Playing with fire: safety and reaction efficiency research on gas phase hydrocarbon oxidation processes: project SAFEKINEX

• Published in: Process safety and environmental protection 2005, Vol.83 (B4), p.317-323.
• Main Authors: Pasman, H J, Pekalski, A A, Braithwaite, M, Griffiths, J F, Schroeder, V, Battin-Leclerc, F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0957-5820; 0957-5820
• DOI: 10.1205/psep.04379

Hydrocarbon oxidation is still a growing field of industrial interest and provides for our needs for a large variety of substances and materials. As soon as hydrocarbon and oxygen are brought in contact a potential combustion hazard problem arises and, on the one hand, one wishes to stay with considerable margin outside the flammable or spontaneous ignition ranges. On the other hand there is a drive to increase conversion per pass through reactors, since recycle consumes energy and causes pollution. Industrial processes usually take place at elevated conditions (up to 500DGC and 50 bar) while gas explosion safety has been investigated extensively only at or close to ambient conditions. At the same time the knowledge about oxidation mechanisms is growing quickly and computer simulation of the thousands of validated reaction steps become more widely used. In the EU sponsored project SAFEKINEX (www.safekinex.org) there are dual objectives to further develop both the explosion safety knowledge and the kinetic interpretation from a fundamental standpoint. The marriage is intended to produce an important contribution for a better understanding of the phenomena that may reduce process hazards and to provide models from which tools can be developed to control the processes better or enable improved design.