Cylinder Handling Procedures

A cylinder should not be filled until certain inspections are made and DOT and ICC requirements met (49CFR173.34). Depending on the nature of the gas, there may be other industry standards or recognized good practices to observe. All relevant requirements should be assembled in a set of written procedures that are audited and enforced. 

DOT requires first that ownership of the cylinder be determined. If it is not the property of the company filling it, there must be written authorization from the registered owner. The cylinder markings described in Section 2.6.3.1 should be examined and verified as suitable for the lading. These markings will indicate the cylinder specification, the approved service pressure, and the latest test date. 

A cylinder must not be filled until the date, of its last hydrostatic test has been checked. If the time allowed between tests has expired, the cylinder must not be filled until the prescribed tests are made. Test intervals, methods of 

Many of the observations included above are subjective or at least judgmental. Experience becomes a very important factor. An organization lacking this expertise may wish to contract with a certified inspection firm. 

The results of the inspection, including the recommended disposition of the cylinder, should be recorded. Typical contents of a report form might be  

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The crude fluorosulfate, produced as by-product in preparation of peroxodisulfuryl difluoride, was distilled into a cooled steel cylinder and, on warming to ambient temperature, the cylinder exploded. It decomposes at 200° C, but not explosively [1], Preparative and handling procedures are detailed [2], Further warnings on the need to handle with care have been given [3,4],... 

The cheapest source of chlorine is the hazardous, yellow-green CI2 gas, supplied under pressure as a liquid. However, the supply of chlorine bottles (cylinders), the maintenance of a chlorinator (which permits the conversion of liquid chlorine into lower pressure gaseous chlorine), and the eductor and piping system is costly. It also requires first class health and safety handling procedures. 

A number of gases are supplied in liquefied form at relatively low pressures and these generally only require the use of a flow control valve. The valves on these cylinders are generally fitted with a handwheel. Again you should consult the supplier s technical data for information on the correct fittings and handling procedures. 

Diborane is valued as a fuel for use in rocket propellants. Gallery Ghemical Co. developed equipment and procedures for the safe handling of diborane and by 1962 had produced about 5 million pounds of the material. It is offered for shipment in chrome-molybdenum steel cylinders at —80° (minimum order 100 g.), and technical bulletins present information on handling procedures and safety precautions. 

If the contents of a cylinder have been contaminated or are suspected of being contaminated, analysis of the contents should be conducted prior to establishing the handling procedures and disposition. Mixtures containing components that are incompatible with one another or their container are prohibited from being shipped under DOT (see 40 CFR 173.301) and TC regulations [1,2]. Only specially trained and experienced personnel should handle potentially reactive or explosive mixtures. 

CGA G-6.3, Carbon Dioxide Cylinder Filling and Handling Procedures, 2" ed.. Compressed Gas Association, Inc., 1725 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. 

The recommended method is from Guidelines for Pressure Relief and Effluent Handling Systems (AIChE-CCPS, 1998). It is an improvement over the method presented in the 7th edition of this Handbook. The procedure involves calculating a terminal velocity for a selected droplet size, then providing enough residence time in the vapor space to allow the droplets to fall from the top of the vessel to the level of liquid collected. Also, the vapor velocity in the separator must not exceed the value above which liquid may Be entrained from the liquid surface in the separator. The tank is treated as a simple horizontal cylinder, neglecting the volume of liquid in the heads. 

General Procedure. Liquid hydrogen fluoride (b.p. 19.4°) containing only 0.1-0.2% of water is available commercially in steel cylinders. It is highly corrosive to tissue,182 and the vapors are very toxic. Consequently, it should be handled with care goggles and rubber gloves must be worn. With heed to these precautions hydrogen fluoride can be handled safely and easily. 

MoF6—The direct reaction of molybdenum with fluorine initiated around 100°C. in a copper tube -7 is specific for this highest fluoride. The method is relatively inconvenient in most laboratories because of experimental difficulties and hazards associated with the handling of elemental fluorine. A more recent procedure, which avoids elemental F2, involves the reaction between Mo03 and SF4 in a bomb at 350°C. Sulfur tetrafluoride, although expensive, is commercially available in cylinders. 

Gas cylinders must be chained securely to the wall or laboratory bench (see pp. 644-646). Procedure B Work on a vacuum system requires preliminary review of procedures and careful execution in order to avoid damage to the apparatus and possible injury from broken glass in addition, the liquid nitrogen used for cold traps must be handled properly (see Appendix C). Safety glasses must be worn. 

Variations to improve accuracy, facilitate handling, or render the method applicable to special systems have been proposed. For instance, Richards and Carver ) developed a capillary with a reflush device (a wider tube, parallel to the vertical capillary) to facilitate rejuvenation of the liquid surface. This apparatus was modified by Young and Gross ). Ramakrishnan and Hartland ) developed a procedure of measuring surface tensions in the annular ring between two concentric cylinders. This approach was duplicated by Agrawal and Menon ). Long ago Sentis ) experimented with an isolated capillary on the lower end of which a... 

Handle in accordance with standard procedures for handling metal cylinders containing liquefied or compressed gases. Carbon dioxide is an asphyxiant and inhalation in large quantities is hazardous. It should therefore be handled in a well-ventilated environment equipped with suitable safety devices for monitoring vapor concentration. 

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