Industrial Safety
1 total work
Thermal Hazards of Chemical Reactions
by Theodor Grewer and Lord Richard Rogers
Published 2 April 2011
Exothermic reactions used for the production of chemicals present a hazard if they proceed without control. Runaway reactions can result in bursting of the reactor and an emission of reactants and products, possibly followed by a gas explosion. Undesired exothermic reactions can be initiated during production, purification or storage due to high temperatures or other causes and can have similar destructive effects, even if their origin is different. Incidents that have occurred in the chemical industry have been investigated by experts and form the basis of the assessment methodology to determine the hazards of reactions.
The book provides a basis for understanding the hazards arising from exothermic reactions. The test methods for primary and secondary reactions are described. A large part of the book deals with estimating and measuring thermodynamic and kinetic data of reactions from which conditions for the safe handling of the reactions can be derived. It is necessary to understand the different types of explosions - thermal explosions, deflagrations, or detonations - that can proceed from chemical reactions. The description of incidents that have happened in large plants is important for this understanding. The data for exothermic decomposition reactions that commonly occur as secondary reactions can frequently be predicted or taken from literature. A table of relevant safety data is given at the end of the book.
The book provides a basis for understanding the hazards arising from exothermic reactions. The test methods for primary and secondary reactions are described. A large part of the book deals with estimating and measuring thermodynamic and kinetic data of reactions from which conditions for the safe handling of the reactions can be derived. It is necessary to understand the different types of explosions - thermal explosions, deflagrations, or detonations - that can proceed from chemical reactions. The description of incidents that have happened in large plants is important for this understanding. The data for exothermic decomposition reactions that commonly occur as secondary reactions can frequently be predicted or taken from literature. A table of relevant safety data is given at the end of the book.