Development of the HarsMeth methodology for hazard assessment of highly reactive systems: HarsMeth new process

This paper presents the evolution of the HarsMeth methodology for the assessment of chemical reactive hazards in process plants. This tool is intended to help small and medium enterprises with the safety analysis of their chemical processes, and it is a result of the European Commission funded network HarsNet, which was active between 1998 and 2002, when the latest version of HarsMeth was published. The methodology has been improved by adapting its structure to the logical evolution in the development of a chemical process. The objective is to perform the assessment on a step-by-step basis, starting with the preliminary analysis of different synthesis paths, followed by a bench scale analysis of the selected route at the laboratory, and finishing with the necessary safety considerations in order to implement the process at plant scale. The methodology has been tested with a real process in order to check its efficiency. The reaction chosen is the production of macrocyclic peroxides from catalytical oxidation of cyclohexanone with hydrogen peroxide. Recent investigations have determined the conditions under which this reaction may lead to a runaway, which makes it suitable to determine how HarsMeth can help in the assessment of such reactions.