This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the off-site impact range of potential chemical accidents at a lithium-ion battery electrolyte manufacturing plant. Although electrolytes are multicomponent mixtures of organic solvents and lithium salts, hydrogen fluoride (HF) was selected as the representative substance for simulation, because of its high toxicity, strong corrosivity, and frequent formation as a secondary byproduct during electrolyte leakage or hydrolysis reactions. Following the technical guidelines for estimating the impact range of chemical accidents, a total of 18 scenarios were developed by combining multiple conditions such as three facility capacities (approximately 3,000, 7,000, and 13,000 kg), three operating conditions (110℃, 0.2 MPa, 120℃, 0.3 MPa, and 130℃, 0.4 MPa), and two toxicity criteria (ERPG-1 and ERPG-2). Meteorological data averaged across the Chungju was used in the simulation.
The results showed that the impact radius ranged from 274.8 m to 1883.5 m, with operating conditions and toxicity criteria exerting greater influence on the impact range as compared to facility capacity. Under identical conditions, ERPG-1 produced impact radii 3-5 times larger than ERPG-2, indicating its more conservative nature for evacuation planning. This study reports the first quantitative analysis of accident impact ranges in electrolyte processes using HF as a representative proxy substance, and provides key reference data for policy development, evacuation planning, and integrated safety management in renewable energy facilities.