Expanded Chemical Reactivity Worksheet (CRW4) for determining chemical compatibility, past, present, and future

• Published in: Process safety progress Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 24 - 29
• Main Authors: Farr, James, Gorman, Dave, Sliva, Dan, Hielscher, Al, Nguyen, Trong, Baran, George, Drake, Brenton, Ford, Emory, Frurip, Dave, Mulligan, Kirk, Ryan, John W., Viveros, Dalina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York John Wiley and Sons, Limited 01.03.2017
• Subjects: Chemical compatibility; Chemical industries; Chemical industry; Chemical reactions; chemical reactivity worksheet; Chemicals; compatibility chart; Computer programs; Construction; Construction materials; CRW; Data retrieval; Hazards; Materials selection; Materials technology; NOAA; Safety; Software; Software development tools; Traction
• ISSN: 1066-8527; 1547-5913
• DOI: 10.1002/prs.11833

Chemical compatibility is a key consideration throughout the chemical industry wherever two or more chemicals have the potential to mix, either inadvertently or by design. One of the most comprehensive tools available for determining chemical compatibility, the NOAA Chemical Reactivity Worksheet (CRW), has gained significant traction since the release of the third version (CRW3) in 2012. In 3 years, this free software has been downloaded >200,000 times and has become the chemical compatibility tool of choice at many organizations. As a result of an ongoing partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), The Dow Chemical Company, The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), Materials Technology Institute (MTI) and other industrial/academic/government volunteers, a fourth version of the CRW (CRW4) has been developed. The expanded capabilities of this new version include a materials of construction section, improved import/exporting/data sharing capabilities, additional reactive groups to aid in determining compatibility decisions, several user interface enhancements, along with the correction of minor issues found in the CRW3. This article will describe past development, the new features included in the CRW4, followed by a brief discussion of future development plans for the software tool. Such developments should solidify this tool's position as the gold standard within the chemical industry for determining chemical hazards. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 36: 24–29, 2017