An Assessment of the Rate of Occurrence of High Hydrogen Content in a Chlorine Production Plant

Increased hydrogen content in the chlorine gas generated from mercury cells can be caused either by incomplete purification of the brine or by the appearance of holes in the mercury cathode. In the absence of timely action, an explosive hydrogen/chlorine mixture can be formed with subsequent danger of rupture, either as a result of reaction heat leading to chlorine/iron combustion or as a result of overpressure.

The paper deals with the probabilistic analysis technique which—in an overall risk assessment of a chlorine production plant—has been used to assess the rate of occurrence of explosive gas mixtures in the main chlorine supply line and in the chlorine liquefier.