Process Intensification for
Inherent Hazard Reduction
Process intensification is the inherent-safer-design strategy that replaces conventional batch / stirred-tank chemistry with technology routes inherently smaller, more uniform, and less hazardous — microreactors, continuous-flow chemistry, structured (monolithic / packed-bed) reactors, reactive distillation, spinning-disc / spinning-mesh reactors, and distributed point-of-use generation of hazardous intermediates. The discipline operates at the CONCEPT / TECHNOLOGY SELECTION stage of a project — before pilot scale-up engineering (which is the operational discipline for moving lab chemistry to commercial scale once the technology is selected). Intensification reduces hazardous inventory by typical factors of 100–10000× compared to batch, with the corresponding reduction in consequence severity, emergency planning zone, SIL allocation burden, and insurance loading. The evaluation work compares conventional vs intensified routes against capex, opex, schedule, ISI/INSET score, and Heikkilä index, then defines a safety case for any novel technology where commercial reference base is thin.
