbons and siloxanes. Biogas has traditionally been regarded a non-value by-product usually burned in flares to avoid hazards to humans and the environment and then released into the atmosphere. Recently, various options for biogas use such as heat, electricity, mixed heat and energy or the manufacturing of bio-methane have been suggested. Nevertheless, from an economical point of view, all the previous biogas applications depend on government feed in tariff policies. Besides, different countries like Malaysia, Germany, Spain or Italy, have reduced or even removed the cost-based compensation creating an unstable scenario for the renewable energy producers [44]. Therefore, the manufacturing of fresh biogas products is not only interesting but essential in order to reduce the obstacles to profitability.
One of the alternatives considered is the manufacturing of syngas that consists of a blend of H2 and CO and is the basis of C1 chemistry [45]. Depending on the syngas H2:CO ratio, it can be used to produce methanol, dimethyl ether (DME), liquid hydrocarbons (Fischer-Tropsch process) or H2. Syngas can be acquired from several procedures such as methane steam reforming, partial methane oxidation or dry methane reforming.
2.2 Catalytic decomposition of biogas
Due to overdependence on fossil-based fuels and increasing environmental concerns, the resources of renewable energy, in particular biogas, have gained massive attention around the world as a substitute for traditional fossil fuels. Biogas is obtained from the process of the anaerobic digestion of organic compounds. Methane (40–70%) and carbon dioxide (30–60%) are the primary compounds of biogas [46]. One of its most common applications is the direct combustion for energy recovery through co-generation plants that produce electricity and heat. Nevertheless, the use of renewable sources of methane like the one contained in biogas (bio-methane) for different applications like the production of hydrogen is a more interesting option than the use of fossil methane [47].
In this context, the catalytic decomposition of methane (CDM) (Eq. (1)) is being studied as an alternative to steam reforming of methane (SRM) to produce CO2-free hydrogen. The CDM in a single step produces a mixture of hydrogen and unconverted methane, which can be directly used as fuel in internal combustion engines or, even directly used to power a fuel cell [47].
CH4→C+2H2,∆H298K°=75.0kJmol−1E1
The catalysts traditionally used in the CDM consist of transition metals belonging to group VIII (Ni, Fe, Co) supported over different metal oxides such as Al2O3, MgO, La2O3, and CeO2 [48, 49]. These catalysts are characterized by promoting the formation of carbon nanostructures (carbon nanofibers or carbon nanotubes) varying their textural and structural properties as a function of the catalyst composition and the operational conditions [50]. These carbon nanostructures have very interesting properties for their use in applications where thermal and electrical conductivity of materials is a key factor. However, one of the problems of the CDM is the deactivation over time of the catalysts due to carbon deposition that encapsulates the metal particles disabling their active sites [51].
Co-feeding with CH4 different oxidizing agents such as H2, H2O or CO2, can increase the life of the catalyst. Co-feeding with H2, inhibits the deactivation of the catalyst at the expense of a desired product, which reduces the efficiency of the process while the use of CO2 as Co-feeding induces Boudouard reaction (Eq. (2)) thereby resulting in gasification of graphitic carbon produced during the CDM reaction.
2CO→C+CO2,∆H298K°=172.0kJmol−1E2
The use of CO2 in the CDM process has been studied by two approaches: some authors have suggested a cyclical process consisting of a methane decomposition step followed by another stage of gasification of the deposited carbon with CO2. Other authors have studied the decomposition of mixtures CH4:CO2 in conditions that favor the formation of nanostructured carbon. Nagayasu et al. [52] observed a slow deactivation of a Ni based catalyst to be used in the CDM in the presence of CO2. They also noted an increase in carbon accumulation capacity in the form of nanotubes by increasing the partial pressure of CO2 co-fed along with that of CH4.
Asai et al. [53] confirmed the inhibition of the deactivation of the catalyst studied in the decomposition of methane in the presence of CO2, suggesting a mechanism based on the gasification of graphitic carbon layers that encapsulate the catalyst particles, allowing the formation of carbon in the form of nanotubes. Indeed, co-feeding of CH4 and CO2, which are the main components of biogas as previously mentioned, modifies the reaction mechanism of methane decomposition into carbon and H2, to a process called dry reforming, which produces a mixture of H2 and CO. This is a highly endothermic reaction that takes place by way of a catalyst in the temperature range between 600 and 800°C, producing syngas with a molar ratio 1:1 [54].
This syngas can be used in multiple applications such as fuel for solid oxide fuel cells or Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to produce environmental friendly liquid fuels, when using a renewable source such as biogas [55]. If the aim is to produce H2, then a water gas shift reaction followed by CO2-H2 separation should be accomplished. The practical implementation of the dry reforming of methane (DRM) faces many key challenges, which also apply to the biogas decomposition, and one of the most important is the deactivation of the catalysts due to the formation of carbon during the reactions of CH4 decomposition and CO2 disproportionation [56]. Also, Edwards and Maitra [57] reported that it is convenient to work at high temperatures and low ratios of CH4:CO2 (<1), to minimize carbon formation from a thermodynamic point of view. However, from the industrial point of view it would be much more desirable to work at moderate temperatures and CH4:CO2 ratios close to one, despite these are conditions under which carbon formation is thermodynamically favored.
Another issue that should be addressed is the high sulfur content of the biogas. This can provoke severe metal catalysts deactivation, therefore an exhaustive desulphurization of the biogas fed to the catalytic decomposition of biogas (CDB) reactor would be required when using a real biogas. The most commonly used methods for hydrogen sulphide removal can be found in [58]. The more active catalysts that promote the lower carbon deposition are precious metals, but its high price provokes that the most widely used catalysts for dry reforming are based on Ni, Co and Fe [59], which are the same catalysts traditionally used in the CDM.
Since the typical CH4:CO2 ratio in biogas composition is higher than 1 (CH4 concentration in biogas can be as high as 70% depending on its origin), avoiding carbon deposition in the biogas decomposition reaction is not a task easy to accomplish. Thus, as previously mentioned, the presence of CO2 along with the selection of optimum operating conditions for the deposition of carbon could prevent the rapid deactivation of the catalyst, resulting in a new biogas recovery process in which a gas with a suitable composition for its use in an internal combustion engine and carbon nanofibers (CNF) with multiple applications in sectors such as energy and transport are obtained. Direct decomposition of a gas simulating a typical biogas composition by means of metal catalysts under conditions that are favorable for carbon deposition has been studied by Muradov and Smith [60]. The problem associated to carbon deposition through decomposition of CH4:CO2 mixtures with ratio >1 was solved by adding small amounts of steam, prolonging the catalyst life. Some previous works by De Llobet et al. [61] focused on a study of CDB, conducted at moderate temperatures and using typical catalysts previously used in the CDM, promoting the formation of nanostructured carbon and syngas. As per their report, the Ni/Al2O3 catalyst exhibited high activity as well as stability, allowing them to obtain high CH4 conversion together with the high-yield production of fishbone-like nanocarbon.
2.3 Chemistry of carbon dioxide
Figure 3 illustrates a key aspect of the thermodynamics of any possible CO2 conversion. The figure also demonstrates the free emission of CO2 from Gibbs and its associated substances. It is evident that CO2 is an extremely stable molecule; it therefore requires significant energy input, optimized reaction conditions and (almost invariably) active catalysts for any chemical conversion of CO2 into a carbonaceous fuel.
Figure 3.
Gibbs free energies of formation of selected chemicals (adapted from Ref. [62]).
However, it is important to note that chemical reactions (conversions) arise due to the difference in the Gibbs free energy between the reactants and products of a chemical reaction (under certain conditions). This is illustrated by the Gibbs-Helmholtz relationship (Eq. (3)):
∆G°=∆H°−T∆S°E3
Therefore, the comparative stability of the ultimate response products must be taken into consideration in the effort to use CO2 as a chemical feedstock compared to the use of reactants. Both terms (ΔHo and TΔSo) of the Gibbs free energy are not favorable for the conversion of CO2 to other molecules [63]. Since the carbon-oxygen bonds are relatively strong, substantial energy input is necessary for their cleavage, in terms of carbon reduction. Similarly, the entropy term (TΔSo) makes little to no contribution to the thermodynamic driving force for any reaction involving CO2. Most importantly, the enthalpy term, ΔHo, can be taken as a good initial guide for the assessment of thermodynamic stability and feasibility of any CO2 conversions.
Freund and Roberts [63] highlighted the significant contribution of CO2 surface chemistry. They claimed that any progress in the use of CO2 as a useful reactant can be achieved in relation to fuel synthesis by using novel catalytic chemistry wisely. They attempted to illustrate that the greatest potential impact lies in this area of material chemistry, physics and engineering. These researchers also pointed out that a positive change in free energy should not be considered as a reason enough not to pursue potentially useful CO2 reactions. This is because, ΔGo only provides information as to the yield of products at equilibrium through the relationship (Eq. (4)), and the kinetics of such a process is indeed favorable.
∆G°=−RTlnKE4
Since the kinetics are favorable, CO2 decrease to CO (a key step in all conversion reactions), the primary step in all transformation responses, may also be feasible on metal surfaces or other catalytic materials, for instance on nano- and mesoporous metal particles [62]. Presently, a large number of industrial-scale chemical manufacturing processes worldwide operate on the basis of strong endothermic chemicals. The SRM to yield syngas and hydrogen is a classic example (Eq. (5)):
CH4+H2O→CO+3H2,∆H298K°=+206kJmol−1E5
It is important to emphasize that the above-mentioned, highly endothermic reaction is used to produce large quantities of ‘merchant hydrogen’ in the gas, food and fertilizer industries worldwide. The corresponding DRM reflects the important reaction of CO2 with hydrocarbons, which will be central to our idea of converting CO2 into flue gases to produce chemical fuels (Eq. (6)):
CH4+CO2→2CO+2H2,∆H298K°=+247.3kJmol−1E6
The energy input for DRM requires about 20% more energy input than the SRM, but there is definitely no restricted additional energy cost for this chemical reaction. It is important that these two reactions lead to syngas with different H2:CO molar ratios. For the final production of liquid fuels, both are useful for the formation of horns.
Figure 4 shows the enthalpy of the chemical reactions of the CO2 conversion. This means that CO2 is thermodynamically much easier to use as a co-reactant, usually with a higher (i.e. less negative) Gibbs free energy, such as H2 or CH4. These hydrogen-containing energy carriers give their internal chemical energy to promote the conversion of CO2. Therefore, the heat of reaction (enthalpy of reaction) from CO2 to CO production is important and obvious as the individual reactive and CO2 energy as a key factor. Compare the thermal decomposition energies of CO2 (Eqs. (7) and (8)).
Figure 4.
The enthalpy of reaction for syngas production and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis of methanol and dimethyl ether (adapted from Ref. [62]).
CO2→CO+12O2,∆H298K°=+293kJmol−1E7
With that of the reaction of CO2 with H2 (Eq. (8))
CO2+H2→CO+H2O,∆H298K°=41.2kJmol−1E8
This aspect may be further illustrated by the process of ‘oxyforming’, whereby the amount of oxygen in the dry reforming reaction is increased deliberately. In doing so, the reaction enthalpy of reaction is significantly reduced (Eqs. (9) and (10)):
3CH4+O2+CO2→4CO+6H2,∆H298K°=+165.8kJmol−1E9
5CH4+2O2+CO2→6CO+10H2,∆H298K°=+104.6kJmol−1E10
The fundamental material challenge in this area lies in the fact that, generally, the reaction between CO2 and H2 occurs at high temperatures on multi-component heterogeneous catalysts [64].
2.4 Syngas
Syngas is a blend of carbon monoxide and coal with a tiny quantity of methane and carbon dioxide. In the ever changing energy landscape, it is not only versatile, but also an increasingly important commodity. There are various carbon sources that happen through gasification or catalytic reformation for the manufacturing of syngas. Coal, natural gas (mainly methane), petroleum, and biomass could be the sources of carbon. The primary technical problem with fossil fuel syngas manufacturing is the complicated purification and conditioning procedures of syngas. The main reasons why the world has become more interested in the producing of biomass-derived syngas are therefore to decrease over-dependence on fossil fuels, to impose stricter CO2 emission standards and to verify the accessibility of resources. Roddy [65] claimed that biomass could originate from industrial, domestic, agricultural and urban waste sources as a feedstock for syngas production. The use of biomass or waste as the raw material for syngas manufacturing is theoretically two-pronged: the generation of clean energy and an effective way to reduce waste as reported by Markets and Markets [66], a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% is anticipated to achieve 117,400 MW (Megawatts) heat in 2018. Boerrigter and Rauch [67] estimated the future market for syngas to increase to 50,000 petajoules (PJ) per annum, equivalent to 13.9 × 109 MWh per annum in, 2040. This amounts to replacing an average 30% fossil fuel usage is 10% of the complete world power consumption. They also projected that syngas will be used primarily in gas-to-liquid (GTL) procedures, with 49% for gas-to-product (GTP) procedures and 39% for renewable gas and hydrocarbon manufacturing. In, 1993, Shell Malaysia built the world’s first commercial GTL plant in Bintulu, Sarawak. Since, 2003, as many as for 14,700 barrels of high-quality GTL products have been produced per day. This is clearly an upgrade in the production from its original capacity of 12,500 barrels per day. As reported by the Borneo Post, Shell’s GTL plant plans to invest RM (Malaysian ringgit) 48.36 million to rejuvenate its plant in Bintulu in, 2015. The world’s largest GTL plant is located in Qatar, with a production capacity of 140,000 barrels of product per day.
In short, the development of the market for syngas is accelerating, the important increase in syngas consumption is due to its use as an energy precursor. The presence of CO, H2 and CH4 gases, which possess certain heating value, makes it highly in demand. Syngas also includes approximately 50% of natural gas’s power density. Subramani et al. [68] reported that 1 kg of H2 contains the same amount of energy as 2.6 kg of CH4, which is equivalent to 3.1 kg of gasoline. H2 is used at low temperatures because of its elevated energy content; fuel cells are used to produce electricity, power cars or even in the synthesis of Fischer – Tropsch. In addition to serving as an energy carrier, it has traditionally been used as a feedstock for the mass production of significant chemicals, such as methanol, ammonia or fertilizers.
2.5 Carbon nanofilaments
Carbon nanofilaments are nanometric filaments with diameters between 1 and 200 nm and lengths of up to several microns. These materials are composed mainly of graphite type carbon whose basic structural component is graphene [69]. Graphene can be defined as the combination of carbon atoms with sp2 hybridization, where each carbon atom joins three others forming a flat hexagonal tessellation (basal plane or graphene layer) [70]. The parallel stacking of several of these layers’ outcomes in graphite characterized by an elevated structural order and a distance of 0.3354 nm between the distinct graphene layers (crystalline domain or interplanar distance, d002) (Figure 5).
Figure 5.
Representative scheme of crystal structures of graphene (adapted from Ref. [71]).
On the other hand, carbon nanofilaments have a structural order inferior to that of graphite and according to the Franklin classification [72] correspond to turbostratic type materials, that is, they have crystalline domains greater than graphite and smaller than non-graphitic carbons (0.3354 < d002 < 0.344 nm).
Within carbon nanofilaments we can distinguish two types: carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon nanofibers (CNF). The CNT can be considered as layers of graphene rolled into hollow tubes [73]. Depending on the number of layers that make up the CNT, they are classified as single wall CNT (SWCNT), formed by a single layer, or multiple wall CNT (MWCNT), formed by 2 or more concentrically coiled layers (Figure 6a) [73]. On the other side, the CNF can be hollow or strong and are categorized with regard to their longitudinal axis according to the angle they form graphene layers (α). The most common types of CNF are platelet, parallel (also named ribbon or tubular) and fishbone (Figure 6b) [73]. Platelet CNF are characterized by the fact that the graphene sheets are arranged perpendicular to the growth axis of the CNF (α ≈ 180°), while in the fishbone type the angle α is between approximately 20–160° [74].
Figure 6.
Simplified representation of the different kinds of (a) carbon nanotubes (SWCNT and MWCNT), and (b) carbon nanofibers (platelet, tubular, fishbone) (adapted from Ref. [73]).
They are also called Herringbone. Finally, the parallel types would be those in which the sheets are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the CNF (α ≈ 0°). Unlike Figure 6b, this sort of structure can also be tubular and therefore it is not feasible to distinguish them from MWCNT by using electronic microscopy methods. However, there is some controversy, parallel type CNF tend to present areas along their structure in which the graphene layers are not oriented in parallel (α > 0°) as well as numerous imperfections such as the union of the layers’ graphene inside the nanofiber (loops). Along with these three morphologies, in the CNF world there are other types of less common structures such as bamboo CNF, which are characterized by having internal holes that occur periodically due to the movement of the catalytic particle during the growth of the CNF, or the octopus-type NFCs that are generally produced when a Ni catalyst doped with Cu [75] is employed. Although there is a bibliography related to the formation of carbon filaments since the late nineteenth century, it was the discovery of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) in 1939 that really represented a breakthrough in this field since it allowed the observation in detail the morphology of this type of structures [76]. Initially, the interest in carbon formation derived from the problems that its accumulation caused in the processes of conversion of hydrocarbons (deactivation and destruction of catalysts or plugging of reactors) and therefore, the objective was to understand how and why it was generated in order to avoid their formation [77]. However, since the discovery of CNT by Iijima [78] in the 90s and due to the properties that carbon nanofilaments present (high specific surfaces and high electrical conductivities and thermal, the approach changed and numerous studies were initiated to optimize their production [79].
3. Current reforming technologies
Numerous reform techniques have been created to fulfill the long list of demands required in downstream chemicals procedures. Dry Reforming of methane is the most prevalent technique used in the syngas sector through one of three reforming procedures: (1) steam reforming of methane (SRM), (2) partial oxidation of methane (POM) and (3) dry reforming of methane (DRM). The difference between the three techniques is based on the oxidant used, the kinetics and reaction energy, and the percentage of syngas produced (H2:CO).
3.1 Steam reforming
The SRM approach produces a higher H2:CO ratio of 3:1 compared to the ratio required for Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis of 2:1 [80]. Due to its endothermic nature, SRM requires an extensive energy input so it is very expensive. In addition, a higher H2O:CH4 ratio is required to achieve a higher H2 output, making the SRM process less favorable and speeding up the activation of catalysis. Moreover, SRM faces corrosion problems and requires a desulfurization unit [81].
3.2 Partial oxidation of methane
In the case of POM approach, this process is suitable for producing larger amounts of hydrocarbons and naphtha. Typically, POM has a very short residence time, high selectivity, and high conversion rates [82]. However, the exothermic nature of the reaction causes the induction of hot spots in the catalyst and makes it difficult to control the process. In addition, POM requires a cryogenic unit to separate oxygen from air. In the case of POM, this process is suitable for producing larger amounts of hydrocarbons and naphtha. POM typically has a very short period of residence, high selectivity and high conversion rates. The exothermic nature of the response, however, allows warm spots in the catalyst to be induced and makes the method hard to regulate and POM requires a cryogenic unit to separate oxygen from air [83].
4. Dry reforming of methane
DRM approach is the most promising of all techniques, as it utilizes two greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) to generate industry-significant syngas while at the same moment lowering excessive greenhouse gas emissions. The DRM method is also cheaper than other techniques, as it eliminates the complicated gas separation of finished products. It generates the ratio H2:CO that can be used to synthesize oxidized chemicals and F-T synthesis long-chain hydrocarbons. DRM can also be extended to biogas (CO2, CO, and CH4) as a raw material for cleaner and eco-friendly fuels. DRM syngas is also a solar or nuclear energy storage facility [84]. Since reaction is endothermic, the process is generally carried out at temperatures between 450 and 900°C. In addition, the utilization of a catalyst is required in order to obtain acceptable CH4 conversions. The practical application of the DRM faces many significant obstacles and one of the most significant is the deactivation of the catalysts due to carbon formation during CH4 decomposition and CO2 disproportionate responses. Working at elevated temperatures and low CH4:CO2 ratios (<1) is useful from a thermodynamic point of perspective to prevent carbon formation. From an industrial point of perspective, however, work at mild temperatures and CH4 would be much more desirable: CO2 ratios close to one. Nevertheless, circumstances under which thermodynamic carbon formation is favored [85].
In this context, the DRM’s attempts focus on developing a catalyst that demonstrates elevated activity and stability and low carbon formation and price at the same moment. In one of the first works related to the DRM, Fischer and Tropsch studied different metals belonging to groups 8, 9 and 10 (Ni, Co, Fe, Mo, W, Y, Cu). Among them, only Ni and Co showed a good activity (XCH4 ≈ 90%). Years later, Gadalla et al. [86] tested different commercial Ni-based catalysts, obtaining CH4 conversions near 100% during 70 h of operation. Nonetheless, in order to avoid carbon deposition and catalyst deactivation they used CH4:CO2 ratios below 0.5 and temperatures above 900°C. Due to their high activity and lower carbon formation as compared to Ni, noble metals have been extensively studied as catalysts for the DRM [87]. However, their high cost and low availability make other metals more attractive from an industrial point of view. Due to their reduced cost compared to noble metals, Ni, Co and Fe were also widely researched and in the last years, bimetallic catalysts have stood out.
In order to synthesize an enhanced catalyst, these catalysts aim to potentiate the features of both metals. Ni-Co bimetallic catalysts showed a very healthy conduct among them. In any event, carbon deposition issues are even more important when using biogas. Biogas usually has higher CH4:CO2 ratios than one that ultimately leads to bigger quantities of carbon depositions that quickly deactivate the catalysts. However, distinct types of carbon are created during the decomposition of hydrocarbons and luckily not all of them are directly liable for the deactivation of catalysts. The sort and location of carbon atoms is more important than the amount generated when considering catalytic activity, according to Pinilla et al. [88]. Generally, only carbon encapsulation is directly liable for deactivation of the catalyst owing to active center coverage, while other carbon structures, such as carbon nanofilaments, can only cause operational issues when manufactured in big amounts as reactor blockage.
4.1 Kinetics and mechanistics of dry reforming approach
Studies of DRM’s kinetics and mechanisms were conducted to determine an appropriate reaction rate model, either empirically or on the basis of a theoretical response mechanism to best suit the relevant experimental information and possibly describe the response rate and the chemical process. This understanding can further optimize the design and layout of the chemical system catalysts (the reactor), which can further improve DRM’s overall development with more cost-effective technology [89]. Although, from a mechanistic point of perspective, steam reforming has received much attention, there has been a resurgence of interest in dry reforming over the previous centuries. A series of catalysts for DRM were researched as a consequence. This has resulted in a number of mechanistic measures for DRM being published in the literature. The DRM reaction mechanism was explored by Aldana et al. [90] over a Ni-based catalyst.
Aldana et al. reported that H2 dissociates on Ni0 locations while carbon dioxide is activated on ceria-zirconia assistance to generate carbonates that can be hydrogenated into formats and then into methoxy species. This mechanism includes weak fundamental support sites for carbon dioxide adsorption and includes a stable interface between metal and support. Compared to Ni-silica, which activates both carbon dioxide and hydrogen on Ni0 particles, these characteristics lead in much better operations of these catalysts [90]. This mechanism is also supported by Pan et al. [91]. Meanwhile, Ayodele et al. [92] conducted a DFT analysis of the DRM over Ru nanoparticles supported on TiO2 (101).
4.2 Influence of process variables on reaction rates
Extensive research was carried out to study the impacts of altering process variables on catalyst performance for the DRM reaction. This inquiry is essential as various process factors may result in variable catalyst performance [93]. The notion of activation energy should be considered as it will determine the response rate. Table 1 tabulates the activation energy (Ea) values of CH4 and CO2 obtained from different types of Ni-based catalysts in DRM. For most catalysts, the activation energy of CH4 is higher than that of CO2 since the molecules of CH4 are more stable than those of CO2. Therefore, more energy is required to activate the more stable molecules. Moreover, the basicity of the assistance for the catalyst has resulted to variations in the activation barrier. Kathiraser et al. [93] think the activation energy in DRM is fully dependent on the catalyst’s type of catalyst support, promoter and bimetallic interactions.
Ea values over several Ni-based catalysts for DRM reaction.
In the meantime, Cui et al. [100] conducted a thorough study of the DRM mechanism over Ni/α-Al2O3 using steady-state and transient kinetic methods at 550–750°C temperatures. Their results show that the CH4 dissociation and CO2 conversion Ea values could be classified as follows: low (550–575°C), middle (575–650°C) and high (650–750°C). In low and high temperature areas, the response was constant but fluctuated in the region of medium temperature. It is suggested that the dissociation of CH4 into CHx and hydrogen species in the Ni active sites at temperatures above 650°C has attained a level of balance. In addition to the activation energy, it is essential to correctly formulate the suitable catalyst’s inherent kinetic models based on basic measures in order to reach a compromise between economic feasibility and process effectiveness. However, this kinetics of reaction is affected by the reactants ‘mass transport. When eliminating the impact of mass transport, the conversions observed can be directly ascribed to the catalyst’s inherent kinetics.
According to Kathiraser et al. [93], distinct gas hourly space velocities (GHSVs) need to be tested to eliminate internal mass transport resistance. The aim of this experiment is to verify that the conversions have reached a stable value and that a further shift in GHSV does not influence the conversion of reactants. The contact time, which plays a significant part in CO2 and CH4 conversions, is another consideration. When the contact time value is high, CO2 or CH4 conversions stay unaffected. The particle size of the catalyst should be held as small as possible to eliminate inner mass transport resistance, so that a further reduction in size does not impact conversions.
Kim et al. [101], explored the use of a CO2-photoacoustic signal (PAS) to analyze kinetically the DRM reaction on a Ni catalyst supported on Al2O3 and TiO2. They discovered that the reason why mass flow rates low are used is because this method generates heat periodically because when a material absorbs a modulated laser beam, the photoacoustic signal is produced. It is essential to remember the characteristics of kinetic curves that act as the reaction mechanism’s blueprints. These include the point of inflection, a brief period of induction or breakpoints. No particular GHSV can be found from all the results to eliminate the impacts of constraints on mass transfer. This indicates that the development of inherent kinetic models is critical in preliminary research.
4.3 Catalysts for dry reforming approach
Numerous studies on the development of active and coking-resistant DRM reaction catalysts have been published [102, 103]. Common DRM catalysts are backed by noble metal catalysts like Ru, Rh and Pt and backed by transition metal catalysts like Ni and Co [104, 105, 106]. The calculations for the result showed that noble Ru and Rh metals exhibit greater activity than Ni as long as the particle sizes and dispersion are the same [106]. While noble metals such as Ru, Rh and Pt in the DRM response are very effective and more resistant to coking than other transition metals, they are not readily accessible and are also costly [104].
4.3.1 Nickel based catalyst material
Ni-based catalysts are the most frequently used for commercial purposes on an industrial scale. In order to commercialize the industrial sector DRM response, the primary focus is on developing inexpensive and cost-effective catalysts with high activity and high carbon deposition resistance. Researchers performed research on the sort of assistance used and the impacts of adding promoters to Ni-based catalysts in order to define the most efficient way to enhance their coking resistance. In addition, latest efforts to enhance catalytic activity and inhibit carbon formation are aimed at combining two or three metals as active locations [105, 107]. Pre-treatment process preparation method and catalyst also play a crucial role in altering structural characteristics, implementing behavior decrease and enhancing catalytic efficiency [108]. Besides establishing the Ni-based catalyst with certain modifying agents in the catalyst preparation, the incorporation of Ni particles in the mesoporous aid could also enhance the conversion of reactants and the yield of products by preventing the sintering of metal particles and improving the metal-supporting connection. This metal produces desirable results due to the high specific region of mesoporous materials which can increase the dispersion of Ni particles on the supported catalyst [109].
In addition, the strong interaction between metal and support stabilizes the Ni particles incorporated in the mesoporous matrix. Multiple contact regions between the Ni particles and the support could improve thermal stability and support metal cooperation and support. The incorporation of Ni-based catalysts into mesoporous supports such as MCM-41, SBA-16, TUD-1, meso-Al2O3 and meso-ZrO2 has, as reported in the literature, demonstrated high catalytic activity and high carbon resistance in DRM. Catalyst supports can also be synthesized from plants, which is crucial for the effectiveness of DRM catalysts. The use of polymers from trees has been an interesting region among scientists in latest years with the aim of increasing the velocity of chemical reactions. In addition to generating high-quality chemicals, catalysts installed on commonly accessible cellulose incur low manufacturing expenses [110].
Abimanyu et al. [111] reported that the main steps to synthesize catalyst supports are pretreatment and hydrolysis. Ni-based catalysts have been used industrially as metal precursors in DRM, but the need to refine the metal to improve catalyst performance has recently attracted the interest of many scientists, as these particles demonstrated promising physical and chemical properties with elevated technological applications potential.
The preparation technique significantly affected a catalyst’s physico-chemical characteristics and efficiency, according to Jang et al. [112]. It has therefore been noted that impregnation and co-precipitation are the most commonly used standard techniques of catalyst preparing. Another less prevalent technique for preparing catalysts is sol-gel, which generates a distribution of fine size. This method reduces the deactivation rate, offers high thermal resistance to agglomeration and creates a product of high quality compared to conventional methods.
A new non-thermal glow discharge plasma method has recently been developed to improve metal support interaction, boost the distribution of Ni particles and improve the activity and stability of the catalyst [113]. However, in comparison with simpler preparation techniques, plasma therapy is comparatively costly. This would improve the activity and stability of the catalyst in the DRM response by combining novel catalytic material and techniques.
Supported bimetallic catalysts demonstrate increased DRM activity and stability based on Zhang et al. [114] study. The preparation technique is one of the main variables responsible for the bimetallic catalyst’s outstanding catalytic results. During catalyst preparing, the use of high calcining temperature outcomes in strong interactions between metal and support, which converts the catalyst into stable frame-like constructions. In particular, carbon formation is efficiently blocked during the catalyst decrease by using Ni-Co alloy compared to using single Ni sites. The synthesis method of different catalysts also affects the reaction effectiveness. For example, the method of co-precipitation may produce smaller sizes of metal particles compared to the use of wet impregnation.
4.3.2 Catalysts developed for CO2 reforming
There are focuses on the development of DRM catalysts for catalysts with the following features: greater activity and greater stability towards coke formation, sintering, the formation of inactive chemical species and metal oxidation [115]. The catalytic efficiency could be improved by changing the catalyst’s active sites by adding supports and promoters during catalyst preparing to increase conversion and selectivity [116]. Table 2 shows several catalysts that have been developed recently, including Ni-based catalysts applied to the DRM reaction.
Deactivation of catalyst relates to loss of activity of catalyst during the response. It is the significant drawback of metal-based catalysts, as it not only creates product reductions that affect the response rate, but also costs industry millions of cash to replace the catalyst. Catalyst deactivation basically relates to three elements, according to Bartholomew and Farrauto [122] chemical, mechanical and thermal. Catalysts for metal reforming are frequently deactivated by coking, poisoning, fouling and sintering. Table 3 describes the mechanisms of catalyst deactivation.
4.4.1 Poisoning
Poisoning relates to the powerful adsorption in the feed of chemical substances such as impurities. Poisoning of catalysts may be reversible (temporary) or irreversible (permanent) [122]. The catalyst may be retrieved by air oxidation or steaming to wash its surface for reversible toxicity. For irreversible poisoning, however, the toxins cannot be removed, so replacing current catalysts with a fresh batch is essential. Sulfur species such as hydrogen sulfide are common poisons in all catalytic processes with reduced metals as the active site. S-poisoning, as in procedures of F-T synthesis and steam reform, is always a disaster.
In 2011, Bartholomew and Farrauto illustrated the mechanism of sulfur poisoning [122]. Firstly, the S atom adsorbs or blocks the reaction or active sites of the catalyst physically (geometric effect). Then, the S atom alters the metal atoms electronically. The metal ions subsequently alter their adsorbability or their capacity to dissociate with reactant molecules like H2 and CO. The S atom also alters the surface area and creates major catalytic characteristics alterations. This hinders the accessibility of adsorbed reactants to each other and thus slows down the adsorbed reactants’ surface propagation. Table 4 describes the typical poisons of industrial catalysts for different types of reaction. The avoidance of sulfur toxicity and sulfur strength can be improved by modifying the structure of the catalysts by incorporating certain additives, such as molybdenum and boron, which adsorb sulfur selectively or change the response circumstances. According to Bartholomew and Farrauto [122], reduction in the temperature of steam reforming over Ni/Al2O3 catalysts from 800 to 500°C will decrease the strength of S adsorption, hence reducing sulfur poisoning from 5 ppm to only 0.01 ppm.
Mechanism
Type
Definition
Poisoning
Chemical
Strong chemisorption of species on catalytic sites, thereby blocking sites for catalytic reaction
Fouling
Mechanical
Physical deposition of species from fluid phase onto the catalytic surface and in catalyst pores
Thermal degradation (Sintering)
Thermal
Thermally induced loss of the catalytic surface area due to crystalline growth, support area and active phase support reactions
Vapor formation
Chemical
Reaction of gas with catalyst phase to produce volatile compound
Vapor-solid and solid-solid reactions
Chemical
Reaction of fluid, support, or promoter with catalytic phase to produce inactive phase
Attrition/crushing
Mechanical
Loss of catalytic material due to abrasion Loss of internal surface area due to mechanical induced crushing of the catalyst particle
Table 3.
Mechanisms of catalyst deactivation.
Reactions
Catalyst
Poisons
Steam reforming
Ni/Al2O3, Ni
H2S, As, HCl
CO hydrogenation
Ni, CO, Fe
H2S, As, COS, NH3, HCN, metal carbonyls
Automotive catalytic converters
Pt, Pd
Pb, P, Zn, S
Ammonia synthesis
Fe
CO, CO2, H2O, O2, S, C2H2, Bi, Se, Te, P, VSO4
Catalytic cracking
SiO2-Al2O3, Zeolites
Organic bases, NH3, hydrocarbon, Na, heavy metals
Table 4.
Poisons of the industrial catalysts.
4.4.2 Sintering effect (thermal degradation)
Bartholomew and Farrauto [122], Christensen et al. [123], and Argyle and Bartholomew [124] describe the sintering of a heterogeneous catalyst as the loss of the catalytic layer, which is generally irreversible owing to the development of crystallite either on the supporting material or after thermal degradation in the active stage. Bartholomew and Farrauto [122] revealed two significant sintering parameters. The first is the sintering of temperature, including above the catalyst atmospheric temperature. The next is the sintering rate, which is impacted by the support structure and morphology, the metal particle size distribution, and the support’s phase transition. These two catalyst sintering processes are crystallite migration (coalescence) and nuclear or vapor transport (ripening of Ostwald). Christensen et al. [123] outlined that crystallite migration involves entire crystallite migration followed by collision and coalescence. In the meantime, Argyle and Bartholomew [124] addressed that Ostwald ripening relates to the migration of metal transport species emitted from one crystallite over the assistance or through the gas phase and caught by another crystallite. The author also stated that the sintering method is due to elevated temperatures and that owing to the presence of water vapor there is an increase in the sintering speed. Due to sintering impacts, Figure 7 demonstrates the conceptual models of crystallite development.
Figure 7.
Conceptual models for crystallite growth due to sintering by (A) Ostwald ripening and (B) crystallite migration (adapted from Ref. [124]).
Lif and Skoglundh [125] found that the co-impregnation of nickel catalysts with the oxides of alkali metals, alkaline earths or lanthanides suppresses the sintering effect. In addition, it was also shown that the catalyst preparation sequential impregnation technique improves the catalyst’s stability towards sintering. To conclude, it is extremely desirable that it possesses the following characteristics for the growth of a fresh catalyst: heat resistance, coking resistance and stability in syngas manufacturing.
4.4.3 Carbon deposition
Fouling is a physical (mechanical) deactivation that causes the loss of catalyst activity owing to coke deposition that blocks the reactive sites. Steam reforming utilizes catalysts primarily based on Ni. Coke deposition is a prevalent cause of deactivation of Ni-based catalysts. Temperature-programmed hydrogenation (TPH) and Temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) methods are used to analyze carbon deposition on the used catalyst. The methods of TPH and TPO are used to define the features of the kinds of carbon species created during reaction on the catalysts [126]. According to Bartholomew and Farrauto [122], the types of carbon that may be formed during reforming areCα, Cβ, CV, Cγ and CC (see Table 5).
Forms and reactivity of carbon formed by decomposition of CO on Ni.
CH4 cracking (Eq. (1)) and CO disproportionation are the two primary reasons for coke deposition during DRM (Eq. (6)). There are three possible carbon fouling mechanisms for the metal catalyst. The first mechanism is carbon, which deposits reactive sites on the catalyst and impedes binding of the reactants to the active locations. The carbon would otherwise encapsulate the catalyst’s reactive site and deactivate the catalysts. Another deactivation option resides in the coke being deposited in the catalyst pores, thereby stopping the reactants from crystallizing on it. The third mechanism involves carbon-forming needle-like filaments in the active site of the nickel catalyst, to some extent breaking the catalysts. Figure 8 shows the conceptual model of the mechanisms of carbon fouling of a catalyst.
Figure 8.
Conceptual models of fouling, crystalline encapsulation and pore plugging of a supported metal catalyst (adapted from Ref [124]).
Quincoces et al. [135] used DRM catalyst Ni/γ-Al2O3. They found that there were no rises in carbon deposition while the molar ratio of the reactants, CH4/CO2, was maintained in unity. This finding shows that by changing the response circumstances, such as the molar ratio of reactant feed, carbon deposition can be minimized. In their research, they discovered that a filamentous or whisker-like morphology was shown by the carbon deposit on Ni/γ-Al2O3. This finding is comparable to Kępiński et al. [136] reporting. Meanwhile, on a backed metal catalyst, Toebes et al. [137] recorded carbon formation with metal crystallites in addition to carbon filaments. The growth of carbon filaments has pushed the metal crystallites from the surface of the catalyst support.
Ito et al. [138] also proposed that CO2 could reduce the impacts of the fouling system. While the increasing carbon filaments remove the Ni metal, the introduced CO2 responds to CO through a reverse-Boudouard response with the carbon whiskers. One of the findings of their study was that after the removal of the carbon whisker, there is a decrease in bulk Ni. This renders the catalyst to be inactive for carbon deposition. However, there is an increase in the reforming activity of CH4, which is due to the newly exposed Ni active sites from the bulk Ni.
Cheng et al. [139] report a reduction in the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and the amount of pore used carbon catalyst. As a result of this phenomenon, catalyst activity is lost. Wagner et al. [140] noted that a vapor reforming catalyst’s acidity is proportional to its coke formation tendency. They also asserted that using basic support or basic mixed oxide support named K, the coking strength of the reforming catalysts could be improved. Li et al. [141] and Zanganeh et al. [142] also endorsed this argument, whereby nickel catalyst deactivation can be weakened if the nickel is backed by a strong Lewis base oxide like MgO, CaO, SrO or BaO.
Subsequently, the present research project introduces DRM to investigate the level of resistance of the catalyst towards carbon formation. Zanganeh et al. [142] suggested that an increase in the CO2/CH4 ratio during DRM and increasing the temperature to a high level may minimize carbon formation thermodynamically.
Ito et al. [138] also agreed that the increased CO2-to-CH4 feed ratio would eliminate the CH4 decomposition reaction. Koo et al. [143] found that introducing less than 1wt percent of Mg into the Ni catalyst would enhance their coking strength. Adding promoter like Mo could therefore allay the coke formation phenomenon on the Ni catalyst. Another proposal to reduce the carbon deposition of a catalyst with a small surface area is to reduce the Ni load of the assistance. A CO2/CH4 molar ratio of more than 3.0 should be used to prevent the boudouard reaction.
5. Conclusion
Throughout this work, it has been shown that biogas is a very interesting source of renewable energy. Because of its elevated CH4 content, biogas has excellent potential, as reflected in its year-over-year rise in production. This is because its manufacturing promotes the use of organic waste, prevents uncontrolled dumping and minimizes atmospheric CH4 and CO2 emissions. In addition, its use as an energy source is in some cases an alternative to fossil fuels and can help to minimize energy dependence. Another aspect of interest is that it can be used insitu, allowing agro-livestock farms or small industrial plants to achieve energy self-sufficiency. A lot of studies on DRM over Ni-based catalysts has been carried out in latest decades to better comprehend the mechanism and techniques of response to improve carbon deposition resistance. Several methods were suggested to minimize the trend of Ni-based catalyst coke formation. One is the use of the appropriate catalyst preparation technique. Another is the use of metal oxides with strong Lewis basicity as supports or promoters (since Lewis acidity is identified to encourage coke buildup). Future study in this area is likely to focus on the use of catalysts based on bimetallic nickel, such as the incorporation of Co with Ni catalyst.
The bimetallic catalysts showed stable activity and elevated inactivation resistance, although carbon deposition occurs. Catalyst activity should be considered, as the primary reason for catalytic inactivation is the encapsulating carbon, which is deposited directly in the catalyst’s active places instead of the carrier’s surface. Also, when it is generated in large quantities, it can cause clogging of the reactor. The problem of carbon formation is exacerbated when biogas is used for this process, because the CH4:CO2 ratio of biogas is greater than that which can lead to the formation of large carbon deposits in a short time. However, carbon atoms are more essential in type and place than the quantity of carbon generated. Averting the deposition of carbon is therefore a challenging task. Also, this problem can be addressed from a completely different perspective. Rather than trying to avert carbon formation, it can be promoted as carbon filamentous. Previously, many researchers have effectively accomplished the synthesis of carbon filamentous thru electric arc-discharge and laser ablation and chemical vapor deposition techniques. Nevertheless, the cost-efficient and the controlled synthesis of carbon filamentous with varies morphologies by those techniques has not been reported.
Given the broad range of applications and the growing demand for biogas in different areas, the superb characteristics of biogas indicate its growing potential as a source of syngas for a broad range of renewable energies, where high purity and low manufacturing costs are significant factors. Thus, producing high-purity syngas and the controlled production of value-added carbon filamentous over cheap, efficient, tunable and simply synthesized catalysts is very important and is the main interest in this subject.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge UKM, grant number (FRGS/1/2019/TK02/UKM/01/2), for financial support and for material analysis.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
\n',keywords:"biogas, catalyst, renewable energy, decomposition, syngas, carbon nanofilaments",chapterPDFUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/79885.pdf",chapterXML:"https://mts.intechopen.com/source/xml/79885.xml",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/79885",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/79885",totalDownloads:112,totalViews:0,totalCrossrefCites:1,dateSubmitted:"September 29th 2021",dateReviewed:"October 20th 2021",datePrePublished:"January 3rd 2022",datePublished:"June 28th 2022",dateFinished:"January 3rd 2022",readingETA:"0",abstract:"The possibility of alleviation of methane and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are of major global interest. One of the alternatives that attracts much scientific attention is their chemical utilization, especially because both of these gases are components of the biogas. Thus, the rapid and extensive shale gas development makes them abundant raw materials. The development of an effective catalytic process that could be scaled-up for industrial purposes remains a great challenge for catalysis. As well, understanding of the mechanisms of molecular activation and the reaction pathways over active centers on heterogeneous catalysts needs to be advanced. It has been shown that biogas is a very interesting source of renewable energy. Because of its elevated methane content, biogas has excellent potential, as reflected in its year-over-year rise in production. This is because its manufacturing promotes the use of organic waste, prevents uncontrolled dumping and minimizes atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, its use as an energy source is in some cases an alternative to fossil fuels and can help to minimize energy dependence. Another aspect of interest is that it can be used in situ, allowing agro-livestock farms or small industrial plants to achieve energy self-sufficiency.",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",bibtexUrl:"/chapter/bibtex/79885",risUrl:"/chapter/ris/79885",signatures:"Buthainah Ali Al-Timimi and Zahira Yaakob",book:{id:"10686",type:"book",title:"Natural Gas",subtitle:"New Perspectives and Future Developments",fullTitle:"Natural Gas - New Perspectives and Future Developments",slug:"natural-gas-new-perspectives-and-future-developments",publishedDate:"June 28th 2022",bookSignature:"Maryam Takht Ravanchi",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10686.jpg",licenceType:"CC BY 3.0",editedByType:"Edited by",isbn:"978-1-78985-504-3",printIsbn:"978-1-78985-503-6",pdfIsbn:"978-1-83962-748-4",isAvailableForWebshopOrdering:!0,editors:[{id:"2416",title:"Dr.",name:"Maryam",middleName:null,surname:"Takht Ravanchi",slug:"maryam-takht-ravanchi",fullName:"Maryam Takht Ravanchi"}],productType:{id:"1",title:"Edited Volume",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},authors:[{id:"77958",title:"Prof.",name:"Zahira",middleName:null,surname:"Yaakob",fullName:"Zahira Yaakob",slug:"zahira-yaakob",email:"zahira65@yahoo.com",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",institution:{name:"National University of Malaysia",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Malaysia"}}},{id:"423227",title:"Dr.",name:"Buthainah",middleName:"Ali",surname:"Ali Al-Timimi",fullName:"Buthainah Ali Al-Timimi",slug:"buthainah-ali-al-timimi",email:"buthainahali@gmail.com",position:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/423227/images/17275_n.jpg",institution:null}],sections:[{id:"sec_1",title:"1. Introduction",level:"1"},{id:"sec_2",title:"2. Energy and environment: current and difficult situations",level:"1"},{id:"sec_2_2",title:"2.1 Biogas",level:"2"},{id:"sec_3_2",title:"2.2 Catalytic decomposition of biogas",level:"2"},{id:"sec_4_2",title:"2.3 Chemistry of carbon dioxide",level:"2"},{id:"sec_5_2",title:"2.4 Syngas",level:"2"},{id:"sec_6_2",title:"2.5 Carbon nanofilaments",level:"2"},{id:"sec_8",title:"3. Current reforming technologies",level:"1"},{id:"sec_8_2",title:"3.1 Steam reforming",level:"2"},{id:"sec_9_2",title:"3.2 Partial oxidation of methane",level:"2"},{id:"sec_11",title:"4. Dry reforming of methane",level:"1"},{id:"sec_11_2",title:"4.1 Kinetics and mechanistics of dry reforming approach",level:"2"},{id:"sec_12_2",title:"4.2 Influence of process variables on reaction rates",level:"2"},{id:"sec_13_2",title:"4.3 Catalysts for dry reforming approach",level:"2"},{id:"sec_13_3",title:"4.3.1 Nickel based catalyst material",level:"3"},{id:"sec_14_3",title:"Table 2.",level:"3"},{id:"sec_16_2",title:"4.4 Catalyst deactivation",level:"2"},{id:"sec_16_3",title:"Table 3.",level:"3"},{id:"sec_17_3",title:"4.4.2 Sintering effect (thermal degradation)",level:"3"},{id:"sec_18_3",title:"Table 5.",level:"3"},{id:"sec_21",title:"5. Conclusion",level:"1"},{id:"sec_22",title:"Acknowledgments",level:"1"},{id:"sec_25",title:"Conflict of interest",level:"1"}],chapterReferences:[{id:"B1",body:'Tanksale A, Beltramini JN, Lu GM. A review of catalytic hydrogen production processes from biomass. 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Carbon. 2000;38:1845-1856'},{id:"B137",body:'Toebes M, Bitter J, de Jong K. Impact of the structure and reactivity of nickel particles on the catalytic growth of carbon nanofibers. Catalysis Today. 2002;76:33-42'},{id:"B138",body:'Ito M, Tagawa T, Goto S. Suppression of carbonaceous depositions on nickel catalyst for the carbon dioxide reforming of methane. Applied Catalysis A: General. 1999;177:15-23'},{id:"B139",body:'Cheng C, Foo S, Adesina A. Carbon deposition on bimetallic Co-Ni/Al2O3 catalyst during steam reforming of glycerol. Catalysis Today. 2011;164:268-274'},{id:"B140",body:'Wagner A, Osborne R, Wagner J. Prediction of deactivation rates and mechanisms of reforming catalysts. Preprints of Papers-American Chemical Society, Division of Fuel Chemistry. 2003;48:748-749'},{id:"B141",body:'Li X, Hu Q, Yang Y, Wang Y, He F. Studies on stability and coking resistance of Ni/BaTiO3-Al2O3 catalysts for lower temperature dry reforming of methane (LTDRM). 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Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Chemical and Process Engineering Department, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Malaysia
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Research Center for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Malaysia
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Chemical and Process Engineering Department, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Malaysia
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Research Center for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Malaysia
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UK Research and Innovation (former Research Councils UK (RCUK) - including AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC, EPSRC, MRC, NERC, STFC.) Processing charges for books/book chapters can be covered through RCUK block grants which are allocated to most universities in the UK, which then handle the OA publication funding requests. It is at the discretion of the university whether it will approve the request.)
Wellcome Trust (Funding available only to Wellcome-funded researchers/grantees)
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Finally, some properties and potential applications that have been achieved in polymer nanocomposites will be highlighted.",book:{id:"6854",slug:"nanocomposites-recent-evolutions",title:"Nanocomposites",fullTitle:"Nanocomposites - Recent Evolutions"},signatures:"Amanda Dantas de Oliveira and Cesar Augusto Gonçalves Beatrice",authors:[{id:"249768",title:"Ph.D.",name:"Amanda",middleName:null,surname:"Oliveira",slug:"amanda-oliveira",fullName:"Amanda Oliveira"},{id:"254512",title:"Ph.D.",name:"Cesar",middleName:"Augusto Gonçalves",surname:"Beatrice",slug:"cesar-beatrice",fullName:"Cesar Beatrice"}]},{id:"38951",title:"Carbon Nanotube Transparent Electrode",slug:"carbon-nanotube-transparent-electrode",totalDownloads:4027,totalCrossrefCites:3,totalDimensionsCites:5,abstract:null,book:{id:"3077",slug:"syntheses-and-applications-of-carbon-nanotubes-and-their-composites",title:"Syntheses and Applications of Carbon Nanotubes and Their Composites",fullTitle:"Syntheses and Applications of Carbon Nanotubes and Their Composites"},signatures:"Jing Sun and Ranran Wang",authors:[{id:"153508",title:"Prof.",name:"Jing",middleName:null,surname:"Sun",slug:"jing-sun",fullName:"Jing Sun"},{id:"153596",title:"Ms.",name:"Ranran",middleName:null,surname:"Wang",slug:"ranran-wang",fullName:"Ranran Wang"}]}],onlineFirstChaptersFilter:{topicId:"17",limit:6,offset:0},onlineFirstChaptersCollection:[{id:"82277",title:"Application of Iron Oxide in Supercapacitor",slug:"application-of-iron-oxide-in-supercapacitor",totalDownloads:5,totalDimensionsCites:0,doi:"10.5772/intechopen.105001",abstract:"Iron oxide nanostructures have been considered very promising material as electrode in electrochemical energy storage devices because of their lower cost of synthesis and high theoretical charge storage capacity. Iron oxide nanoparticles and their nanocomposites have performed excellent in supercapacitor. Iron oxide as negative electrode has extended the working voltage window of a supercapacitor. The main problems associated with iron oxide based electrodes are their poor electrical conductivity and cycle stability. Therefore, a conductive carbon matrix has been added to the iron oxide based electrodes to improve the electrochemical performance. In this chapter, recent progress on iron oxide and its composite with different materials as electrode in supercapacitor is summarized. The various synergistic effects of nanocomposites and compositional engineering to enhance the electrochemical performance of iron oxide are also discussed.",book:{id:"10824",title:"Iron Oxide Nanoparticles",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10824.jpg"},signatures:"Rajan Lakra, Rahul Kumar, Parasanta Kumar Sahoo, Sandeep Kumar and Ankur Soam"},{id:"82030",title:"Magnetite Nanoparticles (Fe3O4) for Radio-Frequency and Microwave Applications",slug:"magnetite-nanoparticles-fe3o4-for-radio-frequency-and-microwave-applications",totalDownloads:8,totalDimensionsCites:0,doi:"10.5772/intechopen.104930",abstract:"The size and shape dependent tunable electromagnetic (EM) properties of magnetite – Fe3O4 nanoparticles makes them an attractive material for various future electronics and biomedical device applications such as tunable attenuators, miniaturized isolators and circulators, RF antennas, EM shielding, and biomedical implants etc. The strategic design of RF devices requires specific dielectric and magnetic properties according to the applications, which in turn depends on the size and shape of the particles. At nanoscale, iron oxide’s magnetic and dielectric properties are very different from its bulk properties and can be tuned and enhanced by utilizing different synthesis approaches. In this chapter, we summarize electromagnetic properties of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanomaterials such as, complex permeability, complex permittivity, magnetic and dielectric loss tangents, saturation magnetization, temperature dependence, and ferromagnetic resonance; and how these properties can be optimized by varying different synthesis parameters. Finally, Fe3O4 nanocomposites will be explored by using different synthesis approaches for implementation of RF and microwave applications and we will conclude the chapter with future recommendations.",book:{id:"10824",title:"Iron Oxide Nanoparticles",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10824.jpg"},signatures:"Poonam Lathiya and Jing Wang"},{id:"81878",title:"Recent Progress and Overview of Nanocomposites",slug:"recent-progress-and-overview-of-nanocomposites",totalDownloads:18,totalDimensionsCites:0,doi:"10.5772/intechopen.102469",abstract:"Nanocomposites are versatile materials because of possessing superior properties as compared to their parent materials. Due to their improved electrical, mechanical, thermomechanical, electronic, optoelectronic, thermal, and magnetic properties, these materials are receiving much attention from researchers all over the world. In every field, the focus of the research is to develop such materials which have low weight, superior strength, and enhanced performance as well as cost competitiveness in comparison to existing materials. The nanocomposite materials have been used in the fields of avionics, biomedical, auto industry, sports industry, oil/gas, construction, food industry, agriculture industry, and information technology. This chapter addresses the synthesis, unique properties, and diverse applications of nanocomposites in different fields.",book:{id:"10825",title:"Nanocomposite Materials",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10825.jpg"},signatures:"Muhammad Hafeez"},{id:"81328",title:"Nanocomposites Thin Films: Manufacturing and Applications",slug:"nanocomposites-thin-films-manufacturing-and-applications",totalDownloads:14,totalDimensionsCites:0,doi:"10.5772/intechopen.103961",abstract:"Thin films of nanocomposite materials arouse a lot of interest due to their excellent mechanical, electrical, optical, tribological properties and also by the vast field of application. This chapter covers some techniques of thin films growth, such as the processes of physical vapor deposition, such as magnetron sputtering; the processes of chemical vapor deposition; layer-by-layer; among other techniques. Additionally, relevant features and applications of some nanocomposites thin films are presented. The wide variety of thin films growth techniques have allowed the development of several devices including those that act as: transistors, actuators, sensors, solar cells, devices with shape memory effect, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), thermoelectric devices.",book:{id:"10825",title:"Nanocomposite Materials",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10825.jpg"},signatures:"Weslley Rick Viana Sampaio, Petteson Linniker Carvalho Serra, Noelio Oliveira Dantas, Rômulo Ríbeiro Magalhães de Sousa and Anielle Christine Almeida Silva"},{id:"81463",title:"Perovskite-Based Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites for Photocatalytic Decontamination of Water",slug:"perovskite-based-nanomaterials-and-nanocomposites-for-photocatalytic-decontamination-of-water",totalDownloads:27,totalDimensionsCites:0,doi:"10.5772/intechopen.102824",abstract:"The exploration of functional nanomaterials with superior catalytic activity for practical photocatalytic water decontamination is of significant importance. Perovskite-based nanomaterials, which demonstrate excellent photophysical and catalytic properties, are widely investigated as a class of adaptable materials for the photocatalytic degradation of environmental pollutants. This chapter introduces the recent progresses in using perovskite-based nanocomposites with particular emphasis on the applications for effective photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater. It starts by presenting the general principles and mechanisms governing photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in water by perovskite, along with the design criteria for perovskite-based nanocomposites. It then explains various strategies used to prepare perovskite-based nanocomposites with the aim of enhancing their photocatalytic activity. By the end of the chapter, the remaining challenges and perspectives for developing efficient perovskite-based photocatalysts with potential large-scale application are highlighted.",book:{id:"10825",title:"Nanocomposite Materials",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10825.jpg"},signatures:"Yousef Faraj and Ruzhen Xie"},{id:"81438",title:"Research Progress of Ionic Thermoelectric Materials for Energy Harvesting",slug:"research-progress-of-ionic-thermoelectric-materials-for-energy-harvesting",totalDownloads:38,totalDimensionsCites:0,doi:"10.5772/intechopen.101771",abstract:"Thermoelectric material is a kind of functional material that can mutually convert heat energy and electric energy. It can convert low-grade heat energy (less than 130°C) into electric energy. Compared with traditional electronic thermoelectric materials, ionic thermoelectric materials have higher performance. The Seebeck coefficient can generate 2–3 orders of magnitude higher ionic thermoelectric potential than electronic thermoelectric materials, so it has good application prospects in small thermoelectric generators and solar power generation. According to the thermoelectric conversion mechanism, ionic thermoelectric materials can be divided into ionic thermoelectric materials based on the Soret effect and thermocouple effect. They are widely used in pyrogen batteries and ionic thermoelectric capacitors. The latest two types of ionic thermoelectric materials are in this article. The research progress is explained, and the problems and challenges of ionic thermoelectric materials and the future development direction are also put forward.",book:{id:"10037",title:"Thermoelectricity - Recent Advances, New Perspectives and Applications",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10037.jpg"},signatures:"Jianwei Zhang, Ying Xiao, Bowei Lei, Gengyuan Liang and Wenshu Zhao"}],onlineFirstChaptersTotal:24},preDownload:{success:null,errors:{}},subscriptionForm:{success:null,errors:{}},aboutIntechopen:{},privacyPolicy:{},peerReviewing:{},howOpenAccessPublishingWithIntechopenWorks:{},sponsorshipBooks:{sponsorshipBooks:[],offset:0,limit:8,total:null},allSeries:{pteSeriesList:[],lsSeriesList:[],hsSeriesList:[],sshSeriesList:[],testimonialsList:[]},series:{item:{id:"14",title:"Artificial Intelligence",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.79920",issn:"2633-1403",scope:"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing multidisciplinary research area that aims to solve increasingly complex problems. In today's highly integrated world, AI promises to become a robust and powerful means for obtaining solutions to previously unsolvable problems. This Series is intended for researchers and students alike interested in this fascinating field and its many applications.",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series/covers/14.jpg",latestPublicationDate:"June 11th, 2022",hasOnlineFirst:!0,numberOfPublishedBooks:9,editor:{id:"218714",title:"Prof.",name:"Andries",middleName:null,surname:"Engelbrecht",slug:"andries-engelbrecht",fullName:"Andries Engelbrecht",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRNR8QAO/Profile_Picture_1622640468300",biography:"Andries Engelbrecht received the Masters and PhD degrees in Computer Science from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, in 1994 and 1999 respectively. He is currently appointed as the Voigt Chair in Data Science in the Department of Industrial Engineering, with a joint appointment as Professor in the Computer Science Division, Stellenbosch University. Prior to his appointment at Stellenbosch University, he has been at the University of Pretoria, Department of Computer Science (1998-2018), where he was appointed as South Africa Research Chair in Artifical Intelligence (2007-2018), the head of the Department of Computer Science (2008-2017), and Director of the Institute for Big Data and Data Science (2017-2018). In addition to a number of research articles, he has written two books, Computational Intelligence: An Introduction and Fundamentals of Computational Swarm Intelligence.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Stellenbosch University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"South Africa"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null},subseries:{paginationCount:6,paginationItems:[{id:"22",title:"Applied Intelligence",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/22.jpg",isOpenForSubmission:!0,annualVolume:11418,editor:{id:"27170",title:"Prof.",name:"Carlos",middleName:"M.",surname:"Travieso-Gonzalez",slug:"carlos-travieso-gonzalez",fullName:"Carlos Travieso-Gonzalez",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/27170/images/system/27170.jpeg",biography:"Carlos M. Travieso-González received his MSc degree in Telecommunication Engineering at Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Spain in 1997, and his Ph.D. degree in 2002 at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC-Spain). He is a full professor of signal processing and pattern recognition and is head of the Signals and Communications Department at ULPGC, teaching from 2001 on subjects on signal processing and learning theory. His research lines are biometrics, biomedical signals and images, data mining, classification system, signal and image processing, machine learning, and environmental intelligence. He has researched in 52 international and Spanish research projects, some of them as head researcher. He is co-author of 4 books, co-editor of 27 proceedings books, guest editor for 8 JCR-ISI international journals, and up to 24 book chapters. He has over 450 papers published in international journals and conferences (81 of them indexed on JCR – ISI - Web of Science). He has published seven patents in the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. He has been a supervisor on 8 Ph.D. theses (11 more are under supervision), and 130 master theses. He is the founder of The IEEE IWOBI conference series and the president of its Steering Committee, as well as the founder of both the InnoEducaTIC and APPIS conference series. He is an evaluator of project proposals for the European Union (H2020), Medical Research Council (MRC, UK), Spanish Government (ANECA, Spain), Research National Agency (ANR, France), DAAD (Germany), Argentinian Government, and the Colombian Institutions. He has been a reviewer in different indexed international journals (<70) and conferences (<250) since 2001. He has been a member of the IASTED Technical Committee on Image Processing from 2007 and a member of the IASTED Technical Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems from 2011. \n\nHe has held the general chair position for the following: ACM-APPIS (2020, 2021), IEEE-IWOBI (2019, 2020 and 2020), A PPIS (2018, 2019), IEEE-IWOBI (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018), InnoEducaTIC (2014, 2017), IEEE-INES (2013), NoLISP (2011), JRBP (2012), and IEEE-ICCST (2005)\n\nHe is an associate editor of the Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience Journal (Hindawi – Q2 JCR-ISI). He was vice dean from 2004 to 2010 in the Higher Technical School of Telecommunication Engineers at ULPGC and the vice dean of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies from March 2013 to November 2017. He won the “Catedra Telefonica” Awards in Modality of Knowledge Transfer, 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions, and awards in Modality of COVID Research in 2020.\n\nPublic References:\nResearcher ID http://www.researcherid.com/rid/N-5967-2014\nORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4621-2768 \nScopus Author ID https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=6602376272\nScholar Google https://scholar.google.es/citations?user=G1ks9nIAAAAJ&hl=en \nResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carlos_Travieso",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Spain"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null},{id:"23",title:"Computational Neuroscience",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/23.jpg",isOpenForSubmission:!0,annualVolume:11419,editor:{id:"14004",title:"Dr.",name:"Magnus",middleName:null,surname:"Johnsson",slug:"magnus-johnsson",fullName:"Magnus Johnsson",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/14004/images/system/14004.png",biography:"Dr Magnus Johnsson is a cross-disciplinary scientist, lecturer, scientific editor and AI/machine learning consultant from Sweden. \n\nHe is currently at Malmö University in Sweden, but also held positions at Lund University in Sweden and at Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. \nHe holds editorial positions at several international scientific journals and has served as a scientific editor for books and special journal issues. \nHis research interests are wide and include, but are not limited to, autonomous systems, computer modeling, artificial neural networks, artificial intelligence, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive robotics, cognitive architectures, cognitive aids and the philosophy of mind. \n\nDr. Johnsson has experience from working in the industry and he has a keen interest in the application of neural networks and artificial intelligence to fields like industry, finance, and medicine. \n\nWeb page: www.magnusjohnsson.se",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Malmö University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Sweden"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null},{id:"24",title:"Computer Vision",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/24.jpg",isOpenForSubmission:!0,annualVolume:11420,editor:{id:"294154",title:"Prof.",name:"George",middleName:null,surname:"Papakostas",slug:"george-papakostas",fullName:"George Papakostas",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002hYaGbQAK/Profile_Picture_1624519712088",biography:"George A. Papakostas has received a diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1999 and the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2002 and 2007, respectively, from the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Greece. Dr. Papakostas serves as a Tenured Full Professor at the Department of Computer Science, International Hellenic University, Greece. Dr. Papakostas has 10 years of experience in large-scale systems design as a senior software engineer and technical manager, and 20 years of research experience in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Currently, he is the Head of the “Visual Computing” division of HUman-MAchines INteraction Laboratory (HUMAIN-Lab) and the Director of the MPhil program “Advanced Technologies in Informatics and Computers” hosted by the Department of Computer Science, International Hellenic University. He has (co)authored more than 150 publications in indexed journals, international conferences and book chapters, 1 book (in Greek), 3 edited books, and 5 journal special issues. His publications have more than 2100 citations with h-index 27 (GoogleScholar). His research interests include computer/machine vision, machine learning, pattern recognition, computational intelligence. \nDr. Papakostas served as a reviewer in numerous journals, as a program\ncommittee member in international conferences and he is a member of the IAENG, MIR Labs, EUCogIII, INSTICC and the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE).",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"International Hellenic University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Greece"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null},{id:"25",title:"Evolutionary Computation",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/25.jpg",isOpenForSubmission:!0,annualVolume:11421,editor:{id:"136112",title:"Dr.",name:"Sebastian",middleName:null,surname:"Ventura Soto",slug:"sebastian-ventura-soto",fullName:"Sebastian Ventura Soto",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/136112/images/system/136112.png",biography:"Sebastian Ventura is a Spanish researcher, a full professor with the Department of Computer Science and Numerical Analysis, University of Córdoba. Dr Ventura also holds the positions of Affiliated Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, USA) and Distinguished Adjunct Professor at King Abdulaziz University (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia). Additionally, he is deputy director of the Andalusian Research Institute in Data Science and Computational Intelligence (DaSCI) and heads the Knowledge Discovery and Intelligent Systems Research Laboratory. He has published more than ten books and over 300 articles in journals and scientific conferences. Currently, his work has received over 18,000 citations according to Google Scholar, including more than 2200 citations in 2020. In the last five years, he has published more than 60 papers in international journals indexed in the JCR (around 70% of them belonging to first quartile journals) and he has edited some Springer books “Supervised Descriptive Pattern Mining” (2018), “Multiple Instance Learning - Foundations and Algorithms” (2016), and “Pattern Mining with Evolutionary Algorithms” (2016). He has also been involved in more than 20 research projects supported by the Spanish and Andalusian governments and the European Union. He currently belongs to the editorial board of PeerJ Computer Science, Information Fusion and Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence journals, being also associate editor of Applied Computational Intelligence and Soft Computing and IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics. Finally, he is editor-in-chief of Progress in Artificial Intelligence. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE Computer, the IEEE Computational Intelligence, and the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Societies, and the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). Finally, his main research interests include data science, computational intelligence, and their applications.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Córdoba",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Spain"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null},{id:"26",title:"Machine Learning and Data Mining",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/26.jpg",isOpenForSubmission:!0,annualVolume:11422,editor:{id:"24555",title:"Dr.",name:"Marco Antonio",middleName:null,surname:"Aceves Fernandez",slug:"marco-antonio-aceves-fernandez",fullName:"Marco Antonio Aceves Fernandez",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/24555/images/system/24555.jpg",biography:"Dr. Marco Antonio Aceves Fernandez obtained his B.Sc. (Eng.) in Telematics from the Universidad de Colima, Mexico. He obtained both his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Liverpool, England, in the field of Intelligent Systems. He is a full professor at the Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Mexico, and a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI) since 2009. Dr. Aceves Fernandez has published more than 80 research papers as well as a number of book chapters and congress papers. He has contributed in more than 20 funded research projects, both academic and industrial, in the area of artificial intelligence, ranging from environmental, biomedical, automotive, aviation, consumer, and robotics to other applications. He is also a honorary president at the National Association of Embedded Systems (AMESE), a senior member of the IEEE, and a board member of many institutions. His research interests include intelligent and embedded systems.",institutionString:"Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro",institution:{name:"Autonomous University of Queretaro",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Mexico"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null},{id:"27",title:"Multi-Agent Systems",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/27.jpg",isOpenForSubmission:!0,annualVolume:11423,editor:{id:"148497",title:"Dr.",name:"Mehmet",middleName:"Emin",surname:"Aydin",slug:"mehmet-aydin",fullName:"Mehmet Aydin",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/148497/images/system/148497.jpg",biography:"Dr. Mehmet Emin Aydin is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Computer Science and Creative Technology, the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. His research interests include swarm intelligence, parallel and distributed metaheuristics, machine learning, intelligent agents and multi-agent systems, resource planning, scheduling and optimization, combinatorial optimization. Dr. Aydin is currently a Fellow of Higher Education Academy, UK, a member of EPSRC College, a senior member of IEEE and a senior member of ACM. In addition to being a member of advisory committees of many international conferences, he is an Editorial Board Member of various peer-reviewed international journals. He has served as guest editor for a number of special issues of peer-reviewed international journals.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of the West of England",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"United Kingdom"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null}]},overviewPageOFChapters:[],overviewPagePublishedBooks:[],openForSubmissionBooks:{paginationCount:3,paginationItems:[{id:"11446",title:"Industry 4.0 - Perspectives and Applications",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11446.jpg",hash:"be984f45b90c1003798661ef885d8a34",secondStepPassed:!0,currentStepOfPublishingProcess:3,submissionDeadline:"May 12th 2022",isOpenForSubmission:!0,editors:[{id:"303193",title:"Dr.",name:"Meisam",surname:"Gordan",slug:"meisam-gordan",fullName:"Meisam Gordan"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{id:"11448",title:"Artificial Neural Networks - Recent Advances, New Perspectives and Applications",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11448.jpg",hash:"e57ff97a39cfc6fe68a1ac62b503dbe9",secondStepPassed:!0,currentStepOfPublishingProcess:3,submissionDeadline:"June 3rd 2022",isOpenForSubmission:!0,editors:[{id:"22866",title:"Dr.",name:"Chi Leung Patrick",surname:"Hui",slug:"chi-leung-patrick-hui",fullName:"Chi Leung Patrick Hui"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{id:"11447",title:"Swarm Intelligence - Recent Advances and Current Applications",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11447.jpg",hash:"f68e3c3430a74fc7a7eb97f6ea2bb42e",secondStepPassed:!1,currentStepOfPublishingProcess:2,submissionDeadline:"July 22nd 2022",isOpenForSubmission:!0,editors:[{id:"24555",title:"Dr.",name:"Marco Antonio",surname:"Aceves Fernandez",slug:"marco-antonio-aceves-fernandez",fullName:"Marco Antonio Aceves Fernandez"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null}]},onlineFirstChapters:{},subseriesFiltersForOFChapters:[],publishedBooks:{},subseriesFiltersForPublishedBooks:[],publicationYearFilters:[],authors:{}},subseries:{item:{id:"6",type:"subseries",title:"Viral Infectious Diseases",keywords:"Novel Viruses, Virus Transmission, Virus Evolution, Molecular Virology, Control and Prevention, Virus-host Interaction",scope:"The Viral Infectious Diseases Book Series aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent research trends and discoveries in various viral infectious diseases emerging around the globe. The emergence of any viral disease is hard to anticipate, which often contributes to death. A viral disease can be defined as an infectious disease that has recently appeared within a population or exists in nature with the rapid expansion of incident or geographic range. This series will focus on various crucial factors related to emerging viral infectious diseases, including epidemiology, pathogenesis, host immune response, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical recommendations for managing viral infectious diseases, highlighting the recent issues with future directions for effective therapeutic strategies.",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/6.jpg",hasOnlineFirst:!0,hasPublishedBooks:!0,annualVolume:11402,editor:{id:"158026",title:"Prof.",name:"Shailendra K.",middleName:null,surname:"Saxena",slug:"shailendra-k.-saxena",fullName:"Shailendra K. 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Dr. Saxena is a fellow of various international societies/academies including the Royal College of Pathologists, United Kingdom; Royal Society of Medicine, London; Royal Society of Biology, United Kingdom; Royal Society of Chemistry, London; and Academy of Translational Medicine Professionals, Austria. He was named a Global Leader in Science by The Scientist. 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