A runaway reaction is an uncontrolled reaction that does not stop. It can cause catastrophic consequences like rupture of reactors and release of toxic gases. The understanding of reactive chemistry plays a big role in avoiding runaway reactions. Avoid the mistake of scaling up from R & D to plant production without understanding all the details of the reactions and its side reactions. The effect of change in operating parameters and batch recipe or quantity must also be understood. Recently a speaker at a seminar mentioned that many batch processes in India are being operated without complete knowledge of the reaction chemistry. I have also investigated number of incidents involving runaway reactions where operators were operating the batch without proper information on reaction kinetics.There are various scientific tools available to determine these data. Accelerating rate calorimeters, differential scanning calorimetry etc are some of them. Just because you have not experienced a runaway reaction incident, do not be complacent. The only hope of survival in a runaway reaction incident is to run away!
Watch this excellent CSB safety video on the hazards of reactions.
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