AN ADVANCED METHOD FOR THE ESTIMATION OF REACTION-KINETICS, SCALEUP, AND PRESSURE RELIEF DESIGN

This paper presents an advanced modeling approach which significantly improves predictions of reaction rates and critical data that engineer s need to design effective pressure relief systems. Ideally, pressure relief systems are sized exactly for the reaction characteristics of t he chemicals in the vessel. However, with many chemicals and chemical mixtures, reaction chemistry is difficult to characterize because the individual components interact in complex ways. Furthermore, the high cost and risk of full-scale reactivity experiments make test data scar ce. Chemical engineers bridge this gap in part with small-scale tests and modeling computer codes such as the one developed by the Design In stitute for Emergency Relief Systems (DIERS). The comprehensive approa ch developed in this paper provides a reliable design basis for diffic ult systems, including highly energetic and nonideal reactions, system s with continuing reactions in piping and containment vessels, and sys tems where homogeneous bubble collapse caused by rapid depressurizatio n could cause a catastrophic vessel failure. We first examine possible mechanisms for catastrophic vessel failure and associated consequence s. Next, we outline a detailed approach for emergency relief system de sign and reactivity testing.