Report of an explosion during the manufacture of an azodicarbonamide formulation

✍ Scribed by M.W. Whitmore; J.P. Gladwell; P.V. Rutledge

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 856 KB
• Volume: 6
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0950-4230
• DOI: 10.1016/0950-4230(93)85006-7

✦ Synopsis

A damaging explosion occurred during the manufacture of an azodicarbonamide formulation which was not explicable in terms of existing knowledge and experience. Three scenarios were advanced which could account for the facts of the incident. Two of these were eliminated by subsequent experimentation but the third was demonstrated to be a viable mechanism. It is concluded that the event was a bottom-initiated spreading decomposition or deflagration which achieved very high mass rates due to a critical degree of confinement.