Publications

Experimental Study of Organic Peroxide Hazards

A presentation delivered to DIERS user group on October 21, 1998 and updated October 10, 2002. Read more

Get the Most Out of Your ARC and APTAC Data

This presentation provides an overview of the ARC and APTAC calorimeters and how measured data can help with process safety and optimization. Examples are provided to illustrate how ARC/APTAC data can be used for the estimation of physical properties, vapor/liquid equilibrium, reaction rates, and the development of kinetic models. Read more

Improve the Design of Fire Emergency Relief Systems

In recognition of the potential severe consequences of a process vessel rupture under fire exposure, industry codes such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 30 and the American Petroleum Institute (API) Standard 2000 have been established for the specification of emergency relief systems (ERS). The intent is to reduce the risk of human injury and asset losses associated with process plant fires. These codes are largely prescriptive in nature. That is, they provide specific details on how to achieve safe design. Prescriptive standards are easy to apply, because they are simplified approaches which generally apply to many (but not all) situations. But they also have limitations, including the tendency to result in, at best, suboptimal (overly conservative) designs, and in some instances potentially unsafe designs. Read more

Introduction to Reactivity Management Roundtable

The Reactivity Management Roundtable (RMR) was founded in 2003 by a small group of process safety professionals meeting independently of both AIChE and CCPS. They met and reviewed the newly published Chemical Safety Board Reactive Hazard Investigation report that analyzed 167 serious chemical reactivity incidents over a 20-year period. A strong association was forged between AIChE and the RMR which soon lead to the adoption of the RMR as an AIChE CCPS subcommittee. The initial idea was to publish a traditional best practices guide book on the subject of chemical reactivity management that could reduce or eliminate reactivity incidents in the future. This presentation gives a brief overview. Read more

Kinetics of the Reactions of Ethylene Oxide with Water and Ethylene Glycols

This study of the water-contamination reactions of ethylene oxide was conducted by Arthur D. Little, Inc. with funding from, and under the auspices of, the American Chemistry Council. Significant experimental and technical contributions were also made by staff from Shell Chemicals' Westhollow Technology Center in Houston, TX, and Union Carbide Corporation's Research Center in South Charleston, WV. Unique fought-order kinetics for the reactions of ethylene oxide with ethylene glycols were derived and validated, as were kinetics for the reactions of neat ethylene oxide and the decomposition of ethylene glycols. The latter data was incorporated into a reaction model useful for the determination of ethylene oxide storage stability and pressure relief system design under water-contamination scenarios. Read more

Polymerization Modeling for Relief Systems Design

This 1,3-Buatadiene Polymerization Case Study was presented to the DIERS User Group on April 28-30, 2003 in Philadelphia, PA. Some conclusions that can be drawn from this presentation include: Free radical polymerization models should be run in parallel with thermally initiated polymerization models, It is possible for a free radical/anion initiated polymerization to “jump-start” thermally initiated polymerizations if sufficient initiator is present, and polymerization models are simple and can easily be applied in SuperChems™ for DIERS or other simulation computer codes for performing relief design for reactive systems and process optimization as well. Read more