Better Understanding of Risks in Chemical Transportation Using Calorimetry

The transport of large and small quantities of chemicals in and around major industrial and urban centers across much of the world creates risks which need to be understood. These risks include product damage, toxic release, fires, explosions, and untold collateral damage. Calormetric techniques, including hyphenated methods such as STA/FTIR/MS, provide real data that safety engineers can use to reduce risks and mitigate the consequences in two ways. First the data can be used to look at different transport scenarios to develop proper and safe guidelines and engineered controls. Second, in those case where a release is inevitable, the proper information can be provided to local authorities to better manage the incident as it unfolds. Powerful analysis software helps to pull all of the data into a coherent story capable of simulating different scenarios.

Adiabatic calorimetry as long been used as the workhorse for chemical process safety mainly because it can replicate the nearly adiabatic conditions that occur within large processing, storage and transportation vessels. These same tools are often used in the design of emergency relief systems used for process, storage, and transportation vessels. These procedures and principals are well documented in the DIERS methods. Adiabatic calorimetry has also shown use in replacing the costly method of determining the Self-Accelerating Decomposition Temperature (SADT) using full sized transportation containers.

Calorimetry in the past has been limited to providing information on the amount and rate at which energy is released. With the development of Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA) coupled with analytical methods such Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and Mass Spectroscopy (MS) engineers can readily determine what is being made providing the kinds of information needed to determine toxicity risks and potential chemical countermeasures.

This paper will review current calorimetric tools and their application to understanding and minimizing the risks associated with chemical transportation.