MEMBERS UPDATE on 4/12/14 from Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)… On October 31, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. while anhydrous ammonia (ammonia) field application assembly was making a turn at the end of the field, the hitch connection between the application/toolbar unit and the nurse tank failed. The break-away coupling device failed to disengage, causing the threaded fitting at one end of the withdrawal hose to fail resulting in the air release of ammonia. The video illustrates the ammonia release.
When someone tells you that ammonia vapor is lighter than air and will rise… this is true; however, when the release involves LIQUID AMMONIA or even in an aerosol state this is what Anhydrous Ammonia will act like when released. Early in the video you can see and hear the hose whipping around (even striking the nurse tank several times), but eventually the hose coupling fails and the hose is lost right at about the 3 minute mark into the video. But even then, watch as the ammonia comes out of the tank, it falls to the ground and spreads much like those materials that have Vapor Densities greater than 2.0.