1. Theoretical basis of thermal safety

1.1 Thermal hazard

Risk is traditionally defined as the product of the severity of an incident and its probability of occurrence. Consequently, risk assessment requires the evaluation of its two components: severity and probability, and is always carried out in the context of a failure event or scenario. Obviously, the aim of such an assessment is to guide the choice and development of measures to reduce risk (figure 2 ). The question arises as to what severity and probability represent in the case of thermal risks inherent in a given chemical reaction.

The thermal hazard associated with a chemical reaction is the loss of control of the reaction, and the consequences that follow (e.g....