The 8th International Seminar on Fire and Explosion Hazards (8th ISFEH) was held in Hefei, China, April 25-28. The Seminar, which takes place every 3 years, is one of the highest level international conferences in the fire and explosion research field. This was the first time that the seminar was held in Chinese Mainland since the founding of this seminar in 1995. During the opening ceremony on April 25, Prof. CHEN Chusheng, Vice President of the University of Science and Technology of China, Prof. Peter B. Sunderland from the University of Maryland, Chair of the International Organizing Committee of ISFEH, and Dr. Jenny Chao from FM Global, Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of 8th ISFEH, gave welcome speeches. Franco Tamanini of FM Global chaired the Opening Ceremony and Prof. LIU Naian from USTC chaired this seminar.
The 8th ISFEH aimed to present and discuss the latest research results and related technology development trends in fire and explosion science and technology. The attendees of the seminar showed their newest research by giving presentations of papers in their field. The program consisted of plenary talks, highlighted presentations, parallel sessions and poster sessions. Plenary talks were presented by:
· Dr. Randall McDermott from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Taming the Dragon: Ten Milestones in Fire Dynamics Simulator Development)
· Dr. Nabiha Chaumeix from the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (Fundamental Studies Towards Better Assessment of Hydrogen Explosions)
· Prof. HU Longhua from the State Key Laboratory of Fire Science (Research on Pool Fire Behaviours in Wind – State of the Art and Future Challenges)
· Prof. WU Yajue from Sheffield University (The Challenges of Effective Risk Assessment and Safety Management of Fire and Explosion Hazards).
Six scholars were invited to give highlighted presentations. The four-day seminar was a good platform to share new ideas and recent research findings in fire and explosion science and technology.
Organized by the International Organizing Committee of ISFEH and hosted by the State Key Laboratory of Fire Science (SKLFS) at USTC, this seminar gathered over 120 scholars and postgraduates from about 15 countries and regions. The authors of the nearly 90 papers accepted for publication in the seminar proceedings covered over 20 countries and regions. Topics of the seminar included compartment, tunnel, and mine fires; fire dynamics; flame spread and growth; ignition and extinction; pyrolysis and fire chemistry; suppression and mitigation; wildland fires; blast analysis and mitigation; deflagration and flame acceleration; deflagration venting; detonation and DDT; dust explosions; and hydrogen safety. During the seminar, two Best Paper Awards and 5 Best Student Presenter Awards were selected. Participants from both China and abroad were impressed by the impeccable organization of the seminar.
A memorial for Prof. Toshisuke Hirano (1939-2014) was held during the seminar. Prof. Hirano was a founding member of ISFEH. He was one of the founders of the Asia-Oceania Association for Fire Safety Science and Technology (AOAFST), and held the positions of Chairman or President of the Combustion Society of Japan (1989-1994), Asia-Oceania Association for Fire Science and Technology (1992-1995; 1995-Honorary President), and International Association for Fire Safety Science (1997-2002). He was given major awards by various organizations, including the Award for Prominent Contribution (Japan Association for Fire Science and Technology, 1985), Dionizy Smolenski Medal (Poland Academy of Science, 1997), Award for Prominent Contribution in Science (Japan Institute of Energy, 1999), and The Bernard Lewis Medal (The Combustion Institute, 2004). He was also the winner of the International Science and Technological Cooperation Award of the People’s Republic of China (2002) because of his collaborations with SKLFS.
The ISFEH is one of the most important conferences in the field of fire and explosion research. It has been organized since 1995, and the previous seminars were successfully held in Moscow (1995, 1997), Lake Windermere (2000), Londonderry (2003), Edinburgh (2007), Leeds (2010), and Providence (2013).This 8th ISFEH was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, FM Global and The International Association of Wildland Fire.
(LIU Naian from State Key Laboratory of Fire Science)
