Modeling thermal analysis for predicting thermal hazards relevant to transportation safety and runaway reaction for 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile)

The pure decomposition behavior of 2,2′-azobis (isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) and its physical phase transformation were examined and discussed. The thermal decomposition of this self-reactive azo compound was explored using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to elucidate the stages in the progress of this chemical reaction. DSC was used to predict the kinetic and process safety parameters, such as self-accelerating decomposition temperature (SADT), time to maximum reaction rate under adiabatic conditions (TMR_ad), and apparent activation energy (E_a), under isothermal and adiabatic conditions with thermal analysis models. Moreover, vent sizing package 2 (VSP2) was applied to examine the runaway reaction combined with simulation and experiments for thermal hazard assessment of AIBN. A thorough understanding of this reaction process can identify AIBN as a hazardous and vulnerable chemical during upset situations. The sublimation and melting of AIBN near its apparent onset decomposition temperature contributed to the initial steps of the reaction and explained the exothermic attributes of the peaks observed in the calorimetric investigation.     

过氧化苯甲酰合成工艺热危险性分析

采用RC1e反应量热仪对过氧化苯甲酰(BPO)合成工艺危险性进行研究,测试不同Na OH溶液初始浓度(1.96 mol/L、3.93 mol/L、7.14 mol/L)下反应的放热历程,获得BPO合成反应过程中的热危险性参数,并采用PHI-TECⅡ绝热加速量热仪对产物进行热稳定性分析,最后评估该反应热风险。结果表明,Na OH浓度为7.14 mol/L时,反应初期放热速率慢,热累积度大,后期反应剧烈,绝热温升(ΔTad)及热失控时工艺反应达到的最高温度(MTSR)最大。热稳定性试验表明,合成的粗产物BPO初始分解温度、活化能、指前因子、最大放热速率到达时间为24 h时的对应温度(TD24)均低于纯BPO。利用合成粗产物BPO的TD24对反应进行危险度评估,该工艺热危险性等级均为5级,工艺危险性大。     

BIPB的热分解动力学和失控反应模拟

为了评估双(叔丁过氧基)二异丙苯(BIPB)的热危害,对其热分解过程进行多速率的动态扫描C80热分析,用几种简单的热危害评估方法分析其热危害。然后应用模式法、无模式法(Friedman微分等转化率法)分别对试验结果进行处理,得到分解动力学数据,并用ASTM E 698法得到活化能数据,同时用C80、ARC和DSC的试验数据验证分解动力学数据的可靠性。最后利用无模式法的分解动力学数据进行BIPB绝热条件下和非绝热的2m3球形容器中的失控反应模拟,得到类似工艺条件下BIPB的安全控制温度。     

Reaction hazard and mechanism study of H2O2 oxidation of 2-butanol to methyl ethyl ketone using DSC,Phi-TEC II and GC-MS

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) oxidation via H₂O₂ with tungsten-based polyoxometalate catalysts has gained much attention with an ever-growing body of knowledge focusing on the development of environmentally benign processes in chemical industry. In this study, two calorimetry techniques, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Phi-TEC II adiabatic calorimetry, were employed to analyze the thermal hazards associated with the 2-butanol oxidation reaction system. Hydrogen peroxide was the oxidant and a tungsten-based polyoxometalate as the catalyst. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used for identification of the organic products. Important thermal kinetic data were obtained including “onset” temperature, heat of reaction, adiabatic temperature rise and self-heat rate. From DSC results, three exothermic peaks were detected with a total heat generation of approximately 1.26 kJ/g sufficiently to induce a thermal runaway. Possible reaction pathway for three stages were proposed based on both DSC and GC-MS results. One exotherm was detected by Phi-TEC II calorimeter and the pressure versus temperature profile together with the DSC and GC-MS data demonstrate the complexity of 2-butanol reaction system under both thermal screening and adiabatic conditions.     

Probe into effect of the initiator on the thermal runaway hazards of methyl methacrylate bulk polymerization

The bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is of great importance in chemical industry, but the polymerization process is highly hazardous, and few reports have focused on the effect of initiators on its thermal hazards. In this work, to thoroughly explore the thermal hazard characteristics, the runaway behavior of MMA bulk polymerization is investigated by a combination of thermodynamics experimental and kinetics theoretical methods. The results indicate that the presence of initiator exhibits an undesirable thermal hazard to the MMA bulk polymerization, and its exothermic behavior is also greatly influenced by the type and concentration of initiator. For azobisisoheptanenitrile (ABVN), azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and dibenzoyl peroxide (BPO) initiators as examples, the AIBN-initiated reaction has the shortest adiabatic induction period (39.51 min), whereas the BPO-initiated polymerization exhibits the strongest maximum temperature-rising rate and maximum pressure-rising rate. Under adiabatic runaway, the temperature and pressure change significantly with increasing AIBN concentration, revealing a great potential risk of thermal runaway. Kinetic parameters are calculated to further understand the thermal runaway mechanisms, showing a strong agreement with the adiabatic experimental data. Finally, based on the cooling failure scenario, severity grading is determined by the evaluation criteria. The current work provides extensive data as a reference and guidance for the process design and optimization of MMA bulk polymerization from the perspective of safety.     

Research on thermal decomposition characteristics of H foaming agent with different moisture contents

N, N-Dinitroso pentamethylene tetramine, also known as H foaming agent, is a self-reactive chemical substance commonly used in the rubber industry. Decomposition, explosion and combustion may be caused by the presence of fire or high temperature. As a high-risk chemical that is strictly regulated in China, H foaming agent has ever triggered multiple accidents. During the study of the decomposition thermal process of H foaming agent, it was found that the presence of moisture content at different levels had a significant effect on its thermal stability. The thermal characteristics of H foaming agent under different moisture contents was studied through the test means such as adiabatic calorimetry and high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry. Through isothermal calorimetry experiment, it was found that the decomposition of H foaming agent had obvious auto-catalytic characteristics. In the moisture content within the range of 0–40%, with the increase of moisture content, the initial exothermic temperature T_onset of the mixture system of H foaming agent and water decreased, while the time from initial heat release to rapid temperature rise of the reaction system (induction period) was gradually prolonged, and the temperature increment of the reaction system was increased gradually. As the proportion of moisture content in the system increased, the adiabatic temperature rise ΔT_ad of the mixture system of H foaming agent and water gradually decreased, meanwhile the time to maximum rate under adiabatic condition (TMR_ad) gradually decreased. The research results have guiding significance for finding the reasonable moisture content of H foaming agent in the drying process and determining the upper temperature limit during storage and transportation.     

二叔丁基过氧化物的热失控动力学研究

为研究二叔丁基过氧化物(DTBP)热失控危险性,利用C600微量量热仪对DTBP热分解动力学进行试验研究,测定DTBP在不同升温速率下的起始放热温度和分解热,分别用非等转化率法和等转化率法得到DTBP热分解反应的动力学参数。用非等转化率法确定反应的最佳反应级数为1,相应的活化能分别为137.75、132.60、128.61和122.93 kJ/mol,指前因子分别为8.82×1012、6.69×1012、2.06×1012和3.89×10111/s。用等转化率法确定的活化能范围为102～138 kJ/mol,并拟合出活化能与转化率的关系曲线。结合计算出的动力学参数,通过对DTBP分解机理的分析,可以推断其具有热失控危险性。     

Thermal hazard assessment for synthesis of 3-methylpyridine-N-oxide

The exothermic oxidation of 3-methylpyridine with hydrogen peroxide was analyzed by Reaction Calorimeter (RC1e) in semi-batch operation. Heat releasing rate and heat conversion were studied at different operating conditions, such as reaction temperature, feeding rate, the amount of catalyst and so on. The thermal hazard assessment of the oxidation was derived from the calorimetric data, such as adiabatic temperature rise (ΔT_ad) and the maximum temperature of synthesis reaction (MTSR) in out of control conditions. Along with thermal decomposition of the product, the possibility of secondary decomposition under runaway conditions was analyzed by time to maximum rate (TMR_ad). Also, risk matrix was used to assess the risk of the reaction. Results indicated that with the increase of the reaction temperature, the reaction heat release rate increased, while reaction time and exotherm decreased. With the increase of feeding time, heat releasing rate decreased, but reaction time and exotherm increased. With the amount of the catalyst increased, heat releasing rate increased, reaction time decreased and exothermic heat increased. The risk matrix showed that when the reaction temperature was 70 °C, feeding time was 1 h, and the amount of catalyst was 10 g and 15 g, respectively, the reaction risk was high and must be reduced.     

Inherent thermal runaway hazard evaluation method of chemical process based on fire and explosion index

Thermal runaway hazard assessment provides the basis for comparing the hazard levels of different chemical processes. To make an overall evaluation, hazard of materials and reactions should be considered. However, most existing methods didn't take the both into account simultaneously, which may lead the assessment to a deviation from the actual hazard. Therefore, an integrated approach called Inherent Thermal-runaway Hazard Index (ITHI) was developed in this paper. Similar to Dow Fire and Explosion Index(F&EI) function, thermal runaway hazard of chemical process in ITHI was the product of material factor (MF) and risk index (RI) of reaction. MF was an indicator of material thermal hazards, which can be determined by initial reaction temperature and maximum power density. RI, which was the product of probability and severity, indicated the risk of thermal runaway during the reaction stage. Time to maximum rate under adiabatic conditions and criticality classes of scenario were used to indicate the runaway probability of the chemical process. Adiabatic temperature rise and heat of the desired reaction and secondary reaction were used to determine the severity of runaway reaction. Finally, predefined hazard classification criteria was used to classify and interpret the results obtained by this method. Moreover, the method was validated by case studies.     

苯和甲苯硝化及磺化反应热危险性分级研究

首先介绍了化工工艺热安全性的内涵,并从反应过程热危险性分析的方法学出发,介绍间隙、半间歇化学反应工艺热危险性分级研究的总体思路及方法。然后,围绕甲苯和苯的硝化、磺化反应,用全自动反应量热仪(RC1e)和加速度量热仪(ARC)测定其反应过程的绝热温升(△Tad)、目标反应所能达到的最高温度(TM)、分解反应最大速率到达时间(θD)等参数。运用风险评价指数矩阵法(方法1)和基于失控过程温度参数的热危险评估法(方法2)分别对其硝化和磺化反应过程的热危险性进行了分级评估。结果表明,这两种方法具有良好的一致性;给定工艺条件下甲苯和苯的一段硝化反应过程的热危险度等级较低;而磺化反应的热危险较高。尽管这两种方法还有一定的局限性,但对于间歇、半间歇合成工艺的本质安全化设计、工艺热危险性的评估具有重要的参考价值和实用意义。     

硝酸异辛酯热安定性的实验研究

使用加速量热仪(ARC)研究硝酸异辛酯(EHN)的热分解,得到热分解温度随时间的变化曲线,自放热速率、分解压力随温度的变化曲线以及分解压力随升温速率的变化曲线。分析在绝热条件下硝酸异辛酯的热分解反应动力学和热分解过程,计算表观活化能、指前因子和反应热等参数。根据绝热热分解的起始温度和反应热数据,给出硝酸异辛酯在反应危险度等级中的分类,并计算在75℃时的反应风险指数。     

The critical runaway condition and stability criterion in the phenol–formaldehyde reaction

The procedure of phenol–formaldehyde polymerization is a rather important and complicated reaction in the chemical industry. This exothermic polymeric reaction releases a huge amount of heat. The high amount of energy accumulated and increasing temperature in this reaction process always lead to runaway reaction and a hazard situation owing to the high released heat and improper operation. In this investigation, we used sodium hydroxide as alkali–catalyst in the phenol–formaldehyde polymerization and estimated the reaction kinetics parameters to evaluate the thermal hazard conditions. The critical temperatures and stable criteria of the runaway reaction in this exothermic polymerization were evaluated. This technique is important and useful for safe operation in the phenol–formaldehyde polymerization process.     

Applications of thermal hazard analyses on process safety assessments

In 2011, a large petrochemical complex in Taiwan incurred several fire and explosion accidents, which had considerable negative impact for the industry on both environmental and safety issues. Reactive substances are widely used in many chemical industrial fields as an initiator, hardeners, or cross-linking agents of radical polymerization process with unsaturated monomer. However, the unpredictable factors during the process having risk to runaway reaction, thermal explosion, fire, and exposure to harmful toxic chemicals release due to the huge heat and gas products by thermal decomposition could not be removed from the process. This study used differential technology of thermal analysis to characterize the inherent hazard behaviors of azo compounds and organic peroxides in the process, to seek the elimination of the source of the harmful effects and achieve the best process safety practices with zero disaster and sound business continuity plan.     

Evaluation on thermal hazard of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide by using adiabatic method

Ketone peroxides are capable of spontaneous decomposition, and violent decomposition occurs if they contact with strong mineral acids. In this paper, an adiabatic method is used to investigate the thermal hazard of Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide (MEKPO) and mixture of MEKPO with sulfuric acid in order to understand the effect of the contamination of sulfuric acid on the thermal stability of MEKPO. On the basis of experimental results, kinetic parameters of exothermic reaction of MEKPO and mixture of MEKPO with 1% sulfuric acid are estimated, and thermal hazard parameters, such as the initial exothermic temperature and the adiabatic temperature rise are obtained under real adiabatic condition. It can be seen from the results that the thermal hazard of MEKPO with sulfuric acid is more remarkable than that of MEKPO itself.     

Thermal hazards analysis of styrene in contact with impurities

Styrene is a reactive monomer commonly used to produce polystyrene and other copolymers. Unintended thermal runaway polymerization reactions of styrene keep reoccurring and have led to catastrophic consequences. One of the possible causes of these runaway incidents involves the contamination of the styrene monomer by incompatible species, which was not adequately investigated and documented. This study focuses on the quantification of thermal runaway hazards of styrene in contact with a series of contamination substances by adopting calorimetric analysis. Both Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and Advanced Reactive System Screening Tool (ARSST) were employed to examine the exothermic characteristics of styrene mixed with contaminating substances at different concentration levels and mixing conditions. Key safety parameters of the exothermic reaction, such as the onset temperature, the overall heat release, the maximum self-heating rate, as well as the activation energy, were obtained. The results indicated that the thermal runaway polymerization of purified styrene was significantly altered by the presence of contaminant species. Water effectively retarded and quenched the runaway polymerization at a higher temperature range. Alkaline had no substantial effect on the thermal runaway characteristics. The presence of acid solution under both static contact and vigorous mixing condition significantly promoted the thermal polymerization of styrene. A trace amount of concentrated acid initiated violent exothermic activity even at room temperature; and the severity of the reaction was profoundly impacted by the mass-transfer. Our study demonstrates significant implications in the prevention of runaway incidents during transportation and storage of styrene.     

Thermal research on the uncontrolled behavior of styrene bulk polymerization

Thermal runaway can occur during the styrene bulk polymerization process because of easily formed local hotspots resulting from the high viscosity of reactants and the difficulty of heat dissipation. To obtain the thermal hazard characteristics, the polymerization behavior of styrene was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at a scanning rate of β = 2 °C/min. Experimental results showed that the exothermic peaks obtained for heat initiation were different from those obtained when initiator was added. The exothermic peak changed from one to two after the initiator was added. The exothermic onset temperature (T₀) was also reduced. Phi-tech II was utilized to study the bulk polymerization of styrene in an adiabatic environment. The adiabatic temperature rise (ΔT_ad), starting temperature of uncontrolled polymerization (T_star), maximum temperature (T_end), and heat of polymerization (ΔH) under different conditions were acquired. When the dose of the additive was increased, the starting temperature of uncontrolled polymerization (T_star) decreased and the adiabatic temperature rise (ΔT_ad) increased gradually. Severity grading was performed based on the severity evaluation criteria of runaway reaction. The results can help designers decide whether it is necessary to take certain measures to reduce risk.     

Effects of ferric oxide on decompositions of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide

Methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO) is a widely used initiator for polymerization reaction and hardener in glass-reinforced plastic. However, MEKPO is an unstable reactive chemical and has caused several serious accidents all over the world. This work studied the thermal stability of MEKPO in the presence of ferric oxide as the contaminant through calorimetric and kinetic studies. The calorimetry was performed using Automatic Pressure Tracking Adiabatic Calorimeter (APTAC) to identify the effects of ferric oxide (different concentration) on important reactive hazards such as onset temperature and pressure hazard. Kinetic modeling was then performed to study the kinetics of the runaway reaction and estimate important kinetic parameters. The results indicate that in the low concentration range (<0.3%), ferric oxide has no significant effect on the thermal stability of MEKPO. However, in the high and intermediate concentration range of ferric oxide (i.e., 10%), the negative effect on the thermal stability of MEKPO was observed. This result is in agreement with the kinetic study result that the activation energy and frequency factor decrease dramatically in the high ferric oxide concentration range. The results provide necessary process safety information for the handling of MEKPO and also technical basis for the further study in this area.     

Preparation of n-Octadecane@MF resin microPCMs and its application in temperature control of esterification reactions

Reaction thermal runaway accidents occur frequently and occupy a high proportion in chemical accidents. Reducing accidents by controlling reaction temperature is of great implication to enhance the safety level of chemical processes. Phase change materials (PCMs) have a good energy storage potential, which can rapidly convert the reaction exotherm in the reaction process into its own phase change latent heat, urgently control the reaction temperature, and enhance the process thermal safety level. In this study, using n-octadecane as the core and melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin as the shell, microencapsulated phase change materials (microPCMs) was made, which has a smooth spherical shape, good thermal stability, and a phase change enthalpy up to 162.87 J/g. The homogeneous esterification reaction of 2-butanol (2 B) and propionic anhydride (PA) was selected as the target reaction, and then the reaction was scaled up equivalently to investigate the effect of amplification to the reaction system. The results indicated that the temperature control of the esterification reaction system by microPCMs is the synergy between physical inhibition and chemical inhibition. The reaction temperature could be controlled by adding microPCMs, and the temperature control effect improved with the increase of microPCMs addition. In large scale reactors, microPCMs still has certain temperature control ability after being added.     

Diphenylmethane diisocyanate self-polymerization: Thermal hazard evaluation and proof of runaway reaction in gram scale

Thermal analysis by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis mass spectrometry, adiabatic calorimetry, a gram-scale heating test, and infrared spectroscopy were performed to evaluate the thermal hazards of diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and prove the occurrence of a runaway reaction. The self-polymerization of MDI was found to occur at about 340 °C under rapid heating conditions. Carbon dioxide was eliminated and heat was generated to allow polymerization. Under adiabatic and closed conditions, the runaway reaction of MDI can begin at least from 220 °C. Besides it is highly probable that the runaway reaction of MDI can begin from a lower temperature in an actual process scale. More heat was generated than in the previous case and the pressure rose rapidly. A closed 2-mm-thick glass vessel exploded because of the runaway reaction of MDI even if the temperature was lower than 300 °C. Therefore, MDI could cause fatal runaway reactions below 300 °C, where MDI had been assumed to self-polymerize by eliminating carbon dioxide previously.