Cylinders hazards

Methyl Bromide Truck (cylinders) Hazard Division 2.3 (toxic gas) Potential toxic release hazard Lower... 

Environmental Health and Safety News Article 1 Hydrogen Fluoride Cylinder Hazard University of Maryland, July 16, 1999. 

Correct Tube-Correct Coimector-Correct Hole/Oxygen Cylinder Hazards... 

Pistons may be of segmented construction to permit the use of one-piece wear bands. One-piece wear bands are a requirement in API 618. Pistons have a problem in common with humans—a weight problem. Weight in a piston contributes directly to the compressor shaking forces and must be controlled. For this reason, aluminum pistons are often found in larger low pressure cylinders. Hollow pistons are used but can pose a hazard to maintenance personnel if not properly vented. If trapped, the gas will be released in an unpredictable and dangerous manner when the piston is dismantled. 

Tail rods are dummy rods that protrude from the head end of the cylinder (see Figure 3-9). The purpose of the rod is to pressure-balance a piston or to stabilize a particular piston design. Because of the personnel hazard, a guard must be specified and provided. In a tandem cylinder arrangement, the outboard cylinders are driven with a rod similar to the tail rod... 

Co., .- w,...ors should be stopped periodically to check for wear. The inspection may occur every few months. To accomplish this the compi sor must be stopped, blocked in, and purged if the gas is hazardous valve is removed from the cylinder and a feeler gauge inserted throi the valve opening. A measurement is taken between the lower side of piston and the cylinder wall. 

A further hazard exists when eompressed air jets are used to elean maehine eomponents in workplaees flying partieles have eaused injury and blindness. Cylinders may fail if over-pressurized or weakened by the applieation of heat. Liquefied gases, e.g. butane or propane, respond more rapidly to heat than the permanent gases sueh as nitrogen or oxygen. Cylinders are normally proteeted by pressure relief valves, fusible plugs or bursting dises. 

Inspect condition of cylinders regularly, especially those containing hazardous gases (e.g. corrosive). 

Ideally, depending on the length of pipe run, locate cylinders outside (for hazardous gases, valves installed within the workplace can be used for remote control of the main supply from the cylinder in the event of an emergency). Site cylinders so that they cannot become part of an electrical circuit. 

The main hazard is that of flammability. The following precautions supplement those in Table 9.3 for the storage of methane gas cylinders ... 

The design of any building or outside compound for the storage of chemicals in packages (e.g. drums, cylinders, sacks) will depend upon their hazardous characteristics (pages 228, 248 and 272). 

Compliance with limits set for stocks of potentially hazardous chemicals Storage, segregation and handling of gas cylinders Display of appropriate warnings/notices... 

Gases with a health hazard, flammability, or reactivity ranking of 3 or 4 (toxic or highly toxic) should also be used and dispensed from a ventilated gas cabinet. The cylinder and any fittings subject to leakage should be enclosed by the cabinet. ... 

Another hazard of compressed air is that it contains dust (organic and inorganic), water, and traces of hydrocarbons, which if they are not removed can cause excessive wear of tools or contamination of products. Morris writes, Those who use air for pneumatic tools or even paint spray seem to have an inbuilt resistance to any idea that the quality of their compressed air is of any serious consequence. The fact that it transmits concentrated quantities of abrasive particles and water into the finely machined orifices and cylinders of their tools seems to pass them by [12]. 

About two-thirds of the N2 produced industrially is supplied as a gas, mainly in pipes but also in cylinders under pressure. The remaining one-third is supplied as liquid N2 since this is also a very convenient source of the dry gas. The main use is as an inert atmosphere in the iron and steel industry and in many other metallurgical and chemical processes where the presence of air would involve fire or explosion hazards or unacceptable oxidation of products. Thus, it is extensively used as a purge in petrochemical reactors and other chemical equipment, as an inert diluent for chemicals, and in the float glass process to prevent oxidation of the molten tin (p. 370). It is also used as a blanketing gas in the electronics industry, in the packaging of processed foods and pharmaceuticals, and to pressurize electric cables, telephone wires, and inflatable rubber tyres, etc. 

Figure 12-2T. Medium- or high-pressure, double-acting cylinder with flanged liner. The liner is locked in place by a flange between head and cylinder barrel. A step on the liner O.D. permits easy insertion. The cylinder may be made of cast-iron, nodular iron, or cast steel, depending on operating pressure. Note Optional two-compartment distance piece (type D) designed to contain flammable, hazardous, or toxic gases is illustrated. (Used by permission Bui. 33640, June 1985. Dresser-Rand Company.)...

Compressed gases, therefore, present a unique hazard from their potential physical and chemical dangers. Unless cylinders are secured they may topple over, cause injury to operators, become damaged themselves and cause contents to leak. If the regulator shears off, the cylinder may rocket like a projectile or torpedo dangerously around the workplace. Other physical hazards stem from the high pressure of a cylinder s contents, e.g. accidental application of a compressed gas/air hose or jet onto an open cut or wound, whereby the gas can enter the tissue or bloodstream, is particularly dangerous. 

Low-boiling-point materials can cause frostbite on contact with living tissue. While this is an obvious hazard with cryogenics, e.g. liquid nitrogen or oxygen, cylinders of other liquefied gases also become extremely cold and covered in frost as the contents are discharged. 

A hazardous chemical must be supplied/conveyed in a package (drum, keg, cylinder,... 

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