DIERS methods: a coherent approach to runaway reactions

Emergency vents are installed on equipment or capacities (reactors, distillation columns, boilers, storage tanks, etc.) containing substances or mixtures liable to undergo thermal decomposition or runaway reactions, to prevent the equipment from bursting or exploding.

In principle, these devices or storage systems cannot withstand the pressure generated by the runaway reactions, which can be considerable.

The Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems (DIERS), a working group of the American Institution of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), has developed vent sizing methods for reaction runaway control that take into account the emission of a two-phase gas/liquid release when the vent is activated.

Previously known methods, established by API, taking into account only the emission of a gaseous discharge, could lead to...