Extrapolation of Laboratory Reaction Kinetic Data for Relief Vent Design in the Case of a Heterogeneous Runaway Reaction

The relief area sizing of safety devices in the case of a postulated thermal runaway condition requires reaction kinetic data, usually measured in dedicated adiabatic calorimeters. In the course of the design, it is then assumed that the same reaction kinetic data prevail on the laboratory and production scale. This assumption seems to be valid in the case of homogeneous reaction systems. In contrast to this the results of experiments with a heterogeneous system have shown that the stirring intensity and the reactor size have a considerable influence on the reaction progress.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.