Safe Oxidation Reactions. Development of an Explosion Protection System from Process Development Lab to Large Scale Production Plant

Abstract

The systematic development of an explosion protection system for an oxidation reaction in pure oxygen following a thorough risk analysis is described. By evaluating both probability and consequences of all risks identified it could be shown that an explosion in the investigated system cannot be prevented completely. Therefore the emphasis of the system was to protect humans and the environment from the consequences of this residual risk. Several design alternatives were considered. Only an explosion decoupling system, consisting of a combination of a flame interrupter and a fast-acting valve can fulfill this task. The successful start-up and running production process up to now confirm the chosen path.