(403c) Learning Hazards of Exothermic Reactions Via Real and Virtual Experiments

Although there is a recognized need for chemical reaction safety education, there is a dearth of published studies on experiments designed to demonstrate hazards of exothermic reactions. We developed an experiment to study scale-up of an exothermic reaction and provide students with dramatic first-hand knowledge of the hazards of thermal runaway. This experiment has been implemented successfully in our unit operations laboratory and in that of at least one other university. In this presentation we discuss a way for a broader audience of students to safely experience thermal runaway via a virtual experiment.

We developed a computer simulation for the iodide catalyzed decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using COMSOL Multiphysics^® software. The simulation was converted to a user-friendly “app” that allows a scale-up study of this reaction by manipulating variables in a control panel and observing temperature and pressure profiles as the reaction proceeds under different conditions. Using COMSOL Server^TM software we have provided access to the app to anyone with an internet connection and a web browser. The app provides a virtual experiment that requires no knowledge or installation of the COMSOL Multiphysics^® software. It is anticipated that interacting with the app will provide students with a lasting understanding of the consequences of the fact that reaction rate, and concomitant temperature and pressure increases, scales with reactor volume while necessary heat removal typically scales with reactor surface area.