The irony in this post is thick with sulfur smoke!
SAFTENG Members can read my 2012 article Sulfur sticks and ammonia leaks… are you in compliance when using these leak detection devices?
This video shows us what happens when we introduce a lit sulfur stick into an NH3 gas leak. Imagine someone doing this in a larger leak without the ability to measure the concentration and they are placing a lit stick into an atmosphere of NH3, a CAT 2 Flammable Gas. We can see, even with a small leak, there is a small area where the NH3 is within its flammable range. In the training video, they knew where the leak was and was demonstrating what happens when the sulfur reacts with the NH3; however, in reality, technicians are quite a bit more haphazardly waving the lit stick around valves and flanges in an effort to cover as much ground as they can as quickly as they can. Most of the time, the techs are usually in a full-face APR and would not be able to gauge concentration by smell – another reason why responding to “small leaks” is part of PSM/RMP emergency planning and response element and why a calibrated direct-reading NH3 detector is an ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE!