Development of Performance-Based Protection Standards from Recent Research on the Hazards of Silane Releases
Abstract
Factory Mutual Research (FMR) is an FM Global affiliate charged with providing advanced property loss prevention research and engineering support for the benefit of the customers of FM Global and the public at large. This goal is achieved through a combination of internally- sponsored activities and contract work for industrial or government clients. Targeted research is undertaken when available knowledge is found to be inadequate to satisfactorily address the situation for which protection needs to be devised. This was perceived to be the case of hazards from accidental silane leaks encountered in semiconductor manufacturing and other industries. In particular, existing design recommendations for the protection of ventilated enclosures were found to set requirements based on outdated and, in some instances, misinterpreted data. Extensive research was carried out by FMR (under partial support from SEMATECH) to develop improved protection guidelines for silane handling systems through enhanced understanding of the behavior of releases of this pyrophoric gas. The work has addressed and generated new information on three aspects of the problem: the prompt ignition behavior of silane; the reactivity characteristics of quiescent silane/air mixtures; and the rates of reaction of silane leaked into enclosures with and without explosion venting, in the presence of ventilation air flow. After developing correlations and generalizations of the test data with the assistance of models, this new knowledge was used as the foundation for a set of performance-based protection guidelines for implementation by FM Global loss prevention consultants worldwide. Because of their departure from rigid prescriptions, these guidelines provide the designer with the ability to evaluate different protection solutions and select the one that is most appropriate for the particular situation of interest.
Description
PresentationSubject
Silane ReleasesCollections
Citation
Tamanini, Francesco (1999). Development of Performance-Based Protection Standards from Recent Research on the Hazards of Silane Releases. Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center; Texas &M University. Libraries. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /193846.