Safety considerations of
Reactor Design and
Operation
What is a Chemical reaction?
• Chemical reaction, a process in which one or more substances,
the reactants, are converted to one or more different substances, the
products.
• Substances are either chemical elements or compounds. A chemical
reaction rearranges the constituent atoms of the reactants to create
different substances as products.
What is a reactor?
• A reactor is a vessel or stage which makes two or more substances
react chemically with each other.
• Cooker is a reactor
• A chemical reaction that goes out of control and runs away can create
a serious incident with the risk of injury to people and damage to
property and the environment.
• An exothermic reaction can lead to thermal runaway, which begins
when the heat produced by the reaction exceeds the heat removed.
Over Pressure Relief Vale
• Overpressure Relief All reactors should be provided with overpressure
relief protection.
• Review all reaction systems for the possibility of a "runaway"
reaction, resulting in the need for an appreciably larger relief device
than other relief scenarios may require.
Relief Device Discharge Piping and
Effluent Disposal
• Where "runaway" reactions are known to occur, the piping from the
relief device maybe handling a multiphase stream (vapor-liquid or
vapor-liquid solid) and should be routed first to a knockout
drum/catch tank containment system to separate the vapors from the
liquid.
• The vapor line from the knockout drum/catch tank should then be
routed directly to the atmosphere or to a scrubber or flare stack if
environmental considerations require this
Design Pressure
• Depends on type of Reaction
• Size
• Material Used for Construction
• Reaction rate
Reactants and Liquid Catalyst
Addition
• All flammable liquids should be charged into a reactor via dip legs or
elbows which cause the liquid to run down the reactor wall to prevent
static electricity generation
• Where the addition rate of a reactant or catalyst could result in a
"runaway" reaction if added too quickly, a restriction orifice should be
installed in the feed line to limit the flow rate
• Where overcharging (adding too great a quantity) of a reactant or
catalyst can cause a runaway reaction, the use of a gravity flow head
tank, sized to hold only the quantity needed, should be considered.
Solid Additions
• When there is a addition of solids in the reactor proper feeder
mechanism has to be used
• It is done to avoid the employee to open the reactor manaully
• Instrumentation should be done to know when there is unplugging if
relief system
Process Measures for Preventing
Runaway Reactions
• Where runaway reactions are known to occur, and an excessively
large relief device is needed. Consideration should also be given to
providing means to inhibit (the reaction or drown (quench) the batch.
• It is recommended that independent temperature instrument in the
reactor be interlocked to actuate.
• Add a considerable amount of coolant or diluent to reduce the
reaction rate.
• This measure requires that process design and detailed design
provide for:
—choice of an appropriate fluid which does not react too
exothermically with the reaction mixture
--sufficient free volume in the reactor
—piping, instrumentation, etc. to add the fluid in the time required
• Rapidly depressure the vessel if the reactor is under pressure.
• Add an inhibitor to stop the reaction. This measure requires intimate
knowledge of how the reaction rate can be influenced and whether
effective mixing/inhibition is possible
• Dump the reactor contents into a vessel that contains cold diluent.
• This option also requires particular care that the dumping line is not
blocked or does not become blocked during the dumping procedure.
Inerting
• For reactors containing flammable liquids, where the reactor design
pressure is insufficient to contain a deflagration, consideration should
be given to providing an inert gas blanket (usually nitrogen)
Among the principal reasons for providing inerting on reactors is the
desirability of eliminating flammable vapor-air mixtures which can be
caused by:
• Addition of solids through the manhole (there are not enough nozzles
for an air lock valve, etc. through which to add the solid).
• Materials having low minimum spark ignition energies, or
autoignition temperatures
Inerting
• Potential ignition sources that cannot be controlled adequately, such
as:
—spontaneous combustion
—reactive chemicals: pyrophoric materials, acetylides, peroxides and
water-reactive materials
static electricity: material transfer where lines and vessels are not
grounded properly, agitation of liquids of high dielectric strength,
addition of liquids of high dielectric strength to vessels, addition to or
agitation of liquids in vessels having nonconductive liners
Inerting
• Inerting is to control oxygen concentrations where process materials
are subject to peroxide formation or oxidation to form active
compounds (acetylides, etc.) or where materials in the process are
degraded by atmospheric oxygen.
Heating and Cooling System
• Heat removal systems should be designed with abnormal operating
conditions taken into account.
• For systems where runaway reactions are possible, the heat removal
system should be capable of functioning at the temperatures
achieved during the runaway reaction though it may not have the
capacity to stop the runaway.
Glass Lined reactor
• Mostly Used for corrosive reactions but even reaction on walls will
take place
• Are Fragile
• Prone to have thermal shock.