Protection of chemical reactors against exothermal runaway reactions with smart overpressure protection devices

Mechanical safety devices and safety integrity systems are widely spread in the industry to protect chemical reactors against runaway reactions. However, these devices are limiting the productivity and flexibility of the plants due to their fixed set conditions and discharge areas. Hence, a new, intelligent, and adaptive safety device is required in the industry. This article presents a structure containing three modules for the new safety device. For each module, a detailed evaluation of available methods and devices to meet the requirements of reliability, flexibility, and precise countermeasures for the safety device have been performed. Concluding, a basic structure of the adaptive safety devices is outlined. The article summarizes research results submitted for publication in (Schmidt, 2022).