A Study on Evaluation Methods for Preventing Recurrence of Accidents Involving Mixtures of Monomers and Initiators

It is well known that radical polymerization reactions can release a large amount of energy. In recent years, unintended polymerization had progressed during storage and transportation, causing accidents. Therefore, chemical companies are examining evaluation methods. Since conventional thermal analysis equipment with temperature ramping measurements cannot adequately assess these monomers, a method using Polymerization Induction Time (PIT) obtained from isothermal measurements with high-sensitivity calorimeters is being established in recent years. However, these proposed methods target the evaluation of monomers alone. This study compared the results of isothermal measurements using a conventional high-sensitivity thermal analyzer and AKTS simulation analysis using DSC data for mixtures consisting of monomers, inhibitors, and initiators. The PIT estimation method by AKTS is a simpler method than the conventional isothermal method, but some samples were applicable while others were not. The difference is also discussed in terms of radical stability by computational chemistry.