Thermal hazard assessment of TMCH mixed with inorganic acids

Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Engineering Science and Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan

^a Corresponding author: shucm@yuntech.edu.tw

Abstract

1,1-Bis(tert-butylperoxy)-3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane (TMCH) is a typical peroxide with two peroxy groups that may runaway and/or explode due to mixing with inorganic acids, such as HCl, HNO₃, H₂SO₄, or H₃PO₄. In this study, reactivities of TMCH mixed with the above inorganic acids were assessed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, data obtained by DSC, such as exothermic onset temperature (T₀), maximum temperature (T_max), and heat of decomposition (ΔH_d) could be employed to acquire thermal safety parameters. Moreover, thermal activity monitor III (TAM III) was employed to investigate the thermal hazards while storing or transporting TMCH and TMCH mixed with four types of commonly used inorganic acids, here as HCl, HNO₃, H₂SO₄, or H₃PO₄ under isothermal conditions. Mixing TMCH with those inorganic acids resulted in higherΔH_d except H₃PO₄, and mixing TMCH with HCl clearly decreased T₀. Therefore, the phenomena of mixing those incompatible materials with TMCH can be concluded as the worst cases in terms of contamination hazards during storage and transportation of TMCH.