Safety Concerns with Self-Heating Materials Including a Packed Tower Industry Example

Managing materials that have self-heating characteristics is a key process safety concern for many industries, including the ethylene industry. Self-heating materials include materials that, when in contact with air, are liable to self-heat over time, potentially resulting in fire or other damage. Pyrophoric materials are a form of self-heating materials that ignite rapidly when in contact with air.

This presentation will summarize a 2019 self-heating event involving a section of packing in a tower at the Sarnia Imperial Oil facility. This event will highlight the risks associated with certain vessel internals and self-heating materials. Further, the presentation will provide a broad overview of the risks associated with self-heating materials in an ethylene plant, highlighting areas of specific concern along with potential mitigations.