Ammonia spills

TABLE 26-19 Comparison of Measured and Calculated Ammonia Concentrations in Ammonia Spill Tests... 

Preparation of Boron Trifluoride Ammine. Assemble an apparatus as shown in Pig. 113. Place flask 1 into a bath with ice. To produce ammonia, spill solid granulated sodium or potassium hydroxide into bottle 2. Pour a concentrated ammonia solution into the dropping funnel. 

As discussed in Section 3.1.2.1, a liquid that is uncontained is one over which there is no control and which will result in potentially severe consequences. If a dike is placed around the tank containing the refrigerated liquid ammonia and the ammonia spill is confined within it, a much reduced hazard zone can be obtained because we have limited the surface area available for vaporization and additional postrelease mitigation measures can be applied. As pointed out in Chapter 3, combinations of postrelease mitigation measures will provide the best overall response to an accidental release. 

Markham, R.S. 1986. A Review of Damage from Ammonia Spills. Paper presented at the 1986 Ammonia Symposium, Safety in Ammonia Plants and Related Facilities. A.I.Ch.E., Boston, MA, August 1986. (Cited in Pedersen and Selig 1989). 

If you swallow ammonia, you could suffer bums in your mouth, throat, and stomach. Concentrated ammonia spilled on the skin will cause burns. Animal studies show effects similar to those observed in people. We do not know if ammonia affects reproduction in humans. 

Goldwire, H. C., T. G. McRae, G. W. Johnson, D. L. Hippie, R. P. Koopman, J. W. McClure, L. K. Morris, and R. T. Cederwall. 1985. Desert Tortoise Series Data Report—1983 Pressurized Ammonia Spills, UCID-20562, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA. 

Description of Experiments The Desert Tortoise Series of ammonia spill experiments was performed by LLNL at the Frenchman Flat area of the Nevada Test Site during the summer of 1983. There were four experiments for the study of the size, shape, and temperature of the ammonia clouds, as well as the extent of the hazardous concentrations downwind. In order to simulate simple cases, which later could be modeled, the tests were performed at constant pressure and on the dry lakebed, which provided a relatively flat and smooth surface. 

Goldwire H. C., Jr., Large-Scale Ammonia Spill Tests, Chemical Engineering Progress, voL 82, no. 

Spills Evacuate spill site. Eliminate ignition sources. Provide ventilation and stay upwind if possible. Neutralize ammonia spills with carbon dioxide. Special foams are also available. 

Because the odor threshold of ammonia gas is very low (approximately 5 ppm), it provides ample warning properties. Ammonia attacks wet tissue such as the eyes and mucous membranes of the respiratory system. Two types of injuries can result from ammonia spills. One is direct contact, in which the victim is sprayed or splashed resulting in skin bums or loss of vision. Such injuries are often restricted to the immediate surroundings of the release point. Ammonia can also be released as a gas or cloud, which can spread over a wide area... 

Markham, R. S. 1987. Review of Damages from Ammonia Spills, Ammonia Plant Safety, vol. 27, pp. 137-149. 

With good ventilation or rapidly moving air currents, ammonia vapor, being lighter than air, can be expected to dissipate readily to the upper atmosphere without further action being necessary. Lacking these conditions, the concentration of ammonia vapor in air can be reduced effectively by the use of adequate volumes of water applied through spray or fog nozzles. Do not put water on a liquid ammonia spill since a violent production of vapor can result. Instead, use spray or fog nozzles on the vapor downwind of the spill. 

No/less flow Line ruptures due to Ammonia spills in Environmental Safeguards IID/IID Consider adding pressure sensor OPEN... 

An instance of an ammonia spill has been reported when a refrigerated ammonia storage tank was filled from a barge and the high level alarm and shutdown system failed to operate [17]. Also, instances of creating a vacuum in... 

Upon release into the atmosphere of an ammonia spill, a portion of it will flash off as a vapor. This portion is the initial flash followed by a period of evaporation until all of the ammonia has evaporated, been dissolved in water or otherwise disposed of. Some of the fundamentals of the behavior of ammonia released are discussed in [1, 51]. 

A report on ammonia spills at Frenchman s Flat has been given [59, 60]. Four tests were carried out with ammonia quantities of 25 to 60 m (10-41 tons). Test number four was particularly interesting since it involved... 

The model has been used to describe the simulation of a number of situations of transport of hazardous cargo by ship [64]. One of the situations covered is a fictitious anhydrous ammonia casualty at Louisville, Kentucky. The greatest potential hazards in ammonia spills, on or below the surface of water, are obviously those associated with barge transport on rivers and in narrow coastal waters, and those associated with tanker transport in narrow streams and harbors. 

---