Assessment on thermal hazards of reactive chemicals in industry: State of the Art and perspectives

Abstract

Thermal hazards of reactive chemicals have been a major concern due to the unceasing occurrences of fire and explosion accidents in industry. Understanding thermal threats of these chemicals not only contributes to the process safety and sustainability in the research and development (R&D) level, but promotes the efficiency of loss prevention, firefighting and emergency responses. Numerous studies have been conducted towards the comprehensive assessment of thermal hazards of reactive chemicals. The chemicals and methods varied in these studies, and yet some topics were commonly concerned by researchers in relevant fields. Further to say, these topics should also be targeted at when dealing with thermal hazards of new chemicals in future. This article provides an up-to-date overview of the common ground regarding the comprehensive understanding of thermal hazards of reactive chemicals in industry level; whereby, the main limitations and challenges to be faced are explored. The discussed key points include, the classification and reactivity of typical reactive chemicals, the fundamental steps towards the comprehensive understanding of their thermal hazards (including the identification of reaction mechanisms, the calculation of reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, and the characterization of thermal safety properties), and the applicable theoretical, experimental and engineering approaches in each step. The primary goal of this review is to lay out the essential basics that should be focused in every trial to comprehensively understand the thermal hazards of reactive chemicals. The further research directions are also presented based on the current research gaps and the context of Industry 4.0.