Abstract
OSHA's Process Safety Management Standard, 29 CFR 1910.119 (September, 1992) requires that process hazard evaluations be performed on covered processes. The regulations contain 14 areas for consideration, six of which are related to the need to provide comprehensive information of all process materials, including the consequences of inadvertent mixing of process materials. This information can be made available to those involved in the manufacturing process through the development of an Interaction Matrix. A brief overview of the subject is given in a publication by the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) [1].
In 1996 AIChE announced the availability of the computer package CHEMPAT that provides a straightβforward method of generating and documenting the interaction matrix, or Compatibility Chart, and accompanying database. CHEMPAT was developed, and used internally, by the Dow Chemical Company since 1987. It was donated by Dow to AIChE in 1995 for use by the chemical process industries.
This paper outlines the approach used to develop chemical compatibility information and briefly describes the use of CHEMPAT in that process.