Another “the power of a vacuum” incident (MC 307 Collapse from condensing product)

The power of a vacuum… caused only by the condensing of the hazardous material.  The loading temperature of the mono-isopropylamine, a flammable liquid, was reported to be between 70°F and 80°F. When the tank collapsed, the ambient air temperature was approximately 10°F…

On January 4,1988, an MC 307 tank trailer departed with 39,000 pounds of mono-isopropylamine, a flammable liquid. The truck was en route to a plant in Wyandotte, Michigan. The truck driver reported that about 5:30 p.m. on January 5, as the truck was proceeding northbound on Interstate 65 about 3 miles north of Sonora, Kentucky, he heard a loud noise similar to a blowout and the truck jerked hard to his left. In the side view mirror, the truck driver saw sparks coming from the rear of the vehicle. Although difficult, the truck driver moved the vehicle onto the shoulder of the road and stopped. He disembarked and extinguished a fire beneath the trailer which he believed was being fueled by grease on the support pads of the trailer’s dolly legs.

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