Evaluation of runaway reaction for dicumyl peroxide in a batch reactor by DSC and VSP2

Abstract

Dicumyl peroxide (DCPO) is usually employed as an initiator for polymerization, a source of free radicals, a hardener, and a linking agent. In Asia, due to its unstably reactive nature, DCPO has caused many thermal explosions and runaway reaction incidents in the manufacturing process. This study was conducted to elucidate its essentially hazardous characteristics. To analyze the runaway behavior of DCPO in a batch reactor, thermokinetic parameters, such as heat of decomposition (ΔH d ), exothermic onset temperature ( T 0), maximum temperature rise ((d T d t −1) max), maximum pressure rise ((d P d t −1) max), and self-heating rate, were measured via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and vent sizing package 2 (VSP2). Meanwhile, adiabatic thermal runaway phenomena were then thoroughly investigated by VSP2. The thermokinetics of DCPO mixed with acids or bases was determined by DSC/VSP2, and the experimental data were compared with kinetics-based curve fitting of thermal safety software (TSS). Results from curve fitting indicated that all of the above-mentioned acids or bases could induce exothermic reactions at even an earlier stage of the experiments. To diminish the degree of hazard, hazard information must be provided to the manufacturing process.