Rags, oily

Spontaneous Pyrophoric deposit Deposits Water reactive Sulphides Oily rags, oil impregnation of lagging Heat transfer salt ... 

Collection of combustible waste in appropriate containers (e.g. oily rags/other material subject to spontaneous combustion)... 

Autoxidation is responsible for the development of the rancidity that occurs when fats and oils spoil and for the spontaneous combustion of oily rags left open to the air. 

Imagine that you are an analytical chemist and someone brings you an oily rag to analyze in order to identify the material on the rag. Is this a qualitative or quantitative analysis ... 

When piles of materials, such as oily rags, soft coal in small size, rotten wood, etc are stored improperly, a gradual slow oxidation... 

When oily rags are left in a closet or badly ventilated room the oil slowly oxidizes. The heat of the reaction cannot escape. When the kindling or ignition temperature is reached, the rags burst into flame. 

When disposing of certain chemicals, be alert for the possibility of spontaneous combustion. This may occur in oily rags organic materials exposed to strong oxidizing agents such as nitric acid, permanganate ion, and peroxides alkali metals such as sodium or very finely divided metals such as zinc dust and platinum catalysts. Fires sometimes start when these chemicals are left in contact with filter paper. 

The rate at which a combustible compound is oxidized is greatly affected by temperature. The higher the temperature, the faster the oxidation reaetion will proceed. The chemical reactions involved in the combination of a fuel and oxygen can occur even at room temperature, but very slowly. For this reason, a pile of oily rags can be a fire hazard. Small amounts of heat are liberated by the slow oxidation of the oils. This, in turn, raises the temperature of the rags and increases the oxidation rate, liberating more heat. Eventually, a full-fledged fire can break out. For... 

Instability in a non-flow system—that might be an exothermic batch reaction or a pile of oily rags subject to autoxidation—is apt to escalate into a conflagration or thermal explosion (see Figure 14.1, left diagram). However, instability might be confined to a narrow region close to equilibrium, and the reaction then runs out of reactants before the temperature rise can become catastrophic. Flow systems may also admit multiple steady states and hysteresis. 

Fibrous materials are often used as absorbents and become contaminated with oils on use, hence oily rags. 

All solvent waste, oily rags, and flammable hquids must be kept in Are resistant covered containers rmtil removed from the worksite. 

Proper disposal is another issue discussed in subpart H. When disposing of materials like scrap wood, such materials should be removed from the work area immediately to prevent employee injuries. Other materials such as oily rags and flammable liquids should be kept in covered containers until they can be removed from the worksite. 

Provide appropriate containers with lids for the collection of hazardous wastes, such as oily rags and flammable solvent. Keep incompatible materials separated. 

Combustible scrap, debris, and waste materials (oily rags, etc.) stored in covered metal receptacles must be removed promptly from the worksite. Proper storage must be practiced to minimize the risk of fire, including spontaneous combustion. Fire extinguishers must be selected and provided for the types of materials in areas where they are to be used. NO SMOKING rules should be enforced in areas involving the storage and use of hazardous materials. 

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