Thermal Hazard Evaluation of Lauroyl Peroxide Mixed with Nitric Acid

Abstract

Many thermal runaway incidents have been caused by organic peroxides due to the peroxy group, –O–O–, which is essentially unstable and active. Lauroyl peroxide (LPO) is also sensitive to thermal sources and is incompatible with many materials, such as acids, bases, metals, and ions. From the thermal decomposition reaction of various concentrations of nitric acid (HNO₃) (from lower to higher concentrations) with LPO, experimental data were obtained as to its exothermic onset temperature (T₀), heat of decomposition (ΔH_d), isothermal time to maximum rate (TMR_iso), and other safety parameters exclusively for loss prevention of runaway reactions and thermal explosions. As a novel finding, LPO mixed with HNO₃ can produce the detonation product of 1-nitrododecane. We used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal activity monitor III (TAM III), and gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) analyses of the reactivity for LPO and itself mixed with HNO₃ to corroborate the decomposition reactions and reaction mechanisms in these investigations.

Keywords

• lauroyl peroxide (LPO)
• nitric acid (HNO<sub>3</sub>)
• exothermic onset temperature (T<sub>0</sub>)
• heat of decomposition (ΔH<sub>d</sub>)
• isothermal time to maximum rate (TMR<sub>iso</sub>)