(9a) Enhanced NOAA Chemical Reactivity Worksheet for Determining Chemical Compatibility

Chemical compatibility is a key consideration throughout the chemical industry wherever two or more chemicals have the potential to mix, either inadvertently or by design.  Although several tools exist in the public domain to assist with chemical compatibility decisions, all suffer from various limitations.  The development of a single, universally accepted chemical compatibility tool has eluded the chemical industry and has been an ongoing, strategic need.  One of the most comprehensive tools available, the NOAA Chemical Reactivity Worksheet, has suffered in the past from a reputation of being too conservative in evaluating chemical compatibility and being limited in the scope of chemicals that could be evaluated.  As a result of a two-year joint effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The Dow Chemical Company, an enhanced version of this tool now is available.  In addition to addressing previously identified limitations, several enhancements have been incorporated into the tool to help with the generation and presentation of chemical compatibility charts.  This talk will cover the development and use of this new tool, highlighting the enhancements that position this tool to become the gold standard within the chemical industry for determining chemical compatibility.