Flash point designators

Figure 4.1 Illustrative classification of flash point designators.

Storage of Flammable Materials. The preferred storage for flammable Hquids or gases is in properly designed tanks. Floating roof tanks frequently are used in the petroleum industry for flammable cmdes and products (see Tanks and pressure vessels). The vents on cone roof tanks should either be equipped with flame arrestors or the vapor space above the contents should be inerted with a nonflammable gas or vapor, unless the flash point is weU above the maximum ambient temperature, the contents are not heated above the flash point, and the tank is not exposed to other tanks containing flammable Hquids. 

Fixed-roof atmospheric tanks require vents to prevent pressure changes which would othei wise result from temperature changes and withdrawal or addition of liquid. API Standard 2000, Venting Atmospheric and Low Pressure Storage Tanks, gives practical rules for vent design. The principles of this standard can be applied to fluids other than petroleum products. Excessive losses of volatile liquids, particularly those with flash points below 38°C (100°F), may result from the use of open vents on fixed-roof tanks. Sometimes vents are manifolded and led to a vent tank, or the vapor may be extracted by a recov-eiy system. 

An old 100-m pressure vessel, a vertical cylinder, designed for a gauge pressure of 5 psi (0.3 bar), was being used to store, at atmospheric pressure, a liquid of flash point 40°C. The fire heated the vessel to above 40°C and ignited the vapor coming out of the vent the fire flashed back into the tank, where an explosion occurred. The vessel burst at the bottom seam, and the entire vessel, except for the base, and contents went into orbit like a rocket [4]. 

Most heat transfer systems are of a closed loop design that circulates a heat transfer medium between heaters and heat exchangers. Circulation pumps provide flow and regulating valves are used for process control. The heat transfer medium is usually steam, a high flash point oil, or in process plants flammable liquids and gases. Inherently steam is a safer medium to use and is preferred over other mediums. When steam supplies are unavailable high flash point oils (organic or synthetics) are sometimes used. 

Flash point is one of the most important fire safety characteristics and hence it is a very important consideration in solvent design. The flammability limit of a solvent is characterized by its flash point, which is the temperature at which the mixture of air and vapor above the liquid can be ignited (Mullin, 1961). It is the lowest point at which the vapor pressure of a liquid will produce a flammable mixture. The flash point of the solvent can be estimated using the following group contribution method (ICAS, 2003)... 

Safety Considerations Design and location of storage tanks, vents, piping, and connections are specified by state fire marshals, underwriters codes, and local ordinances. In NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, 2003 (published by the National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, Ma.), liquid petroleum fuels are placed in Class I through Class III B based on their flash point, boiling point, and vapor pressure. 

FLASH POINT OF LIQUIDS BY TAG CLOSED TESTER (ASTM Designation D56—70)... 

For flammable and combustible liquids, flash point is the primary basis for classifying the degree of fire hazardousness. NFPA Classifications 1, 2, and 3 designate the most to the least fire hazard liquids, respectively. In essence, low flash point liquids are high fire hazard liquids. 

PCB formulations are mixtures designed to fulfill unique specifications (color, density, dielectric constant, fire and flash point, percent chlorine, etc.) Such mixtures may vary from batch to batch. There is some evidence that the presence of trace quantities of chlorinated napthalenes and dibenzofurans in commercial PCBs may be of toxicologic significance (ref. 134, p. 52). 

Waste oil Used oil which contains in excess of 1000 ppm chlorine, 5 ppm arsenic, 2 ppm disposal cadmium, 10 ppm chromium, 100 ppm lead, or having a flash point of less than 40°C is considered to be hazardous waste and cannot be burned for energy recovery or used in any way to produce fuel. Waste oil containing more than 1000 ppm chlorine is considered to be contaminated with chlorinated solvents or PCB and is designated as hazardous waste. 

Predictive hazard evaluation procedures may be required when new and different processes, designs, equipment, or procedures are being contemplated. The Dow Fire and Explosion Index provides a direct method to estimate the risks in a chemical process based upon flammability and reactivity characteristics of the chemicals, general process hazards (as exothermic reactions, indoor storage of flammable liquids, etc.) and special hazards (as operation above the flash point, operation above the auto-ignition point, quantity of flammable liquid, etc.). Proper description of this index is best found in the 57-page Dows Fire and Explosion Index, Hazard Classification Guide, 5 th ed., AIChE, New York, 1981. 

Reproducibility — Two results, each the mean of three detns, obtained by operators in different laboratories should be considered suspect if they differ by more than 24 F (13-3C) FLASH POINT OF LIQUIDS BY TAG CLOSED TESTER (ASTM Designation D56—70)... 

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